Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Send us a link
Horizon Europe Is Now Truly Global. But What Comes Next?
As Australia agrees to associate, questions remain over whether the programme will be genuinely international, or EU-first.
China Is an Innovation Powerhouse - But It Should Do More Fundamental Research
Commission postpones European Innovation Act
Observers suggest the delay could be due to disagreements between the Commission directorates handling research and innovation policy.
How to Build an AI Scientist: First Peer-reviewed Paper Spills the Secrets
How to Build an AI Scientist: First Peer-reviewed Paper Spills the Secrets
AI Scientist, an autonomous research tool, first released in 2024, has now undergone peer review, highlighting its strengths and limitations.
AI Scientists Are Changing Research - Institutions, Funders and Publishers Must Respond
AI Scientists Are Changing Research - Institutions, Funders and Publishers Must Respond
The ability to automate the discovery process in some areas of scientific inquiry raises unanswered questions about how research should be conducted.
Preprints.ai: How Much of Peer Review Can We Automate?
If we were designing peer review from scratch for a world where powerful LLMs exist, what would we actually need humans for, and what could we comfortably automate?
Peer Review at the Service of Society
The peer review system, as we know it now, is a relatively recent achievement. It will still evolve to better fit the needs of science and society in the future.
Social Scientists Bring Their Faith into Research - And It Shows Up in Their Results
Social Scientists Bring Their Faith into Research - And It Shows Up in Their Results
Why do studies on whether religion is disappearing totally contradict each other? Valeria Rainero, Jörg Stolz and Ruud Luijkx discuss their recent research on how faith (or lack of it) shaped interventions in the secularisation debate and suggest how the social sciences could benefit from less adversarial claims to objectivity in research.
AI Policy is Penalising the Students Most Trying to Comply
Jim Dickinson presents findings from new research on students' use of AI – and argues the sector is punishing precisely the disposition it should be cultivating.
Women and Early-Career Researchers hit hardest by NIH Grant Cancellations
Women and Early-Career Researchers hit hardest by NIH Grant Cancellations
While the cuts hit all demographics, younger biomedical researchers may have suffered the most from the Trump administration’s actions, a new study says
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
With funding cuts hampering academic science budgets, industrial science can play a pivotal role in supporting research.
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
Institutional definitions of research impact align poorly with the practices and values of staff. Could a focus on research value lead to better outcomes?
The Role of Gossip in Scholarly Publishing
Let's say the quiet part out loud: gossip plays an important role in scholarly publishing. But is that a bad thing?
Australia Has Set New Expectations for AI Data Centres - They Should Serve the Public
Understand the Motivations Involved in Research-policy Exchange
The rush to expand policy engagement without understanding the goals for each side risks creating structures and processes that work for no one. Here's how to understand each other better.
Public Writing Has Become a Benchmark of the PhD Journey
Public Writing Has Become a Benchmark of the PhD Journey
Writing for public audiences in a variety of media has become a common feature of PhD research. This blog discusses what pubic writing adds to the PhD journey.
What a Recent Court Win Reveals About the Trump Administration's Unlawful Attacks on Climate Science
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Advances in agentic AI combined with increasingly large reserves of openly accessibly and machine-readable data are creating a perfect storm for the mass-production of AI authored research papers.
NIH Pivots Away from Agency-directed Science
US biomedical funding behemoth says the approach will boost innovation, but some researchers worry that under-studied areas of science will suffer.
India is moving towards joining Horizon Europe
Brussels and New Delhi ramp up cooperation on digital public infrastructure, but differences remain, such as on AI regulation.
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science'
Branding scientific research with a simplified label risks misleading the public and harming scientific literacy.
Reshaping Science Communication in a Critical Period of Disinformation and Distrust
Reshaping Science Communication in a Critical Period of Disinformation and Distrust
Governments should strengthen institutional science communication, not just rely on individual researchers, to provide clear, coordinated, evidence-based information and counter misinformation, especially during crises.
Applications flood in for first EIC Advanced Innovation Challenge call
High demand means that only 2.8% of applicants will receive ARPA-style European Innovation Council funding
Why the Crisis in Official Statistics Matters - and How It Can Be Fixed
Why the Crisis in Official Statistics Matters - and How It Can Be Fixed
Governments that value effective policymaking should be alert to the perils of falling survey-response rates, inadequate funding and increased politicization of official data.
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
This post is an urgent call to push back against global trends in academic censorship and threats to free speech in scholarly communications.
×