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Open-air learning forms part of the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school’s programme in Cartagena, Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Credit: Alfonso Duran/Getty
The evidence for reopening schools safely
By the end of June 2021, 770 million children worldwide had been pushed out of full-time school by the pandemic. Evidence is growing that schools can be safely opened and that kids aren’t driving viral spread. But that hasn’t quelled debate over whether schools should open and, if so, which steps should be taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The rise of fast-spreading variants has thrown even more uncertainty into the mix.
ERC seeks stability with new leader
Developmental geneticist Maria Leptin will become the next president of the European Research Council (ERC), Europe’s major funding agency for basic research. Her appointment follows the brief and controversial tenure of Mauro Ferrari, who resigned in April last year after just three months. “The ERC has experienced a bit of turbulence, but this appointment ushers in stability,” says Giulio Superti-Furga, a former member of the ERC’s Scientific Council. “Maria brings scientific credibility, and she knows how to convince politicians of the value of basic research.”
A solar-powered subzero hydrogen maker
A prototype solar-powered system that produces hydrogen from water in very chilly temperatures could offer a renewable fuel source in colder regions. The system tackles the challenges of producing hydrogen in cold environments, such as Antarctic research stations, where fossil fuels can be expensive, dangerous and polluting. “Antarctica is an extreme example, but also in places like Mongolia or mountain regions, you have large parts of the year where it’s actually very sunny, but temperatures are close to 0 ℃ or lower,” says physicist Matthias May. “It’s actually quite a fraction of the population of the world that is living in such areas.”
Reference: Energy & Environmental Science paper
News & views
Leder, D., Hermann, R., Hüls, M. et al. Nat Ecol Evol (2021).
Bone reveals Neanderthals’ artistic side
A chevron pattern etched into the bone of a giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) is opening our eyes to the advanced behavioural complexity of Neanderthals, writes anthropologist Silvia Bello. The piece was produced by Neanderthals who lived more than 51,000 years ago in the Harz Mountains in what is now northern Germany. Researchers attempted to reproduce the carving themselves and found that the bone had to be scraped and possibly boiled first. The choice of a bone from a rare and spectacular animal, its preparation before carving and the skilful technique used for the engraving all point to “sophisticated expertise and great ability”.
Reference: Nature Ecology & Evolution paper
Features & opinion
‘We’re problem solvers’
For research managers and administrators, helping with grant applications, ensuring compliance and coordinating with funders is all part of the job. Long seen as a supporting role, research administration has increasingly come to be recognized in academia as a profession in its own right. “What we’re really doing on our side is being problem solvers,” says Erik Edgerton, who oversees grants management at one of the US National Institutes of Health. “I think of this as a really good career path for someone who likes puzzles.”
Polar research in a pandemic
Conducting science in polar regions is no easy feat at the best of times. When COVID-19 took hold around the world, most polar fieldwork was off the table altogether. Six polar scientists tell Nature how the pandemic has affected their research, describe the lessons they hope to carry forward and consider opportunities for junior researchers.
