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Frontiers news

16 Nov 2023

Anna Kramvis – A big job in a small world

Author: Anna FarrallAnna Kramvis is professor emerita and director of the Hepatitis Virus Diversity Research Unit (HVDRU) at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and specialty chief editor for the Virology section of Frontiers in Microbiology. For the last 15 years, Anna has led the immense work being carried out at the HVDRU, breaking barriers as a woman in science and mentoring the next generation of scientists. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good health and well-being, we discuss the progress of hepatitis B research and the challenges faced, including the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of funding, and low vaccination rates. Photo credit: Anna Kramvis Can you give a summary of the work being done at the Hepatitis Virus Diversity Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand? “Our work focuses on researching hepatitis, a potentially dangerous inflammation of the liver that can lead to serious conditions like cirrhosis and liver cancer. Our primary goal is to study strains of hepatitis B virus (HBV) found in Africa and how they induce liver disease. Our studies show that African HBV strains differ significantly from those in other parts of the world. “At the HVDRU, our motto is simple: […]

Climate action

16 Nov 2023

Inequality hotspot map shows where women in agriculture are hit the hardest by the climate crisis

by Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Women working in agricultural sectors in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionally at risk from climate change induced hazards, such as droughts, floods, or shortened crop-growing seasons. Now, researchers have developed a map showing localities where climate change risk for women in agri-food systems is especially high. Ranking 87 countries, they found that women in central, east, and southern Africa, as well as west and south Asia are at particular risk. Threats posed by the climate crisis disproportionally affect certain communities and social groups that are more exposed. People living in low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries are at heightened risk. Within these countries, women typically face higher climate risk than men. To show where women working in agri-food systems – systems that encompass production, but also post-harvest handling and distribution – are most threated by climate change, an international team of researchers has developed a hotspot map that identifies and ranks localities by threat level. “We show that significant climate hazards, high exposure faced by women in agri-food systems, and high vulnerability faced by women due to systemic gender inequalities converge particularly in central, east, and southern Africa, as well as in […]

Earth science

14 Nov 2023

New study highlights need to address risk of continued global warming after net zero

by Liad Hollender, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com The UN Climate Panel’s latest best estimate is that global warming will end once we reach net zero CO2 emissions – but a study in Frontiers in Science warns significant warming could still occur. Researchers including those from Imperial College London and University of Exeter assess factors controlling global temperatures post ‘net zero’ and offer a pioneering framework for better estimating climate change risks. These risks must inform climate mitigation and adaptation policies to protect future generations.  From scorching heatwaves to torrential downpours and devastating storms, the disastrous effects of global warming are sweeping across the world. Being the predicted outcome of burning fossil fuels, our best and only plan to limit warming is to reduce CO2 emissions from human activities to ‘net zero’ – where the amount of CO2 we emit into the atmosphere is equal to the amount we remove from it. To keep within the 1.5°C limit of the 2015 Paris Agreement, this needs to happen as soon as possible.   Though the scientific community’s current best estimate from models is that global warming will stop at net zero, an article published in Frontiers in Science raises a red flag.  […]

Featured news

13 Nov 2023

Endangered turtle population under threat as pollution may lead to excess of females being born

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer Researchers from Australia studied the influence of pollution on the sex ratio of clutches of sea green turtles. This species is at risk of extinction from a current lack of male hatchlings. They concluded that exposure to the heavy metals cadmium and antimony, accumulated by the mother and transferred to her eggs, may cause embryos to be feminized. Pollution may thus compound the female-biasing influence of rising global temperatures on green sea turtles. Green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are at risk of extinction due to poaching, collisions with boats, habitat destruction, and accidental capture in fishing gear. But another threat, linked to climate change, is more insidious: sea turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination, which means that more and more embryos develop into females as temperatures keep rising. Already, in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, hundreds of females are born for every male. Now, researchers have shown that the resulting risk of extinction due to a lack of male green sea turtles may be compounded by pollution. Dr Arthur Barraza, a researcher at the Australian Rivers Institute […]

Frontiers news

09 Nov 2023

Frontiers’ Volunteers: Setting sail for a cause 

Frontiers’ volunteers have always been at the forefront of community and societal responses. Ross McGlennon shares his experience utilizing his sailing skills for a unique volunteering opportunity.  Photo credit: Ross McGlennon What is your background and role at Frontiers?  “Previously, I worked in the outdoor industry which allowed me to travel and experience new places. I spent one season working in Greece and then returned to Scotland to finish university. I joined Frontiers as a journal specialist and now work as a journal manager in health and biomed.”  What does the organization you volunteered for do?  “The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust (EMCT) run residential sailing and activity trips for young people in recovery from cancer. This gives young people the chance to socialize, regain their independence, and quite often, experience something new. The trips are always filled with fun, and opportunities to push your boundaries while forming new friendships.”  Photo credit: Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust What did you do during your time volunteering?  “As a volunteer on a sailing trip, I helped to run the boat while the skipper ensures we make it to our destination. This involved hoisting the sails, making sure everything stays nice and tidy, and being willing to show others how to […]

Environment

09 Nov 2023

Forests with multiple tree species are 70% more effective as carbon sinks than monoculture forests

by Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Forests are excellent at absorbing and storing carbon and can play a role in meeting global net zero targets. As more countries commit to forest creation, but mainly plant single species forests, an international team of researchers has examined how carbon stocks in mixed forests and monocultures compare. They found that mixed forests store more carbon, and that out of the forests assessed those with four species had the highest carbon stocks relative to monocultures. To slow the effects of climate change, conserve biodiversity, and meet the sustainable development goals, replanting trees is vital. Restored forests store carbon within the forest’s soil, shrubs, and trees. Mixed forests are especially effective at carbon storage, as different species with complementary traits can increase overall carbon storage. Compared to single-species forests, mixed forests are also more resilient to pests, diseases, and climatic disturbances, which increases their long-term carbon storage potential. The delivery of other ecosystem services is also greater in mixed species forests, and they support higher levels of biodiversity. Although the benefits of diverse forest systems are well known, many countries’ restoration commitments are focused on establishing monoculture plantations. Given this practice, an international […]

Featured news

08 Nov 2023

Could willow bark provide our next life-saving antiviral medicine?

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Scientists have found that specially processed samples of willow bark extract have an antiviral effect which isn’t seen in already known medical compounds from willow bark, such as salicylic acid, the precursor to modern aspirin. The extract worked against two common types of virus with very different structures, enteroviruses and coronaviruses, suggesting the potential for a new broad-spectrum antiviral to help us fight viruses that are otherwise hard to treat. From a seasonal cold to a stomach bug, nobody likes catching a virus — and epidemics can be devastating. We need safe, sustainable antiviral options to treat the outbreaks of the future. Scientists in Finland have now shown that an extract of willow bark — a plant which has already provided several medicines, including the precursor to modern aspirin — has a broad-spectrum antiviral effect in cell sample experiments. The extract worked both on enveloped coronaviruses, which cause colds as well as Covid-19, and non-enveloped enteroviruses, which cause infections such as flu and meningitis. There are no clinically approved drugs which work against enteroviruses directly, so this extract could be a future game-changer. “We need broadly acting and efficient tools to combat […]

Frontiers news

07 Nov 2023

Frontiers publishing partnerships update – autumn 2023

The latest news on our collaborations with scholarly societies. Credit: Frontiers Welcome from Robyn Mugridge, head of publishing partnerships The publishing partnerships team saw a continued growth trend in our community of partners. Submissions to our partner journals have continued to go up with a 27% increase on the same period last year. So far this year, our portfolio of partners has published 15% more reviews and 150% more special issues than last year. We welcomed new associate editors, bringing our team up to 441. Our teams have also started to roll out an enhanced communications package to increase journal awareness and visibility, achieving over 40 million social media impressions to date. Welcoming community partnerships  We’ve expanded our program to include community partnerships. This is a novel program for societies who wish to partner with an established Frontiers journal and collaborate on publishing projects which may benefit their members.  Through our tailored community partnership offering, we provide societies with new opportunities to connect with the global research community, the work done by our society partners.  Do you know who we partner with?  This year we have developed our connections in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Building on a shared commitment […]

Featured news

07 Nov 2023

Contraceptive pills might impair fear-regulating regions in women’s brains

by Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Fluctuations in sex hormones influence brain activity of the fear circuitry. A team of researchers in Canada has now examined the effects of oral contraceptive (OC) use on women’s brains. Their findings showed that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) thickness of women who were using OCs was reduced compared to men, suggesting a mechanism on how OC use could impair emotion regulation in women. Based on this study, this effect appears to be reversible after discontinuing use. More studies on impact and reversibility are needed, the researchers cautioned. More than 150 million women worldwide use oral contraceptives. Combined OCs (COCs), made up of synthetic hormones, are the most common type. Sex hormones are known to modulate the brain network involved in fear processes. Now a team of researchers in Canada has investigated current and lasting effects of COC use, as well as the role of body-produced and synthetic sex hormones on fear-related brain regions, the neural circuitry via which fear is processed in the brain. “In our study, we show that healthy women currently using COCs had a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex than men,” said Alexandra Brouillard, a researcher at Université du Québec […]

Environment

06 Nov 2023

Who will profit when territories of Europe’s predators overlap? Here are five Frontiers articles you won’t want to miss

by Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com At Frontiers, we bring some of the world’s best research to a global audience. But with tens of thousands of articles published each year, it’s impossible to cover all of them. Here are just five amazing papers you may have missed. Carnivore territories might soon overlap – and some species profit more than others Some of Europe’s large carnivore populations, including jackals and lynxes, are growing and expanding their territories. The golden jackal, a wolf-like generalist that once occupied only the Balkan area, is currently expanding its territory. At the same time, the Eurasian lynx, a specialized predator previously hunted close to extinction, is slowly recovering. Writing in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers have now modeled jackal and lynx distribution in Europe for current and future scenarios. Currently, it is estimated that the overlap of jackal and lynx territories is 13%. This overlap is likely to increase, given both species’ expansion. The researchers’ findings showed that both predators expanding their territories, leading to a dynamic where they coexist for the first time, may favor one species and threaten the other: Their predictions show an increase in habitat suitability for the golden […]

Engineering

03 Nov 2023

Wearable devices may prevent astronauts getting ‘lost’ in space

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Losing your sense of where you are can be fatal enough for aircraft pilots: spatial disorientation is a leading cause of fatal aircraft accidents. But losing your orientation in space itself is even more dangerous. Scientists have now developed wearable devices called vibrotactors that, combined with specialized training, improve people’s ability to fight spatial disorientation and could help astronauts correct themselves when their perceptions can no longer be relied upon. The sky is no longer the limit — but taking flight is dangerous. In leaving the Earth’s surface, we lose many of the cues we need to orient ourselves, and that spatial disorientation can be deadly. Astronauts normally need intensive training to protect against it. But scientists have now found that wearable devices which vibrate to give orientation cues may boost the efficacy of this training significantly, making spaceflight slightly safer. “Long duration spaceflight will cause many physiological and psychological stressors which will make astronauts very susceptible to spatial disorientation,” said Dr Vivekanand P. Vimal of Brandeis University in the United States, lead author of the article in Frontiers in Physiology. “When disoriented, an astronaut will no longer be able to rely […]

Research Topics

02 Nov 2023

Exploring consumer behavior: Must-read Research Topics

Understanding consumer behavior can contribute to decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, one of the tasks set by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #8: decent work and economic growth.  In anticipation of the shopping season, we have curated a list of leading article collections that redefine our knowledge of consumer behavior. Accumulating over 500,000 views, scientists investigated patterns emerging from the online shopping era, the drivers of buying decisions, and the environmental impact of consumer purchases, including: Consumers in the Internet era 37 articles | 180,000 views Explaining how the Internet influences consumer behavior Shopping in times of emergency 10 articles | 105,000 views Exploring the different dimensions of panic buying Consumer psychology in tourism 33 articles | 60,000 views Focusing on consuming phenomena in tourism and hospitality Consumer-brand relationships 16 articles | 54,000 views Understanding the psychological facets of digital consumer behavior Culture and consumer behaviors 26 articles | 64,000 views Analyzing language and culture’s impact on organizations and consumers Emotions and consumer behavior 12 articles | 25,000 views Discovering the role of emotions in consumer behavior Packaging labeling and food choices 10 articles | 21,000 views Developing science-based approaches to front-of-pack labeling and nutrition Travel industry and […]

eBooks

02 Nov 2023

Frontiers ebook releases: November 2023

Download the top ebook releases from this month, including: analysis of social media in education contributions to marine ecosystem restoration advancements in energy transition, financial and trade globalization and new perspectives on the neuroethology of the colonial mind All ebooks are free to download, share and distribute. Shape the future of your field — and publish your own ebook — by editing a special collection around your research area. Learn more about Research Topics or submit your suggestion. The Roles of Social Media in Education: Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Dimensions Edited by Hung Phu Bui; Mark Bedoya Ulla; Chien Thang Pham; Veronico N. TarrayoPDFMarine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) – Challenges and New HorizonsEdited by Brian Silliman; Avigdor Abelson; Christine Angelini; Gesche Krause; Megan Irene Saunders; Tjisse Van Der HeidePDFFinancial and Trade Globalization, Greener Technologies and Energy TransitionEdited by Magdalena Radulescu; Umer Shahzad; Diogo Ferraz; Enzo Barberio MarianoPDFNeuroethology of the Colonial Mind: Ecological and Evolutionary Context of Social BrainsEdited by J. Frances Kamhi; Sara Arganda Carreras; Mathieu LihoreauPDFWords in the WorldEdited by Gary Libben; Gonia Jarema; Juhani Järvikivi; Eva Kehayia; Victor KupermanPDFMolecular Mechanisms of Glia in Development and DiseaseEdited by Ryan B MacDonald; Stefanie Robel; Dr. Nathan Anthony Smith; Tim CzopkaPDFAgroecology in Policy […]

Featured news

01 Nov 2023

Do mild depressive and anxiety symptoms in fathers predict behavioral and cognitive problems in their children?

by Deborah Pirchner, Frontiers science writer Image: Shutterstock.com Many people experience stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in their life. Times of transition, such as pregnancy and children starting school can be significant periods of stress and vulnerability within families. Studies have generally found that high levels of anxiety and depression in parents are linked to poorer behavioral and cognitive outcomes in children. Now, a team of researchers in Canada has examined if self-reported paternal anxious and depressive symptoms are associated with children’s cognitive functioning and behavior. They found that slightly higher, but mild anxious or depressive symptoms in fathers were associated with fewer behavioral difficulties in the first years of elementary school and better scores on a standardized IQ testing in their children. The results need to be confirmed by further studies, the researchers said. While the role of mothers’ stress, anxiety and depression on children’s behavioral and cognitive development is well established, less is known about the connection between fathers’ mental health and children’s development. Now, a team of researchers affiliated to different institutions across Quebec, Canada has examined if paternal anxious and depressive symptoms, measured during their partner’s pregnancy, and again six to eight years later, are associated […]

Featured news

30 Oct 2023

Study of 1,000 selfies helps explain how we use them to communicate

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com From a painting on the wall to a photo on your phone, selfies have always been a form of communication. But what are we trying to communicate with them and how are we doing it? To develop semantic profiles of this visual language, scientists asked people to look at a thousand selfies and describe their first impressions. People have used self-portraits to communicate information about themselves for centuries — and digital cameras make it easier to share a self-portrait than ever before. But even though selfies are now almost ubiquitous, we don’t understand how people use them to communicate. So scientists from the University of Bamberg set out to investigate the semantics of selfies. “Although the term ‘selfies’ is now celebrating its 21st birthday, and although selfies are known in art history for nearly 200 years in photography and more than 500 years in paintings, we still lack a clear classification of the different types of selfies,” said Tobias Schneider, lead author of the study in Frontiers in Communication and PhD student at the Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences. Snapshots of selfhood Previous studies have established that people taking […]