Articles
The Future Circular Collider: Its potential and lessons learnt from the LEP and LHC experiments
As researchers seek to learn more about the fundamental nature of our universe, new generations of particle accelerators are now in development in which beams of particles collide ever more precisely and at ever higher energies. Professor Stephen Myers, former Director of Accelerators & Technology at CERN and currently Executive Chair of ADAM SA, identifies both the positive and negative […]
A transdisciplinary approach to restoring London’s river Thames
Despite being one of the world’s most iconic rivers, the Thames faces many ecological challenges, and its health has deteriorated severely over recent decades. Martin Richardson from Royal Holloway, University of London, believes that an additional problem is the singular focus of existing research into those challenges. He also believes that a better, more sustainable Thames is possible. In a […]
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Accounting for biogeographical ignorance within biodiversity modelling
Biodiversity data can be analysed to predict species distribution at various scales of time and space. However, survey completeness and temporal decay in data quality introduce uncertainty into biodiversity models. Researchers Joaquín Hortal, Juliana Stropp (National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spain), Richard Ladle (University of Porto, Portugal), and Geiziane Tessarolo (State University of Goiás, Brazil), among others, are constructing the […]
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X-ray ptychography: Seeing chromosome abnormalities in a new light
Chromosome abnormalities have profound health consequences including trisomy and cancer. Karyotyping (the visualisation of the complete set of chromosomes by shape and size) is an initial step towards identification of chromosome aberrations and disease. Other chromosome imaging methods such as fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) rely on sample preparation or fluorescent markers, which may or may not alter the sample. […]
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Tongue-assisted robotics to the rescue for stroke survivors
A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Boris I Prilutsky, Dr Maysam Ghovanloo, and Dr Andrew J Butler explore the potential benefits of robot-assisted therapy over other rehabilitation methods for stroke patients with partial or complete paralysis. There is an unmet need to improve voluntary control among stroke patients by inducing self-initiated voluntary movements of the affected limbs using their tongue […]
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New frontiers in personalised biomonitoring through fingertip sweat analysis
Robust analytical methods are the first fundamental step for the understanding of physiological mechanisms in health and disease. Dr Christopher Gerner and his colleagues from the University of Vienna, Austria, have developed a straightforward assay for finger sweat analysis to assist clinicians in personalised monitoring of metabolic pathways. The team have devised the metabo-tip sampling assay, which promises to be a […]
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The Money View: An interview with Professor Perry Mehrling
Since 2018, Perry Mehrling has been Professor of International Political Economy at Boston University. Prior to this, he served for three decades as Professor of Economics at Barnard College, Columbia University. His work is now primarily concerned with articulating and finessing the Money View, a compelling approach to monetary economics which synthesises ideas from both economics and finance. In our […]
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Dual-brain psychology is an innovative theory and treatment for drug addiction
Dr Fredric Schiffer is an experienced psychiatrist, working in private practice and affiliated with Harvard Medical School. He has spent the last 30 years developing a psychological theory which suggests that our brain hemispheres experience feelings differently, particularly when processing past trauma. Dr Schiffer has used this dual-brain theory to develop a treatment for opioid use disorder. In combination with […]
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Research evaluation: Citation versus expert opinions
Research evaluation judgements appear to be moving away from expert opinions, with more emphasis instead resting on citation counts. Professor Lawrence Smolinsky and his colleagues from Louisiana State University, USA, examine whether peer reviews and citation metrics measure similar notions of an article’s importance, impact, and value. They explore the relationship between the various phenomena related to the perceived importance […]
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The past that we know and the past that was: Exploring Constructed Past Theory
How do we come to know the past? Constructed Past Theory (CPT) claims that the past, as we understand it, is not what existed or happened but is the product of cognitive processes. By using concepts and methods from semiotics, archival science, and computer science, researchers are beginning to understand those processes. Dr Kenneth Thibodeau, a researcher with the InterPARES […]
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