Society

Weather extremes are becoming more common. A recent study looks into the reasons why risk management is usually ineffective when dealing with a second more hazardous event, and takes home lessons from two success stories.

An EU-backed project is developing a suite of learning materials on the use of social media and crowdsourcing (SMCS) in disasters. The resources will improve European resilience.

From Nicolaus Copernicus to Sigmund Freud, the Czech Republic has built a significant scientific legacy that continues to this day with major achievements generated in EU funding programmes. A Spotlight Pack by CORDIS showcases the innovative results of research projects under Horizon 2020.

Our brains process words by thinking about how they are pronounced. Could this help us define the best Wordle strategy? We asked our expert Ana Ulicheva.

In the age of Zoom, it can be tricky to stay focused – or awake. We tuned in to a video call with our expert David Stawarczyk to find out how to keep our minds on track.

From the pyramids to your local cemetery, the world is filled with stone monuments to the dead. But when did this become common practice? We go to funerary archaeologist Saša Čaval to dig up the truth.

Over recent years there has been much talk about the rise of populism. But what’s the evidence, what is it, and if true, is it necessarily troubling? We asked Jan Kubik, professor of Political Science, to unpick developments.

What are Europeans’ views on the COVID-19 pandemic? And how do they feel about the scientists and governments involved in dealing with it? An EU-backed survey takes a look.

One step closer to cleaner oceans: An EU-backed project has tested its autonomous underwater litter collection system in the murky coastal waters of the Port of Hamburg, Germany.

A new study has shown that China’s massive population shift to urban areas has had a positive impact on the country’s carbon stocks. This means that urbanisation could play a role in reducing CO2 emissions.

When the EPICA project ended in late 2020, it had delivered a methodology for assessing and recognising graduates’ employability skills. In June 2022, two researchers involved in the design, creation and implementation were invited to present the methodology’s impact at the ‘Global Dialogue on Micro-Credentials: Initiatives and Perspectives on Small Learning Units from around the World’ event organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Do people reconsider their opinions based on new information or to gain social acceptance? A new study shows how the brain distinguishes between different types of social influence when we change our mind.

In October 2020, the Results Pack Social Sciences and Humanities in Energy Research featured SMARTEES, a project that explored the concept of social energy innovations and how they evolve over time. We find out that the results fed into a novel digital tool to improve policy design and decision-making.

Suppose doctors could predict decades in advance if we are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) or cardiovascular disease (CVD). A new study on lipid profiling may have just found a way.

Can countries to which refugees and asylum seekers flock receive early warnings and timely support? To make this possible, a new report looks at the time sequence from conflicts or mass disasters to peoples’ migration to a neighbouring country.

An EU-funded study looks at mortality in 2 rural areas in the United Kingdom during temperature extremes over a 38-year period.

According to a new study, most of Europe’s cities are getting denser thanks to higher immigration rates and reduced land take for housing.

EU-backed researchers make food safety training fun. Their online cooking game increases consumer awareness of safe food handling while training them to engage in risk-reducing behaviour.

Armed with digital technologies, the EU-funded HyperCOG project is helping to create the factories of the future. Its smart system promises to increase production performance and reduce emissions and energy use in Europe’s process industries.

Thanks to the launch of a new dashboard, anyone can use their smartphone to help scientists track mosquitoes – the deadliest animals on Earth.