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Frontiers Science Communications

1,026 news posts

Young Minds

01 Dec 2023

Frontiers for Young Minds articles for kids showcase impact of award-winning math on everyday life

The first articles in a new collection are written by two mathematicians who have won the equivalent of Nobel prizes in math Photo credit: Frontiers Frontiers for Young Minds has published a new article collection for kids on the mathematical discoveries of prize-winning scientists. The first two articles feature and explain the ground-breaking math of the 2023 Wolf Prize winner, Ingrid Daubechies – who developed mathematical tools for processing images and signals called ‘wavelets’– and 2005 Gödel Prize and 2022 Shaw Prize winner, Noga Alon – who is renowned for his work on combinatorics, a branch of mathematics dealing with combinations of objects and data. This is the beginning of a wider collection – Math That Changed The World – showcasing to kids the practical applications of math and the impact it has had on everyday life. From patterns in data and health scans, to creating animated movies and even within astronomy, the researchers show how their work has enabled major breakthroughs for humanity, and that mathematics is more applied than abstract formulas and calculations. And each article has been reviewed by kids aged 8-15 to ensure the concepts are understandable for young readers. The published articles are […]

Life sciences

01 Dec 2023

Scientists raise alarm as bacteria are linked to mass death of sea sponges weakened by warming Mediterranean

Researchers from Spain and Turkey have shown that Vibrio bacteria are playing a role in the outbreaks of mortality of a sessile marine organism, the dark stinging sponge (Sarcotragus foetidus).

eBooks

30 Nov 2023

Top 20 Frontiers ebook releases of 2023

Download the top ebook releases from this year, including: new perspectives on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic examination of climate change and sustainable food systems insights on the role of social media in education and exploration of engineered immune cells in cancer immunotherapy. 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. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Pathophysiology, Epidemiology, Clinical Management and Public Health Response Edited by Zisis Kozlakidis; Denise L. Doolan; Shen-Ying Zhang; Yasuko Tsunetsugu Yokota; Tatsuo Shioda; Rukhsana Ahmed; Mohan Jyoti Dutta; Ata Murat Kaynar; Michael Kogut; Hannah Bradby; Slobodan Paessler; Alex Rodriguez-Palacios; Alexis M Kalergis; Longxiang Su; Abdallah Samy; Zhongheng ZhangPDFCOVID-19 pandemics: ethical, legal and social issuesEdited by Dov Greenbaum; David Gurwitz; Yann JolyPDFCovid-19 and Beyond: From (Forced) Remote Teaching and Learning to ‘The New Normal’ in Higher EducationEdited by Rhoda Scherman; Gabriela Misca; David Ian Walker; Geneviève PagéPDFBioactive Compounds, Lifestyle Factors and Neurodegenerative DiseasesEdited by Binosha Fernando; Stephanie R Rainey-Smith; Tejal ShahPDFWhat do we know about COVID-19 implications for cardiovascular disease? Edited by Hendrik Tevaearai Stahel; Masanori […]

Research Topics

30 Nov 2023

10 most-viewed article collections in 2023

This year, researchers explored a wide range of topics, including: cancer combinational immunotherapy COVID-19 research the physiology of breathing during exercise and the future of animal experimentation. With over 1.8 million views, the following Research Topics sought answers to your biggest research questions from 2023. A new era in experimental research 36 articles | 177,000 views Studying the 3Rs Principle to promote more humane animal experimentation practices Cancer combinational immunotherapy 84 articles | 176,000 views Exploring cancer immunity mechanisms, novel therapeutic targets, and effective combinational strategies Breathing in sport and exercise 37 articles | 180,000 views Understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of breathing during exercise Multidisciplinary COVID-19 research 91 articles | 148,000 views Bringing together researchers from diverse fields Career development in the internet age 40 articles | 115,000 views Investigating career sustainability in different social contexts and practices Frontiers for Young Minds 10 articles | 673,000 views Bringing you more articles by Nobel Prize winners Psychiatrization of society 17 articles | 104,000 views Identifying the causes, mechanisms, and effects of psychiatrization Alpine grassland ecosystems 76 articles | 102,000 views Investigating tourism consumption behavior in times of crisis Abiotic stress-induced responses in plants 59 articles | 99,000 views Findings new […]

eBooks

30 Nov 2023

Frontiers ebook releases: December 2023

Download the top ebook releases from this month, including: exploration of emotions and leadership in organizations and educational institutes new developments in aerospace health and safety innovations and new technology in spine surgery and discoveries on dietary and metabolic approaches for mental health conditions. 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. Emotions and Leadership in Organizations and Educational Institutes Edited by Osman Titrek; Anna Stavicka; Ana Campina; Gozde Sezen-Gultekin; Carlos Francisco De Sousa ReisPDFAerospace Health and Safety: Today and the Future Edited by Irina Mordukhovich; Mardi A. Crane-Godreau; Eileen Mcneely; Christopher ScheiblerPDFDietary and Metabolic Approaches for Mental Health Conditions Edited by Nicholas G Norwitz; Mark É. Czeisler; Dominic D’AgostinoPDFCOVID-19: Food System Frailties and Opportunities Edited by Claire Kremen; Elliot Berry; Rachel Bezner Kerr; Patrick Meyfroidt; Ivette Perfecto; Todd Rosenstock; José Antonio Teixeira; Hannah WittmanPDFThe Deadly Secrets of C. Difficile – Insights into Host-Pathogen Interaction Edited by Meina Neumann-Schaal; Dieter Jahn; Ingo Just; Uwe GroßPDFTowards an Understanding of Tinnitus Heterogeneity, Volume II Edited by Christopher R. Cederroth; Winfried Schlee; […]

Frontiers is gearing up for COP28 to address the climate emergency

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) parties meet every year at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to negotiate and agree action on how to tackle climate change, limit emissions, and halt global warming. These gatherings are the world’s highest decision-making body on climate issues and one of the largest international meetings in the world. COP28 will provide a milestone opportunity for the world to come together, course correct, and drive progress to keep 1.5C within reach – so we can meet the goals and ambitions of the Paris Agreement. It will be a pivotal moment for the world to unite around tangible climate action and deliver realistic solutions. Photo credit: Kyle Anthony Photography Addressing climate change, the paramount challenge of our era, hinges upon harmonizing fundamental human needs with sustainable climate remedies. Despite heightened awareness and global pledges, advancements in climate action have lagged and, at moments, fallen short. Confronting this hurdle, open science emerges as a pivotal force for innovation and a driver of groundbreaking solutions, playing a vital role in addressing climate change challenges. As world leaders convene at COP28 in an effort to reach consensus on actions to prevent the planet from surpassing the 1.5-degree […]

Engineering

30 Nov 2023

Rice husk and recycled newspaper may be the eco-friendly insulation material of the future

Researchers tested the suitability of a mix of rice husks and cellulose – materials commonly sent to landfills or garbage incineration plants – and found it had good thermal and mechanical properties, making it suitable to be used in a range of applications.

Life sciences

28 Nov 2023

Female toxin-producing newts are surprisingly more poisonous than males

Newts of the genus Taricha produce tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin. Now, new research has found that females have consistently higher levels of toxins than males.

Frontiers news

24 Nov 2023

Open Science Charter makes urgent appeal for open access

The Frontiers Research Foundation launches the Open Science Charter calling upon governments, research institutions and funders, the scientific community, and citizens everywhere to support mandatory open access to all publicly funded scientific knowledge by 2030.  Photo credit: NASA The climate emergency poses an existential threat, demanding immediate and far-reaching actions. Our planet is edging closer to several irreversible tipping points, with dire consequences for all life. We need a wide spectrum of science solutions urgently and the greatest accelerator is simply to mandate open access to publicly funded articles and data. The current system restricts access to most of the scientific research not only to many scientists, but virtually all practitioners, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the world. The restrictions to access major breakthroughs in sustainability and climate sciences are even more severe. No one can afford such a block to knowledge that we all need to reverse and mitigate the effects of climate change and address many other global challenges. The shift toward net-zero clean economies not only depends on open access to scientific knowledge, but also on political willingness to take evidence-based action. Governments and universities hold significant responsibility in empowering innovators to deliver practical solutions by ensuring […]

Open science and peer review

22 Nov 2023

Falling Walls 2023: How open science and systems thinking can save the planet

Open access publisher Frontiers and the Frontiers Research Foundation joined this year’s Falling Walls Science Summit held on 7-9 November in Berlin, Germany. The Falling Walls Science Summit is a prominent gathering that unites experts from various scientific disciplines to explore groundbreaking research and foster collaborative solutions for the challenges of our time. As a global platform for scientific exchange, this annual event serves as a catalyst for innovation, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and promoting breakthrough thinking. The three-day event includes inspiring keynotes, thought-provoking discussions, and exciting pitches from some of the most innovative minds in science and technology, exploring how scientific breakthroughs can pave the way towards a more equitable and sustainable future. These breakthroughs cover a diverse range of topics, from physical sciences, life sciences, sciencepreneurship, art and science, and planetary health to discovering earth and space, emerging talents, engineering and technology, and social sciences and humanities. The Falling Walls Foundation and Frontiers partnered to organize the Climate Action Future plenary table on 8 November, which addressed the slow and inadequate progress in climate action. Featuring a group of leaders in science, policy, and academic publishing, the plenary investigated the reasons behind the failure, emphasized the need to reinvigorate […]

Fishing chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Seth Phillips Termites are a crucial source of nutrients for chimpanzees, who fish for them with tools, but they’re not always accessible. Now, researchers copying chimpanzee tools and techniques have shown that chimpanzees living in western Tanzania can only reliably fish for termites in the early wet season, when other foods are abundant. These chimpanzees fish for termites because they can, not because they need to. The results raise the possibility that chimpanzees could even be predicting termite availability before they go fishing. The discovery that chimpanzees use tools to fish for termites revolutionized our understanding of their abilities — but we still don’t have crucial context to help us understand termite fishing and chimpanzee minds. Are chimpanzees fishing for a seasonal treat or trying their luck? Researchers based at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and University College London (UCL) investigated the relationship between termite availability and chimpanzee fishing. They found that termites are most available early in the wet season. Although other foods are abundant at that time, chimpanzees choose to termite fish then. “I believe these results set up an interesting hypothesis about wild chimpanzee foraging cognition,” said […]

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. […]

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 […]