European science conversations
by the community, for the community
In Europe, complex fields of research such as structural biology are implementing the only solution available to large fields of research as a means to ensure their survival in such financially constrained times. They are integrating the infrastructure of expertise, technology platforms and education to further the frontiers of science.
Philosophers and social scientists have been hampered by inability to define what is meant by “identity”. This is because they have been unable to clarify the term “sameness” on which the definition depends. As a result, specialists in the humanities have taken very different approaches to understanding “identity”. This has resulted in widespread confusion, even chaos, in its application. Science is now able to determine precisely what is meant by “sameness” in the individual and in the group. It can, therefore, define identity objectively and succinctly at these levels. The article asks why there appears to be reluctance to accept the new paradigm.
Zuzana Hudáčová, a 15-year old student from Slovakia, has always liked to go to labs and make experiments when she had free time.
Many of the most impactful advancements laid in basic science decades or even centuries earlier and reveal the need for fundamental research. But the benefit of supporting basic research has been increasingly questioned in recent years while the concept of fundamental research seems to be undervalued.
Although our gut is not as big as the Amazon Forest, and the organisms that it harbours are mere microbes and tiny parasites, not tigers and anacondas, it still contains many thousands of different microbial species, most of them still unknown to us.
In a scientific world where there are too many candidates for the scarce positions and funds, recruitment became extremely demanding. With the needed ambition to publish more impactful stories, scientists often choose not to publish smaller projects. But is that really important? And, if so, can we foresee some solutions? These are some the questions we discuss in the present article.
Although science constantly proves that people are more alike than different, racism continues to exist at every level and to increase sharply.
Children are capable of complex thinking skills prior to being able to speak, but different types of play are critical to develop skills related to STEM fields.
Basic scientific research gives rise to technological applications which shape modern society. Funding towards curiosity-driven science should be continuous and not in the hands of political and economical powers. Science and ethics have to keep the same pace for a sustainable future.
Nowadays there is a diffuse border between pure and applied mathematics. The pure mathematician – an atypical scientist inclined toward the abstract – – is capable of switching at any time to the role of applied mathematician in order to address and solve the pressing global issues that threaten humanity. From assisting manned space missions to modelling the processes of ice melting or the spread of an epidemic, the applied mathematician’s contributions are crucial for humankind. The confidence we have in the truths of applied mathematics, which – within the philosophy of science – is part of the so-called Wigner’s puzzle, is a kind of evolutionary feature of the discipline.
The FOSTER Roadmap for Implementing Open Science Training Practices in Research institutions outlines three key ways and practical actions that can taken up by Research Performing Organisations in order to support the transition towards Open Science.
Newer genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas, are revolutionising scientific research and bringing about a myriad of potential applications in many fields. For science and technology to progress timely and efficiently, the societal debate must move forward at the same pace to help guide the direction of scientific research and to frame policy-making decisions. As this technology progresses, what will be the key questions to address as the public is engaged in these conversations? This article hints at some of them while a comprehensive list will be discussed at ESOF dilemma café session on Friday 13th –participate to find out!
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