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US$1-billion needed for world’s largest telescope
An independent panel of reviewers has approved the design of what will be the world’s largest telescope — the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) — but it comes with a hefty price tag. If the SKA collaboration cannot raise the US$1 billion needed for construction to begin in time, it will turn to a scaled-back design costing several hundred million less. This design has reduced computing power, and its dishes and antennas are squeezed closer together.
US no longer the ‘uncontested leader’ in science
The United States is increasingly “seen globally as an important leader rather than the uncontested leader” in science and engineering, with China closing the gap on research and development funding, says a report from the US National Science Foundation. There are also indications that the United States is losing some of its appeal for foreign-born students and workers.
Survey reveals lowlights of science careers
Highly competitive and often-hostile environments are damaging the quality of research. That’s the damning result of a survey of more than 4,000 scientists by the funding agency Wellcome. “These results paint a shocking portrait of the research environment — and one we must all help change,” says Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome. “A poor research culture ultimately leads to poor research.”
Reference: Wellcome report
Cell that kicked off complex life grown in the lab
For the first time, microorganisms from which all complex life might be descended — the Asgard archaea — have been cultured in the lab. The tentacled microbe was isolated from deep-sea sediment and painstakingly grown over 12 years. The archaeon — ‘Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum’ — offers tantalising hints as to how an ancient single cell might have engulfed another to create more advanced eukaryotes.
The New York Times | 6 min read
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Features & opinion
Time for the Human Screenome Project
Measuring screen time is not enough to understand the impact of our ubiquitous gadgets on well-being, argue three researchers. They call for a Human Screenome Project — a collective effort to produce and analyse recordings of everything people see and do on their screens. They have built a tool to record, encrypt and transmit second-by-second screenshots from a person’s various devices to understand our fragmented media use.
Global problems need social science
Without human insights, data and the hard sciences will not meet the challenges of the next decade, argues Hetan Shah, the outgoing director of the Royal Statistical Society in London and soon-to-be chief executive of the British Academy. Responding to an unusual job posting for scientists, mathematicians and “super-talented weirdos” to work for the UK government, Shah warns that prioritizing science and technology over the humanities and social sciences will mean essential knowledge is overlooked.
Why academia is losing black physicians
“I never thought I would leave,” says physician-scientist Uché Blackstock of her impactful work on the faculty of a US academic medical centre. “But I could no longer stand the lack of mentorship, promotion denial, and work environments embedded in racism and sexism.” Blackstock describes the issues that black medical students and faculty members face in academic medicine, and how their loss weakens efforts to improve health inequalities in the United States.