In the spotlight
Elon Musk says X’s election interference team ‘are gone’
skynews, 28.09.2023
Elon Musk has announced that his social media company X, formally known as Twitter, has removed the team monitoring election misinformation. Just days ago the European Union said X is “the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation”.
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Disinformation most active on X, formerly known as Twitter, EU says
bbc, 26.09.2023
About sharing X, formerly Twitter, has the biggest proportion of disinformation of six big social networks, a European Commission study has suggested. It examined over 6,000 unique social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
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EU warns of Russian ‘mass manipulation’ as elections loom
euobserver, 26.09.2023
The EU is urging Big Tech platforms to act against the Kremlin’s “war of ideas” ahead of the upcoming 2024 European Parliament elections, as Russia’s disinformation is flowering on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) platform.
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Digital transition
Tom Hanks warns dental plan ad image is AI fake
bbc, 02.10.2023
Tom Hanks has warned an advert that appears to be fronted by him is in fact an artificial intelligence (AI) fake. “There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me,” the actor wrote on Instagram.
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‘You’ve got to be data-driven’: the fashion forecasters using AI to predict the next trend
guardian, 01.10.2023
Artificial intelligence can help predict style crazes, shape collections and help the environment by cutting waste material.
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Environmental sustainability
Creating a circular economy in construction and agriculture
timesofmalta, 02.10.2023
Bio-polymer feather fibres significantly improve the properties of concrete.
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Mobility & Energy
Germany aims to fight EV range angst with more chargers
euractiv-en, 29.09.2023
The German government is disbursing some €1.8 billion to commercial electric car charging station operators in a bid to reduce charging availability anxiety that keeps people from buying electric cars.
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Science policy & Communication
Transforming knowledge into jobs: The Lisbon Unicorn Factory
euronews-en, 28.09.2023
Lisbon’s journey from a city of tradition and history into a modern innovation hub is a compelling case of urban transformation, Carlos Moedas and Carlo Ratti write.
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Agriculture & Food
EU project ZeroF aims to create substitutes for PFAS in food packaging and textiles
idw-online, 28.09.2023
EU project ZeroF aims to create substitutes for PFAS in food packaging and textiles. They protect pizza boxes against grease penetration, make outdoor clothing weatherproof, and are also found in groundwater and in the human body: perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs for short.
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Health
Europe’s beating cancer plan: first prototype of the Cancer Image Europe platform goes live
eureporter, 02.10.2023
On 29 September, the European Cancer Imaging Initiative reached a first major milestone: as of 29 September, the Cancer Image Europe platform links up 36 datasets of images of 9 cancer types (breast, colon, lung, prostate, rectum, liver, glioma, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma), for a total of over 200,000 image series of about 20,000 individuals.
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When the drugs don’t work: can we do anything about antimicrobial resistance?
guardian, 29.09.2023
One little girl’s tragic death in an Abuja hospital this summer illustrates a global problem, but one that is worst in Africa where it could kill 4 million people by 2050.
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EU initiatives
Fine print of Horizon Europe deal ties UK into the next framework programme
sciencebusiness, 22.09.2023
The deal under which the UK is to associate to Horizon Europe contains a potential financial incentive for the country to continue into next Framework Programme 10 (FP10) research programme, according to the fine print of the agreement.
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Study: Establishing a horizontal European climate label for products
europarl, 05.09.2023
Study commissioned by the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) on the potential for an effective climate labelling framework.
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Curious news
‘We are just getting started’: the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world
guardian, 28.09.2023
When a microbe was found munching on a plastic bottle in a rubbish dump, it promised a recycling revolution. Now scientists are attempting to turbocharge those powers in a bid to solve our waste crisis. But will it work?
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