GESDA's best pick from the press, web and science journals, in relation to GESDA's thematic platforms
08-15 March 2022
A GESDA product curated by Olivier Dessibourg
www.gesda.global
|
|
|
FOCUS 1
> How a new digital dollar could shake the US financial system // 10.03.2022, WIRED
The Biden administration is looking into a government-issued digital currency. The implications would be profound.
Related decision:
President Biden to sign executive order on ensuring responsible development of digital assets (cryptocurrencies) // 09.03.2022, The White House
|
|
|
|
(© flickr)
|
|
FOCUS 2
> Demographics of emissions // 09.03.2022, Nature Climate Change
Our individual carbon footprints depend on behaviour, wealth and lifestyle. Understanding the demographics of emissions is needed for climate justice, and could help policymakers develop effective strategies for emissions reductions.
|
|
|
|
(© Pixel-shot / Alamy Stock Photo)
|
|
FOCUS 3
> Blockchain-integrated internet of nano things can’t be stopped // 10.03.2022, IoT Business News
The Internet of Nano Things (IoNT) is one of the most talked-about topics in today’s tech world. The IoNT has roots in the Internet of Things (IoT) and nanotechnology, and can be defined as “an interconnected system of very small devices that transfer data over a network.” The next computing revolution will be entirely outside the traditional desktop environment. Between 2021 and 2027, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18.2% globally.
|
|
|
|
(© DR)
|
|
FOCUS 4
> Insect futures - from farm, to table, to pharmacy // 10.03.2022, NEO.LIFE
Insect-based foods, fuels, fertilizers, and antimicrobials will be a part of our future, like it or not.
|
|
|
|
(© DR)
|
|
FOCUS 5
> Can indigenous knowledge help us design a more sustainable future? // 11.03.2022, Financial Times
Techniques honed over millennia are being incorporated by today’s architects and builders.
|
|
|
|
(© Rio Helmi)
|
|
FOCUS 6
> We may now know why young blood can have rejuvenating effects // 10.03.2022, New Scientist
Packages of RNA and proteins that bud off from cells have reversed some signs of ageing in mice, and they may account for the rejuvenating effects of young blood.
|
|
|
|
(Artwork showing red blood cells. © SciePro/Science Photo Library)
|
|
FOCUS 7
> The way we talk about climate change is wrong // 11.03.2022, Foreign Policy
The language of “sacrifice” reveals we’re stuck in a colonial mindset.
|
|
|
|
(© Erik McGregor/Lightrocket/Getty Images)
|
|
SPECIAL FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine conflict impacts on science and diplomacy
GESDA collected various articles on different aspects of how the war in Ukraine impacts the scientific community, as well as the international and interinstitutional agreements.
Research community
> ‘No future for us left in Russia,’ say fleeing academics // 14.03.2022, Times Higher Education
> Ukrainian researchers pressure journals to boycott Russian authors // 14.03.2022, Nature
> Few journals heed calls to boycott Russian papers // 10.03.2022, Science
Brutality of Ukraine war leads some publishers to ponder their neutral stance.
> CERN suspends Russia as science community joins boycott wave // 08.03.2022, Geneva Solutions
> Entre solidarité et sanctions, les réactions du milieu académique à la guerre en Ukraine // 10.03.2022, Le Temps
> Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: what can U.S. scientists do? // 03.03.2022, Science & Diplomacy
> ‘We stand with our colleagues in Ukraine,’ say U.S. National Academies Presidents // 03.03.2022, National Academies of Sciences
International and institutional agreements
> Western nations cut ties with Russian science, even as some projects try to remain neutral // 08.03.2022, Science
After Ukraine invasion, science diplomacy veterans say collaborations with Russia should end.
> Russian rectors’ support for Putin prompts UK universities to cut links // 10.03.2022, Science|Business
> Impact de la guerre en Ukraine sur la coopération avec les chercheurs et les étudiants russes // 09.03.2022, swissuniversities
> Time for a long-term strategy on Russian science relations and academic collaborations (viewpoint) // 10.03.2022, Science|Business
Space sciences and policy
> Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is redrawing the geopolitics of space // 11.03.2022, Nature
> Roscosmos to bring US astronaut back to Earth March 30 as scheduled // 14.03.2022, Tass Russian News Agency
> Russian space program is apparently forbidding employees from traveling abroad, fearing they’ll flee // 10.03.2022, Futurism
> Sanctions against Russia could be blessing in disguise for India’s space sector // 12.03.2022, Orissa POST
> La Russie mène des attaques depuis l’espace // 11.03.2022, Futura Sciences
Digital sciences and technologies
> Up in cyberarms (special report) // March 2022, Digital Watch
There are two main ways technology is being (mis-)used in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The first is to bring critical infrastructure to its knees. The second is to use misinformation as part of the arsenal.
> How will the Ukraine-Russia crisis affect quantum? // 10.03.2022, The Quantum Insider
> Russia, blocked from the global internet, plunges into digital isolation // 07.03.2022, The New York Times
> Russian Embassy in US lashes out at Meta for okaying hate speech against Russians // 11.03.2022, Tass Russian News Agency
Energy
> Will the Ukraine war derail the green energy transition? // 08.03.2022, Financial Times
As Europe scrambles to find alternatives to Russian oil and gas and global energy prices soar, coal could be the winner.
Geopolitics
> Energy, food: Russia’s economic blackout will change the world // 10.03.2022, The Atlantic
> What the war in Ukraine means for the world order // 12.03.2022, TED
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created previously unthinkable changes in geopolitics, seemingly overnight. In this vital conversation, political analyst Ian Bremmer takes a closer look at the global implications of the war, including NATO and the EU's renewed sense of purpose, the spiral of escalation, energy politics and the significant, potentially permanent shifts in the world order.
|
|
|
|
(© Brown University)
|
|
GOOD READS ABOUT GESDA'S PLATFORMS THEMES
|
|
Platform 1: Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI
Artificial intelligence and tech
> Deep learning is hitting a wall // 10.03.2022, Nautilus
What would it take for artificial intelligence to make real progress?
> LinkedIn and DeepMind co-founders form AI startup to help humans talk to computers // 08.03.2022, Endgadget
> Simple mathematical trick could slash AI development time in half // 10.03.2022, New Scientist
> Palmer Luckey says working with weapons isn't as fun as VR // 14.03.2022, WIRED
The founder of Anduril and Oculus discusses his talks with Ukraine's president, the ethics of AI weapons, and Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse.
Quantum and physics
> La cryptographie se prépare non sans peine à l’avènement de l’ordinateur quantique // 06.03.2022, Le Monde
> ESA probing navigation via the quantum realm // 14.03.2022, ESA
> From ‘chandeliers’ to entangled qubits, here’s what happens inside a quantum computer // 14.03.2022, Aeon/Scientific American
|
|
|
|
(© Michael Tabb)
|
|
Platform 2: Human Augmentation
Genomics
> Cutting-edge gene therapies could be coming for sickle cell. Will Medicaid patients be able to access them? // 14.03.2022, STAT
> Moderna will develop mRNA vaccines for 15 of the world’s worst diseases // 10.03.2022, Singularity Hub
Related article: The Wild West of RNA delivery // 10.03.2022, Science
> CRISPR on-off switch will help unlock the secrets of our immune system // 08.03.2022, Singularity Hub
> Major CRISPR patent decision won’t end tangled dispute // 09.03.2022, Nature
> Wide-ranging genetic study of severe COVID finds common risk factors // 10.03.2022, Nature
Longevity and health
> Nanoparticles deliver gene to treat rare lung disease // 10.03.2022, Futurity
> To test cancer drugs, these scientists grew ‘avatars’ of tumors // 09.03.2022, WIRED
> OpenCell: Endogenous tagging for the cartography of human cellular organization // 11.03.2022, Science
> This app can diagnose rare diseases from a child's face // 08.03.2022, WIRED
> Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots // 07.03.2022, Nature Ecology & Evolution
> Implementing cellular rejuvenation therapy reverses signs of aging in mice // 08.03.2022, Technology Networks
> Epidemic coalition raises $1.5-billion at summit to prepare for ‘disease X’ // 08.03.2022, Health Policy Watch
Neurosciences
> An artificial nose may be able to detect Parkinson’s disease early // 12.03.2022, The Economist
> Could drugs prevent Alzheimer’s? These trials aim to find out // 09.03.2022, Nature
> Local connectivity and synaptic dynamics in mouse and human neocortex // 11.03.2022, Science
> Could optical brain imaging helmets be the future of wearable technology? // 11.03.2022, Physics World
> Modular cognition (essay by Rafael Yuste and Michael Levin) // 08.03.2022, Aeon
Powerful tricks from computer science and cybernetics show how evolution ‘hacked’ its way to intelligence from the bottom up.
|
|
|
|
(© MYN/Seth Patterson/NPL/SPL)
|
|
Platform 3: Eco-regeneration & Geoengineering
Resources
> Preserving farmers seeds is key to adapting to climate change, says UN expert // 11.03.2022, Geneva Solutions
> Team chosen to make first oxygen on the Moon // 09.03.2022, ESA
Energy
> Toward batteries that pack twice as much energy per pound // 08.03.2022, MIT News
> China plans to build 450 GW of wind and solar power in the desert // 09.03.2022, Singularity Hub
> Billionaire investor predicts energy crisis will spur green spending boom // 14.03.2022, Financial Times
Biotechnologies
> 2 billion genetically modified mosquitoes cleared for release in California and Florida // 09.03.2022, Gizmodo
> Integrating Earth life systems: a geogenomic approach // April 2022, Trends in Ecology & Evolution
For centuries, scientists have recognized and worked to understand how Earth’s mutable landscape and climate shape the distribution and evolution of species. Here, we describe the emerging field of geogenomics, which uses the reciprocal and deep integration of geologic, climatic, and population genomic data to define and test cause–effect relationships between Earth and life at intermediate spatial and temporal scales.
Space
> Work continues on the McGill Encyclopedia on International Space Law // 09.03.2022, SpaceWatch.Global
> What can biofabrication do for space and what can space do for biofabrication? // April 2022, Trends in Biotechnology
Climate and environment
> Countries to resume talks in Geneva for a new biodiversity agreement // 14.03.2022, Geneva Solutions
> What to do with captured CO2? // 10.03.2022, IEEE Spectrum
Mitsubishi joins growing movement to ship carbon dioxide from emission sites to storage.
> New research program will study fjord ecosystems in Greenland // 09.03.2022, EPFL
|
|
|
|
(© iStock)
|
|
Platform 4: Science & Diplomacy
> Chinese official calls for protection of space assets, international coordination mechanisms // 10.03.2022, SpaceNews
> New EU rules for international research already outpaced by shifting geopolitics, critics say // 10.03.2022, Science|Business
Research ministers sign Marseille declaration on fundamental values for international scientific cooperation, but these fall far short of addressing how the EU’s foreign science policy should respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
> Crucial COP15 biodiversity summit set to be delayed a fourth time // 08.03.2022, New Scientist
|
|
GESDA Platform: Knowledge Foundations
> Curiosity rover discovers diverse cache of organic minerals on Mars // 10.03.2022, New Scientist
> The largest radio telescope ever built will search for alien life // 11.03.2022, VICE
> Martin Rees interview: Elon Musk could spawn the first post-humans // 09.03.2022, New Scientist
Astronomer Royal Martin Rees discusses the most extraordinary aspects of his distinguished career, from black holes to billionaires in space and the prospects of life beyond Earth.
|
|
|
|
(© K. Ishibashi, E. Kataoka, and K. Furuta)
|
|
|
> ‘Science sanctions on Russia should not stop exchanges between scientists’ // 14.03.2022, Geneva Solutions
Individual scientists should continue to foster ties and could well offer one of the first paths to peace, argues Thierry Courvoisier, astrophysicist, emeritus professor at the University of Geneva, and former president of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). (Photo: DR)
|
|
|
|
> Sanctions contre la Russie: la neutralité mise à mal? // 10.03.2022, GenèveVision / RTS
En reprenant les sanctions de l’Union européenne (UE) contre la Russie, la Suisse rompt avec la prudence observée jusqu’ici dans sa politique de neutralité. S’agit-il d’une nouvelle ère pour la neutralité helvétique ? L’avis de Micheline Calmy-Rey, ancienne Présidente de la Confédération, et membre du conseil d'administration de GESDA. (Photo: DR)
|
|
|
TOOLS, RESOURCES AND PARTNERS
> Tracking the collaborative networks of five leading science nations // 09.03.2022, Nature
The Nature Index ‘Big 5’ countries are at the heart of a web of global academic partnerships.
|
|
|
|
(Source: Nature Index. Data analysis: Catherine Cheung;
infographic: Catherine Armitage, Bec Crew & Tanner Maxwell)
|
|
|
WHAT IS GESDA?
Humanity, now more than ever, is facing global challenges (especially with regards to the Covid-19 crisis), putting people and the planet under stress and in great uncertainty. Simultaneously, the world is experiencing breakthroughs in science and technology at an unprecedented pace, which are sometimes hard to grasp. Anticipation, therefore, is key to build the future with the aim of early and fully exploiting this scientific potential for the well-being and inclusive development of all. The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator was founded in Geneva in 2019 to tackle this issue.
GESDA's ambition is to first anticipate and identify these cutting-edge advances in science and technology throughout various domains (Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI, Human Augmentation, Eco-regeneration & Geoengineering, Science & Diplomacy). Based on this scientific outlook, it will, with its Diplomacy community, translate potential leaps in science and tech into tools that can bring effective and socially-inclusive solutions to emerging challenges. Most importantly, this process will be achieved not only by scientists or diplomats, but will include actors of various professional origins and mindsets (from philanthropy, industry, citizens, to youth).
|
|
|
|
Have a very nice and fruitful week! :-)
|
|
|
|
|
