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Fighting the ‘infodemic’: how coronavirus became the litmus test for tech companies’ struggle to contain mis- and disinformation
Facebook, Twitter and Google are among the actors pushed into action in the face of fast spreading Covid-19 disinformation but the efficiency of their efforts will need proper evaluation.
Digital tracing, privacy and trust: the New Normalcy in Europe
European countries are adopting progressive measures to loosen the lockdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are entering a "new normalcy", the age of living with risk and social reorganization. Digital tracing is considered a promising tool to enable a return to normal social life by helping to monitor and reduce the spread of contagion. Will such an application prove effective? Could such an application ‘compromise’ the concept of privacy?
Changing environment, changing health
Our environment and health are closely intertwined, and we must equip future generations with adaptive capacities to achieve sustainable human wellbeing on all fronts. One such environment is our chemical one, present in the products we use, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Human biomonitoring - a scientific technique that allows us to assess whether and to what extent environmental substances have entered our bodies and how exposure may be changing over time - is a useful public health surveillance tool with which the real-life burden of exposure to chemicals can be assessed.
The Microbiome-gut-brain axis and the rise of psychobiotics
Communication between our gut and our brain is a two-way street. A large part of the signals being sent from our intestines to our brain is thanks to the bacteria living inside us, our microbiome. Our gut microbes have been linked to anxiety and depression, and research is underway to see whether we can manipulate our bacterial populations to benefit our mental health.