From Arctic to Alps, icy exploration expands understanding of global warming

Microalgae in sediments signal what happened in the environment thousands of years ago, illuminating the range of future climate-change impacts. By  VEDRANA SIMIČEVIĆ In the freezing Arctic waters of Greenland’s Melville Bay, palaeoclimatologist Sara Harðardóttir and her colleagues faced a moment of suspense aboard their vessel. The scientists deployed a heavy-duty gravity corer – a device … Read more

Butterflies and dodos hold clues to protecting biodiversity

Although too late for the famed flightless bird, new scientific findings on the winged insects could help preserve animal species. By  MICHAEL ALLEN Yolanda Melero, an ecology researcher in Spain, has a bit of good news to offset some of the increasingly unsettling scenarios regarding biodiversity. As part of an EU-funded project into butterflies, Melero said … Read more

On social welfare, views in EU can surprise and emerging markets bring new perspectives

Public perceptions of “social Europe” signal support for more EU integration, while new welfare regimes abroad highlight a worldwide trend. By  SOFIA STRODT More than half of a century of economic and political integration in the EU has stripped away many taboos about pooling national powers in a third area: social policy. While welfare firmly remains … Read more

In India, natural ways to clean up wastewater promise big benefits

European researchers are working alongside Indian experts to rethink the collection, decontamination and reuse of sewage in the world’s most populous country. By  HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD Winding its way through the mountains and plains of northern India, the Ganges River is sacred to the Hindu religion. More prosaically, its water and nutrients are vital to the region’s … Read more

In polycrisis world, Europe gains from sharing emergency supplies and tapping expertise

As disaster readiness climbs up the EU agenda, a chief scientific advisor offers views on how Europe can harness its strengths. By  HORIZON STAFF Of all the areas of EU activity, crisis management may be among the least well-known and the most rapidly evolving. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ensuing refugee wave have … Read more