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Hundreds of millions of people are going hungry as conflicts affect food supplies. There is also growing evidence that food producers are exploiting the situation to increase their profits.
The highest US court’s decision that race cannot be considered in university admissions risks rolling back what little progress has been made on racial equity in the sector.
Factors ranging from COVID-19 to Russia’s war in Ukraine are increasing extreme poverty. Finding effective solutions starts with agreeing on how to measure what poverty means.
Talk of artificial intelligence destroying humanity plays into the tech companies’ agenda, and hinders effective regulation of the societal harms AI is causing right now.
Research-assessment exercises are often misused to judge researchers or cut their funding — changes to the United Kingdom’s scheme are a promising start.
There is no planet B, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are heading for the rocks. Researchers around the world must do their bit to change that.
Wild polio has almost been eradicated, but vaccine-derived strains retain the potential to paralyse. Better vaccines have arrived — but they are only part of the answer.
A remarkable research ship’s voyages to understand marine biodiversity show how visionary thinking can boost understanding of the natural world — and help to better preserve it.
Earth-system boundaries define a safe operating space for humanity. Accounting for the planet’s most vulnerable people provides a stark warning of the work still to be done.'
Low pay, job insecurity, bullying and harassment all contribute to academic researchers reporting above-average levels of anxiety and depression. Institutions can improve working environments by looking at best practice elsewhere.
Space companies should not lose heart when things go wrong. The first Moon missions failed repeatedly — and provided lessons on how to achieve success in space and beyond.
The United Kingdom’s alternative to EU Horizon Europe funding is near-silent on maintaining the collaborations needed to meet crucial global goals on climate and sustainability.
Regulation and new intellectual property laws are needed to reduce the cost of gene-editing treatments and fulfil their promise to improve human health.