ESMH Media Review – October 19, 2022

In the spotlight

As AI accelerates, can Europe keep up?

sciencebusiness, 14.10.2022

The complex interplay between AI and advanced computing hardware raises strategic dilemmas for Europe. While Europe has a very strong scientific base, its commercial computing base is relatively weak.

NATO allies take further steps towards responsible use of AI, data, autonomy and digital transformation

globalsecurity, 14.10.2022

On Thursday (13 October), NATO Defence Ministers agreed to establish a Review Board to govern the responsible development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data across the NATO Enterprise.

AI language processors show bias against people with disabilities: study

business-standard, 14.10.2022

A recent study has found that the algorithms that power AI based language processors frequently exhibit characteristics that might be insulting or discriminatory toward people with disabilities.

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1580901753901314048

Number of news retrieved by the system in the last month

Digital transition

EU offers guidelines for schools to boost digital literacy

euractiv-en, 12.10.2022

The European Commission has this week released its guidelines for educators on promoting digital skills and tackling disinformation for use in primary and secondary schools across the EU.

BSC to team up with Japanese Centre for Computational Science RIKEN

sciencebusiness, 17.10.2022

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and the RIKEN Centre for Computational Science (R-CCS), the leadership centre for supercomputing research in Japan, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for research collaboration.

https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/status/1580888313573015552

Environmental sustainability

Deep-sea mining: is it an environmental curse or could it save us?

horizon-magazine, 14.10.2022

Potato-sized clumps of metal at the bottom of the deepest oceans might aid our fight against climate change, but mining these could also damage a world we know very little about. Some 30 companies currently have permits to explore the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Destruction of the Amazon: what you need to know

deutschewelle-fr, 13.10.2022

Environmentalists often cite the conservation of the Amazon rainforest as a crucial way to mitigate the climate crisis. A look at the current situation and what's at stake.

Drop in wildlife species reaches 69%, WWF report reveals

euractiv-en, 13.10.2022

The worst drop in wildlife populations has been witnessed in Latin America and the Caribbean regions, with an average decline of 94% in a time interval of almost 50 years. During the same period, monitored populations in Africa plummeted by 66%, while populations in the Asia Pacific region fell by 55%.

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1581756391299067904

https://twitter.com/EUEnvironment/status/1580894564411666434

Mobility & Energy

Robots monitor the environmental impact of the gas leak

idw-online, 17.10.2022

The University of Gothenburg has deployed three underwater robots in the Baltic waters around the leaks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

MEPs call for 'coherent framework' on clean hydrogen, including nuclear

euractiv-en, 14.10.2022

In a letter, 19 MEPs from a cross the political spectrum have urged the European Commission to include low-carbon hydrogen in the production targets for decarbonised hydrogen and to promote domestic production instead of imports.

France starts gas deliveries to Germany

LeMonde-en, 13.10.2022

France has started sending natural gas to Germany as part of its pledge to ensure EU energy solidarity as Russia reduces exports after its invasion of Ukraine. These shipments are part of a deal agreed by the French president and the German chancellor in September.

https://twitter.com/Cambridge_Uni/status/1581925486414139393

Science policy & Communication

With RT still live, France’s hands are tied

politico-eu, 13.10.2022

More than seven months after Europe banned Moscow-backed news outlets RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and Sputnik, an investigation by public radio France Inter found that RT France was still broadcasting live on the fringe platform Odysee - a go-to website for disinformation and conspiracy theories on various topics including COVID-19.

Leading scientists gather at UCC to plan future of microbiome research

eecho, 11.10.2022

Leading figures in microbiome science gathered in Cork recently to progress the 'Human Microbiome Action' project. Europe is at the forefront of microbiome research and innovation, however, progress in defining a healthy microbiome is needed to advance the translation of findings to clinical use.

CERN publishes comprehensive open science policy

CERN, 04.10.2022

CERN’s core values include making research open and accessible for everyone. A new policy now brings together existing open science initiatives to ensure a bright future based on transparency and collaboration at CERN.

https://twitter.com/OECDEduSkills/status/1581940582322167809

https://twitter.com/risj_oxford/status/1580840712928534528

Agriculture & Food

The efforts to increase the number of Ireland's female farmers

irishexaminer, 17.10.2022

It notes that the huge role women play in agriculture, a traditionally male-dominated industry, is often invisible to the public. They rarely inherit land due to the inter-generation transfer of farms through the male line. Yet, they provide analytical skills, contribute to strategic development decisions, look after "the books" and deal with the 'red tape' of modern farming.

Fast food fever: how ultra-processed meals are unhealthier than you think

guardian, 16.10.2022

For a long time it has been known that diets dominated by ultra-processed food (UPF) are more likely to lead to obesity. But recent research suggests that high UPF consumption also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and, according to a recent American study involving 50,000 health professionals, of developing colon cancer.

https://twitter.com/UniofOxford/status/1581595722511568896

https://twitter.com/ERC_Research/status/1581731664312795137

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1581729723943567360

Health

Our mental health problems require more than just helplines

MaltaToday, 17.10.2022

No matter how many shopping malls, fancy eateries or designer apartments this country has, it is all meaningless if they still fail to make us happy.

Electronic skin patches could restore lost sensation and detect disease

horizon-magazine, 14.10.2022

This may sound like an outlandish scenario, but it’s not. Researchers across Europe are making rapid progress towards developing elastic membrane patches that mimic the human skin either in looks, functionality, or both.

https://twitter.com/EMA_News/status/1580878316055441409

https://twitter.com/OxfordCancer/status/1580873298606313473

https://twitter.com/WHO_Europe/status/1580853906338611201

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1581932325834612736

EU initiatives

Cyprus, EU launch project to link island to European electricity grid

euractiv-en, 17.10.2022

Cyprus launched an EU-funded project Friday (14 October) to link the eastern Mediterranean island to the European electricity grid via an undersea power cable billed as the world’s longest and deepest. The European Union has approved €757 million in funding for the 1,200 kilometre cable to Greece.

Commission reassures MEPs and industry that Horizon budget for quantum research won’t be cut

sciencebusiness, 13.10.2022

EU vice president Margrethe Vestager has reassured MEPs and industry that the European Commission will try to safeguard next year’s Horizon Europe budget and that money will not be taken away from the quantum flagship to fund other initiatives, such as Chips for Europe.

Regions and cities call for a macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean

Cor-EN, 14.10.2022

The European Union's regions and cities believe that developing a macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean basin would allow to tackle jointly the necessary green and digital transitions, as well as socio-economic, migratory and security challenges.

New EU project will offer forest-based policy pathways for a climate-neutral society

alphagalileo, 12.10.2022

The newly-funded Horizon Europe project 'ForestPaths' will co-design, quantify and evaluate forest-based solutions to meet the EU’s climate targets for 2030 and 2050. Forests are vital to achieving the EU’s goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and becoming climate neutral by 2050.

Curious news

Pizza-making robot? Scientists on the job

arkansasonline, 17.10.2022

Do you prefer pepperoni? Pineapple and ham? All vegetable? One day, you might be ordering your favourite pizza from a robot. Researchers at a university in Pittsburgh are working on creating a pizza-making robot. Although humans may not find it too difficult to roll out dough, slice toppings and pull it all together, it's not as easy for a robot.

Why disconnecting from your phone is so good for you - and how to do it

time, 07.10.2022

Graham Dugoni was sick of seeing smartphones everywhere when he lived in San Francisco in 2014. So he decided to create device-free spaces for people like him: artists, educators, and anyone else who craved a digital break.

https://twitter.com/Cambridge_Uni/status/1580840391036702722

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1581776248329670658

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