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Europe's Influential Science-Policy Chief on His Successes and Disappointments

Europe's Influential Science-Policy Chief on His Successes and Disappointments

Robert-Jan Smits, the European Union’s departing director-general of research, sets out his parting thoughts. After eight years, he hands over his role as director-general of the European Commission’s research directorate to Jean-Eric Paquet, currently a deputy-secretary-general at the commission.

Physics Professor Selected as AAAS President-Elect

Physics Professor Selected as AAAS President-Elect

Steven Chu, former secretary of energy, professor of physics at Stanford University and Nobel Laureate, has been chosen as the president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Abandoning Science Advice

Abandoning Science Advice

Unprecedented level of neglect and disrespect for scientific advisory boards, with significant implications for our health and safety, after one year in the Trump administration.

Laws Are Not the Only Way to Boost Immunization

Laws Are Not the Only Way to Boost Immunization

The French government must mitigate the risks in its legal imposition of vaccinations by promoting more coherent and proactive vaccine policies.

Why Evidence Matters

Why Evidence Matters

Interview with Anne Glover, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government and to the President of the European Commission, on the role evidence takes in political decision-making.

Climate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding Cuts

Climate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding Cuts

After years of budget and political pressure, some climate scientists are changing the way they describe their research, and avoiding the term "climate change."

Wanted: Academics Wise to the Needs of Government

Wanted: Academics Wise to the Needs of Government

Funders should not support policy-relevant work that treats policy impact as an afterthought.

Doctor Wins 2017 John Maddox Prize for Countering HPV Vaccine Misinformation

Doctor Wins 2017 John Maddox Prize for Countering HPV Vaccine Misinformation

Riko Muranaka awarded prize for efforts to explain jabs’s safety amid scare campaigns which have seen Japanese vaccination rate fall from over 70% to 1%.

Nobel Laureates Demand Release of Iranian Scholar Facing Death Sentence

Nobel Laureates Demand Release of Iranian Scholar Facing Death Sentence

Letter from Nobel prizewinners denounces plight of Ahmadreza Djalali.

How the News Media Activate Public Expression and Influence National Agendas

How the News Media Activate Public Expression and Influence National Agendas

The active participation of the people is one of the central components of a functioning democracy. Research performed a real-world randomized experiment in the United States to understand the causal effect of news stories on increasing public discussion of a specific topic.

Mona Nemer Appointed Canada's New Chief Scientist

Mona Nemer Appointed Canada's New Chief Scientist

​Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has selected Ottawa heart researcher Mona Nemer to be the country's top scientist. Canada has been without a national science adviser since 2008.

Wait for Trump's Science Adviser Breaks Modern-Era Record

Wait for Trump's Science Adviser Breaks Modern-Era Record

Top White House science job stays empty more than nine months after president took office.

'Transformative' Research Unrealistic to Predict, Scientists Tell Granting Agencies

'Transformative' Research Unrealistic to Predict, Scientists Tell Granting Agencies

Asking scientists to attempt to create new paradigms or fields in every proposal is unrealistic and potentially harmful.