interview
The challenges of a European climate label
Trying to shop sustainably? Climate labels aim to assist consumers to choose the products that cause the lowest amount of global warming. But are they really effective? And would a general, standardised European climate label help? We asked Prof. Bo Weidema, an expert at the Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment. On 20 March 2023, he ...
Technological vulnerabilities that threaten the European Union’s ‘Open Strategic Autonomy’ and the EU’s response
According to expert Dr Alice Pannier, 'Strategic Autonomy' is also referred to as 'sovereignty', but it's 'open' in order to not undermine the openness of the EU economy: "If the EU has technological sovereignty, it will be able to act autonomously on the international stage rather than have to rely on foreign suppliers and potentially ...
Renewable energy for urban areas: biogas – its possibilities and limitations
When talking about renewable energy, most people think about solar or wind power. However, other forms of energy are also renewable. Bioenergy for instance is energy extracted from biomass, and it includes both energy coming from direct combustion of biomass and liquid biofuels, as well as biogas from anaerobic digestion (also called methanisation). Could generating ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Halla B. Holmarsdottir on children & the digital world
Interview with Halla B. Holmarsdottir, Professor and former Vice-Dean of Research at the Faculty of Education and International Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway on the EU-funded project "The impact of technological transformations on the Digital Generation (DigiGen)". What characterises DigiGen? Halla B. Holmarsdottir: We wanted to move beyond how children and young people are "negatively" ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Sonia Livingstone on children’s safety online
Interview with Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She leads the Theory work package in the CO:RE (Children Online: Research and Evidence), an EU-funded research project working on developing a knowledge base regarding children and youth in the digital era. How ...
Nuclear energy: innovation and sustainability
Interview nuclear physics expert Prof. Bent Lauritzen "Nuclear energy will play a decisive role in a transition to a low carbon European economy", says nuclear physics expert Bent Lauritzen of the Technical University of Denmark. However, "continued research and development in nuclear energy provision will be decisive if the European nuclear industry is to regain ...
Peer pressure, social media, mainstream science
Science watcher Dr. Daniele Fanelli, London School of Economics, speaks about “the devil's details” when practicing research integrity. Honesty, responsibility, fairness and accountability are the principles of research integrity. These are the common standards for any responsible job. Why, then, is it so important to emphasise integrity in research and make it a buzz in politics ...
RNA technology already helped thousands of patients
"RNA-based technology can help babies with spinal muscular atrophy reach milestones such as sitting, standing and walking", says rare disease expert Prof. Annemieke Aartsma-Rus (Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands). This Wednesday 25 January the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology will hold its Annual Lecture on the future of RNA-based ...
