SCIENCE VIEWS 23 ISSUE JANUARY 2019

Issue_23_2019



The latest news and


science opportunities









































Science View is communicating science to society since 2008,
sharing a vision of science literacy and science awareness.

In this issue you will read about:
Discover Events, Conferences, Seminars and the most recent
Science News!
 2019 International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical
Elements
 IAU 100th Anniversary
 WHO List on ten threats to global health in 2019
 Summer Schools
 The Art of Rhetoric in Teaching Practice Conference
Subscribe here if you want to receive monthly
these interesting news!

To download the issue click here.

Cover photos from Pixabay
1

SCIENCE WRITE-UPS Issue_23_2019
SCIENCE WRITE-UPS



30th Anniversary of the




World Wide Web



In 1989 the world‘s largest physics laboratory, CERN, 2019 in partnership with the World Wide Web
was a hive of ideas and information stored on Consortium (W3C) and with the World Wide Web
multiple incompatible computers. Tim Berners-Lee Foundation.
envisioned a unifying structure for linking information This anniversary event will be webcast and you can
across different computers, and wrote a proposal in already start planning your Web@30 viewing party: a
March 1989 called "Information Management: A unique opportunity to reach out to and further extend
Proposal". The web was originally conceived and
developed to meet the demand for automated your scientific and social community by inviting
guests to watch the event (live or recorded, based
information-sharing between scientists in universities on your time zone and constraints) and follow up with
and institutes around the world. By 1991 this vision of a discussion. The event itself in CERN‘s main
universal connectivity had become the World Wide auditorium will be by invitation only.
Web.
Find out more via the Web@30 website. Save the
The first website at CERN - and in the world - was date to join CERN to watch live, and stay tuned to
dedicated to the World Wide Web project itself and discover more in the coming weeks.
was hosted on Berners-Lee's NeXT computer.
On 30 April 1993 CERN put the World Wide Web
software in the public domain. CERN made the next
release available with an open licence, a more
sure way to maximise its dissemination. These
actions allowed the web to flourish.
Celebration at CERN
To celebrate 30 years since Tim Berners-
Lee's proposal and to kick-start a series of
celebrations worldwide, CERN will host a 30th
Anniversary event in the morning of 12 March



2019 International Year of the
Periodic Table of Chemical


Elements



The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of International Council for Science (ICSU), International
the most significant achievements in science, Astronomical Union (IAU), and the International Union
capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
of physics and biology. It is a unique tool, enabling (IUHPS). It was submitted by numerous organizations
scientist to predict the appearance and properties of from over 50 countries around the world.
matter on the Earth and in the rest of the Universe.
All around the globe celebrations will take place in
2019 will be the 150th anniversary since Dmitry 2019! Find an overview of events and ongoing
Mendeleev discovered the Periodic System and has activities below.
been proclaimed the "International Year of the Join the celebrations and register your event or
Periodic Table of Chemical Elements" (IYPT2019).
ongoing activity now!
The initiative for IYPT2019 is supported by IUPAC in Find out more at: https://www.iypt2019.org/.
partnership with the International Union of Pure and
Applied Physics (IUPAP), European Association for
Chemical and Molecular Science (EuCheMS), the


2

SCIENCE WRITE-UPS Issue_23_2019
SCIENCE WRITE-UPS



International Astronomical Union


100th Anniversary




I n 2 0 1 9 , t h e have been developed under the 8 different themes
I n t e r n a t i o n a l in order to achieve the goals of the initiative:
Astronomical Union  Einstein Schools
(IAU) is celebrating its  Above and Beyond Exhibition
100th anniversary. To  100 Hours of Astronomy 2.0
commemorate this
milestone, the IAU is  Dark Skies for All
organising a year-long  Inspiring Stars
celebration to increase awareness of a century of  Moon Landing 50th Anniversary
astronomical discoveries as well as to support and  Name ExoWorlds II
improve the use of astronomy as a tool for  Open Astronomy Schools
education, development and diplomacy under the  Women & Girls in Astronomy Day
central theme "Under One Sky".
The centennial celebrations will stimulate worldwide There are 100 IAU100 National Committees that will
interest in astronomy and science and will reach out implement the IAU100 Global Projects and
to the global astronomical community, national organise national activities and events.
science organisations, societies, policy-makers, Anyone can submit an event related to astronomy
students, families and the general public. that aligns with the IAU100 Goals. Join us celebrating
The IAU100 Global projects are coordinated activities a century of exciting astronomical discoveries by
on national, regional and international levels that submitting your event here.
Find out more at: https://www.iau-100.org/

World Health Organization List on



Ten threats to global health in 2019


Every year, the World Health Organization publishes  Antimicrobial resistance
a list of the most pressing issues that global health  Ebola and other high-threat pathogens
faces. Each year it is slightly different, as the WHO  Weak primary health care
tries to emphasize where the efforts for progress In 2019, WHO will work with partners to revitalize
should be focused. The lists are always enlightening. and strengthen primary health care in countries.
Here‘s what the world‘s foremost experts think are the  Vaccine hesitancy
top threats in 2019: Vaccine hesitancy among the top 10 global
 Air pollution and climate change health threats in 2019. The reluctance or refusal
Nine out of ten people breathe polluted air every to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines,
day. threatens to reverse progress made in tackling
 Noncommunicable diseases vaccine-preventable diseases.
Diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and heart  Dengue
disease, are collectively responsible for over 70% Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease that causes
of all deaths worldwide. flu-like symptoms and can be lethal and kill up to
 Global influenza pandemic 20% of those with severe dengue.
The world will face another influenza pandemic –  HIV
the only thing we don‘t know is when it will hit and The progress made against HIV has been
how severe it will be. enormous however, the epidemic continues to
 Fragile and vulnerable settings rage with nearly a million people every year
More than the 22% of the global population live dying of HIV/AIDS.
in places without access to basic care. More info here.



3

SCIENCE IN ACTION Issue_23_2019
SCIENCE IN ACTION




The Art of Rhetoric in Teaching Practice:

Seeking the Modern Forms of Rhetoric Education






















A conference aiming to find out modern and the context of mathematics and science lessons,
innovative aspects that pedagogy can take in from the rhetoric of the persuasion to the rhetoric of
modern education and to highlight them as good literature, from rhetoric the image to the rhetoric of
practices will be conducted in Athens on February art, from the rhetoric of creative writing to digital
9-10, 2019, organized by the "Saint Paul-Delasal" rhetoric of cyberspace.
School in collaboration with the Hellenic Institute of Science View participates in the conference with an
Rhetorical and Communication Studies (IRESE) on the
occasion of the celebration the 10 years of oral presentation on science communication and a
workshop based on the practices of the ―Learning
operation of Primary School in Greece.
Science Through Theater‖ activity.
The field of searching for its use and teaching of More information here (in Greek only).
speech is broad: from the practice in the art of
speech in language lessons to the use of speech in
Photo Credits: Conference Website

NUCLEUS Project: Fourth and final


year of operation




The NUCLEUS project funded by the Horizon2020
scheme, entered its fourth and final year of
operation which aims to develop a New
Understanding of Communication, Learning and
Engagement in Universities and Scientific Institutions
focusing on RRI in practice. The engaged universities
and research institutions will finalise the
implementation of their individualised Action Plans
which lead to specific activities that foster
Responsible Research and Innovation in their
operation.
The impact assessment of the NUCLEUS approach
will produce results in spring 2019 that would be
useful for further and broader implementation.
Integral part of the evaluation process will be he use A visual explanation of what NUCLEUS is about
of the newly developed NUCLEUS Web Tool. Photo Credits: NUCLEUS Instagram account



Continued on next page 4

SCIENCE IN ACTION
SCIENCE IN ACTION Issue_23_2019




Launch of the SciCulture project







The Kick-Off meeting of the SciCulture project took April 2019 in Athens. Participants will be students from
place on 29-20 November 2018 in Malta. SciCilture STEM subjects, the arts and business undergraduates,
is an Erasmus+ KA2 project led by the University of postgraduates, professionals and early career
Malta that aims to train university students and researchers that will collaborate and learn from one
researchers through an open-ended educative another.
approach that encourages co-creation between
diverse disciplines towards a common objective. By
developing diverse lifelong, communication and
entrepreneurial skills, the project aims to encourage
innovative collaborations and networks of best
practice to develop. Excellence in skill development
and interdisciplinary innovation is needed to make
universities more relevant to society and is also in line
with the EU Modernisation Agenda of Higher
Education priority areas.
In the framework of the project an intensive course in
science, arts and entrepreneurship using a co-
creation and open-ended instruction pedagogy that
combines theory and practice will be organized in



CREATEskills Teacher Training



18-22 February (Athens, Greece)








CREATEskills is an Erasmus+ KA2 project designed to develop
and implement innovative practices, tools and methodolo-
gies in primary schools for improving the quality and rele-
vance of the learning process in primary education, more
specifically regarding the attractiveness of STEM subjects. It
nd
has entered its 2 year of implementation and many of its
products are in the process of finalisation:
 Literature review and field research has been finalized:
 Read the Final Report here
 Read the Executive Report here
 A Web Platform ―STEM on the WEB‖ is under development
 ―Tools to Socially Learn STEM‖ Toolkit: 40 innovative activities have been gathered from 4 EU countries
In the framework of the project, a 3-day training for STEM subject primary school teachers by the project
partners is organized on 18-22 February in Athens. The training aims to preparing them to use the elabo-
rated project outputs at local/regional/national level while enhancing their competences to support stu-
dents in developing 21st Century skills and a higher interest for STEM subjects.





Continued on next page 5

EDUCATION’S_CORNER
EDUCATION’S_CORNER Issue_23_2019




CASE Summer School 2019

30 June-05 July (Marathon, Greece)




In the framework of the CASE (Creativity, Art and science education. More info here.
Science in Primary Education) project, a 5-day Register Here! (support in acquiring funds from the EU
intensive course that introduces case studies for to cover the training expenses is provided)
creative science inquiry for primary schools (Learning
Science Through Theater, Through Puppetry and Check out the Training Materials
Through Digital Narratives & Storytelling) is organized The participants of the previous edition of the CASE
in Marathon, Greece. The second edition of the Summer School 2018, have been implementing the
successful CASE Summer School is targeted at
primary school teachers, artists, researchers and creative science cases they learnt last year in their
educational stakeholders/practitioners in order to educational environments all across Europe during
motivate them by combining science education the 2018/2019 school year.
with aspects of art in their own practice and to be
aligned to the guidelines of Europe for the future of
OSOS Summer School 2019

7-12 July (Marathon, Greece)




In the framework of the OSOS (Open Schools for Open Societies)
project, the OSOS Summer School 2019 is targeted at School Heads
and Teachers seeking to bring innovation to their schools, while aiming
at offering a high-impact and transformative experience in personal
and organizational level. It also aims to contributing to their professional
development, as it will provide significant insights and tools to
implement the necessary changes and foster the skills to best plan and
then diffuse innovation in schools, helping them evolve to an Open Schooling Environment and establishing
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles. More info here.
Register Here! (support in acquiring funds from the EU to cover the training expenses is provided)

STEAM Summer School 2019

15-24 July (Malta)



An intensive programme, open to all motivated STEM students and researchers interested in science
communication, will be held on 15-24 July, in Malta. Teachers, science communication practitioners,
science journalists, and established researchers will also find novel techniques within our content.

STEAM Summer School 2019 will be divided this year into two parts: a multimedia online course and a highly
practical, face-to-face 10-day programme. The online course
will focus on the background information while the Summer
School will build on this knowledge through critical thinking and
practical application. The 10-day intensive course in science
communication integrates Arts into the classical STEM and
includes interactive experiments and informal learning. The
goals are to improve science awareness and develop
informed opinions, increase student uptake of STEM careers for
high-level jobs and enhance the transferable skills of current
researchers. More info here. Photo Credits: STEAM



6

EVENTS SAVE THE DATE
EVENTS SAVE THE DATE Issue_23_2019





Safer Internet Day (SID) 2019




Worldwide 05/02/2019
Over the years, Safer Internet Day (SID) has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Starting as an
initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network as one of its earliest actions in
2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in approximately
140 countries worldwide.
This year's Safer Internet Day (SID) celebrations will take place on Tuesday, 5 February 2019. The campaign's
slogan, "Together for a better internet", is a call to action for all stakeholders to join together and play their part in
creating a better internet for everyone, and especially for younger users.
Keep an eye on the official website, as well as the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal for the latest news about the
campaign and please also visit our Facebook and Twitter profiles regularly for the latest news, and follow
the #SID2019 and #SaferInternetDay hashtags.
Find out what is happening near you to mark the day, and find ideas on how you can contribute to a better
internet, not just on SID but all year through!
More info about the Safer Internet Day in Greece click here.



International R&D:
Horizon Europe and the world


Brussels, Belgium 05/02/2019

Around the world, cross-border research and development (R&D) deals are on the rise, both in public and private
systems. International co-publications, global budgets, industry/university/public partnerships – all have soared in
the past decade. Europe, with its Horizon research and innovation (R&I) programmes, is a leader in this trend, but
the US, Canada, China and other big spenders are also on the hunt for ambitious ideas and partners.
Against this backdrop, are we entering a new era of global cooperation, a Republic of Science & Technology? This
Science|Business Network conference will be an international meeting place to discuss the emerging opportunity
landscape, and how this can best be harnessed across sectors and regions through breakthrough science,
technologies and policy frameworks.
Webcast will be available. More info here.
Tickets available here.


Science on Stage Greece

Exhibition and contest of laboratory

constructions and educational material

Athens, Greece 30/11-30/3/2019
Every two years, Science on Stage Greece organises a national selection event in order to select the Greek
delegation for the European Science on Stage festival. The main Greek event of the SonS programme is an
exhibition and contest of laboratory constructions and educational material. During the two-day event, all selected
projects are shown to students, teachers and the general public.
From 15-16 February 2019 the Greek Science on Stage festival will take place at the Laboratory Center of Physical
Sciences of Aigaleo, Athens. At the event the Greek STEM teacher delegation will be selected that will present the
country at the European Science on Stage festival 2019 in Cascais, Portugal.
Find more information: http://ekfeaigaleo.mysch.gr/ & https://www.science-on-stage.eu/

7

EVENTS SAVE THE DATE Issue_23_2019
EVENTS SAVE THE DATE


13th Annual International Technology,

Education and Development INTED2019
Conference


Valencia, Spain 11-13/03/2019
INTED is one of the largest international education conferences for lecturers, researchers, technologists and
professionals from the educational sector. After 13 years, it has become a reference event where more than 700
experts from 80 countries will get together to present their projects and share their knowledge on teaching and
learning methodologies and innovations on educational technology. The 2019 edition of INTED is sure to be
among the most successful education conferences in Europe.
The scope of INTED2019 includes, among others, the following topics: Experiences in Education, New Trends in the
Higher Education Area, Pedagogical & Didactical Innovations, Technological Issues in Education, Computer
Supported Collaborative Work, Educational Software and Serious Games, Curriculum Design and Innovation,
Quality assurance in Education, University-Industry Collaboration, E-content Management and Development.
INTED is more than a conference, it is an ideal platform for international strategic networking. The best place to
present your innovations and projects about education and technology.
For more information and registration click here.


PHARM Connect Congress 2019

Central & Eastern Europe‘s
Pharmaceutical and Biotevh B2B Event

Budapest, Hungary 12-13/03/2019

PHARM Connect Congress is the largest and most important pharmaceutical and biotechnology business summit
in the Central Eastern European region, taking place annually in March in Budapest, Hungary. With its 400+
participants from over 20 countries in the region and beyond, the Congress – to be held for the ninth time on 12-13
March 2019 – is a great platform to benchmark and network with an exclusive group of senior peers. We are here
to help and accelerate the effectiveness of your marketing strategies, maximise ROI and stay ahead of the
competition.
The two-day gathering is going to be a great event for lead business professionals, academicians, researchers and
peers from the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology, to look forward to for its enlightening
presentations and excellent panel discussions directed by well-known university professors and experts from
Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Sanofi, Teva, Belupo Pharmaceuticals. The programme for this year will revolve around
the theme of Personalised Medicine - together with it‘s possible dangers and future potentials.
More info at: https://pharmconnect.eu/


International Conference New Perspectives

in Science Education


Florence, Italy 21-22/03/2019

The Eighth Edition of the International Conference New Perspectives in Science Education will take place on March
21 and 22, at Grand Hotel Mediterraneo (Florence, Italy).
The objective of the New Perspectives in Science Education Conference is to promote transnational cooperation
and share good practice in the field of innovation for science education.
The New Perspectives in Science Education Conference is also an excellent opportunity for the presentation of
previous and current projects in the science field.
More info at: https://www.rhetoricinstitute.edu.gr/


8

SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES
SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES Issue_23_2019




MIT Deep Technology Bootcamp



Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Blockchain are rapidly changing the future of work,
our economy, and how we interact with devices. Learning the skill sets necessary to manage these ―deep
technologies‖ will be crucial for thriving amidst these radically transformative changes. At the MIT Deep Technology
Bootcamp (Cambridge, MA | June 15 - 21, 2019), you will be immersed in these technologies and gain hands-on
experience building devices that can sense, connect, infer and act. You will learn MIT‘s framework for frontier
technology innovation, and learn directly from experts in these fields about new trends and how to generate new
innovations.
LEARNING AREAS: Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Until March 1, 2019 12:00pm EST

More info here.


Rosetta Science Operations Scheduling

Legacy Workshop 2019


Between 2014 and 2016, ESA‘s comet mission Rosetta commanded the world‘s attention. Performing science
operations around the Comet was never easy. It required an excellent understanding of the Rosetta Spacecraft‘s
capabilities and the science requirements. With so many instruments on a spacecraft, each science team was
actively negotiating to get what they needed to fulfil their science objectives.
ESA Education Office is offering in collaboration with the Science Operations Department for the second time the
Rosetta Science Operations Scheduling Legacy Workshop. It aims to give university students from ESA Member and
Associate States an understanding of science operations scheduling. During this workshop, university students will
learn how science operations scheduling is done at ESA and what tools are used. Exercises will be performed with
the support of the experts who did the scheduling for the real mission using the actual science operations
scheduling software (MAPPS) that produced the final experiment commanding for the spacecraft. These exercises
will be complemented by lectures given by various members of the Rosetta team including the project scientist,
spacecraft operations manager, ESA Philae system engineer and individuals who were involved in building the
actual spacecraft. In addition, the students will learn how to access the actual science data that these schedules
produced via the Planetary Science Archive.
The deadline for applications is 11 February 2019 23:59pm CEST and the Workshop will take place at ESA
Academy‘s Training and Learning Facility, ESEC-Galaxia, in Transinne, Belgium, between 2-5 April 2019.
More info here.



Summer School on Natural Space Risks,
Paris August 2019


This summer school aims at providing master and first year PhD students with an intensive training on all these
natural space risks. The programme will address space weather, space debris, near-Earth objects, and their
societal impacts. Resilience aspects will also be tackled by researchers and by experts from the civil society.
During this one-week school students will have a mix of academic lectures and hands-on sessions on orbitography,
solar observations, and applied data reduction and analysis, during splinter sessions. The lectures and the hand-on
sessions will be run by experts coming from all over Europe; experts from the industry will explain the importance of
natural space risks for their activities. This school is a unique opportunity to meet academic and non-academic
researchers at the early stage of a career.
Applications should be submitted by April 15th, 2019 (17:00 Paris time).
More info here.



9

EDUCATION @ EU
EDUCATION @ EU
Issue_23_2019

EU edu News




European Education Area: second package of

measures


The European Education  an ambitious framework for European policy
Area is enriched by a cooperation in education and training;
second package of  support for Member State reforms through the
m e a s u r e s f o r i t s European Semester
implementation. The
European Commission,  better targeting of European funds
communicated this  initiatives towards European Universities and
second package (the first  a European student card
one was published in January 2018) which includes This package of initiatives also includes proposals for
initiatives that aim to highlight the role of youth, Council Recommendations:
education and culture policies, the Commission
highlights the important role played by education, youth  on Early Childhood Education and Care;
and culture in building the future of Europe. It describes  on the Automatic Mutual Recognition of Diplomas
its vision of building a European Education Area on a and learning periods abroad; and
combination of:  on improving the Teaching and Learning of
Languages.
 strengthened Erasmus+ programme;
EU‘s Annual Report on the Erasmus+ programme


The European Commission has grants and participants, information on the policy
published its annual report on priorities of Erasmus+ and analysis on the programme's
the Erasmus+ programme. The implementation. There is lots of data and statistics
report provides an overview of available to assess the impact of the most famous and
all activities implemented to successful EU programme.
date through Erasmus+ 2017 Read more here.
calls. You can find statistics on
European Parliament backs a bigger Integrating Students from Migrant
€120B budget for Research Backgrounds into Schools in Europe:
The European Parliament gave National Policies and Measures

its formal stamp of approval to
the EU‘s next big research This Eurydice report investigates
programme, Horizon Europe – what top-level education
moving forward legislation for it and calling for a €120 authorities across Europe do to
billion budget, a 27.5 per cent increase on the €94.1 promote the integration of
billion proposed by the European Commission. students from a migrant
Read more here. background into schools. It
presents a comparative mapping
Towards a more efficient use of of a wide range of national
resources in Horizon Europe policies and measures aimed at
placing newly arrived migrant
The year 2018 has been particularly intense for the students in schools and addressing
European research and innovation community. Since the various issues related to them. It also offers a deeper
the release of the Commission proposal establishing the analysis of some of the key policies that can enable
next EU Framework Programme for Research and schools to welcome students from diverse linguistic and
Innovation - Horizon Europe, several milestones have cultural backgrounds and to take into account students‘
been reached in the legislative procedure heading to social and emotional needs in order to encourage their
the forecasted programme launch in 2021. learning and development.
Read more here. Read more here.


10

SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL
SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL Issue_23_2019


SCIENCE NEWS




As billions of people across the world ushered in the new year, the New
Horizons spacecraft whizzed by a far-flung space rock named Ultima
Thule, making it the most distant object ever visited by humanity.
Traveling at a speed of nearly 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) per second, New
Horizons‘ didn‘t take long to zip past Ultima Thule, which is only about 20
miles (30 km) long. During its closest approach at 12:33 a.m. EST on
January 1, New Horizons passed within just 2,200 miles (3,500 km) of the
mysterious bowling-pin-shaped rock, collecting data all the while.
https://goo.gl/Hwv3iu (Photo Credit: NASA/JPL)


Neuroscientists have for the first time discovered differences between
the ‗software‘ of humans and monkey brains, using a technique that
tracks single neurons deep in the brain . They found that human brains
trade off ‗robustness‘ — a measure of how synchronized neuron signals
are — for greater efficiency in information processing. The researchers
hypothesize that the results might help to explain humans‘ unique
intelligence, as well as their susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. The
findings were published in Cell on 17 January.
https://goo.gl/oU8XQ8


Plants have the extraordinary ability to convert sunlight into food through
photosynthesis. However, just because something is natural doesn‘t
mean it‘s efficient. Most crops on the planet have to deal with a process
called photorespiration that significantly reduces their yield. Now
scientists have engineered a way for plants to go around it. As reported
in Science, scientists have developed several alternative ways for plants
to perform photorespiration so that it's not as energy consuming.
Combinations of new genes and promoters were tested in 1,700 plants
in real-world conditions and the top performers were isolated.
https://goo.gl/gdi8jz

Scientists behind the world's largest atom smasher have laid out their
multibillion-euro vision to build an even bigger one, in hopes of
unlocking even more secrets of matter and the universe in the coming
decades. Officials at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear
Research, presented on January 15th their study for a "Future Circular
Collider" inside a 100-kilometer (62-mile) circumference tunnel that
could start operating in 2040. It would sit next to the current
circumference Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, which is perhaps
best known for helping confirm the subatomic Higgs boson in 2012.
https://goo.gl/t8828L (Photo Credit: CERN)


The latest game changer in diabetes research might not be a new drug
or a therapy. Instead, it could be a system of human blood vessels
virtually identical to the ones currently transporting blood throughout
your body. What makes these blood vessels special is that they are the
first ones grown in a lab — and they‘ve already generated a new lead
in diabetes treatment. In a study published in the journal Nature on
Wednesday, researchers from the University of British Columbia detail
how they were able to coax stem cells into growing into human blood
vessel ―organoids,‖ the term used for three-dimensional, lab-grown
cellular systems that mimic the characteristics of organs or tissues.
https://goo.gl/rLnGuh


Continued on next page 11

SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL
SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL Issue_23_2019


Earth's north magnetic pole is on the move, unpredictably lurching
away from the Canadian Arctic and toward Siberia. It's wandered so
much, that the current representation of the entire globe's magnetic
field, just updated in 2015, is now out of date. And so, geologists have
come up with a new model. This updated model, called the World
Magnetic Model, was supposed to be published Jan. 15, but it's now
been delayed to Jan. 30, on account of the government shutdown. The
latest World Magnetic Model was designed to last until 2020, but
magnetic north's rapid and unexpected surge toward Siberia was so
great, that researchers had to amend the model early.
(Photo Credits: Nature, World Data Center for Geomagnetism/Kyoto Univ. )
https://goo.gl/BXKNQd

Scientists seeking to bring the fusion reaction that powers the sun and
stars to Earth must keep the superhot plasma free from disruptions. Now
researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma
Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have discovered a process that can help to
control the disruptions thought to be most dangerous. Replicating
fusion, which releases boundless energy could produce clean and
virtually limitless power for generating electricity for cities and industries
everywhere. Capturing and controlling fusion energy is therefore a key
scientific and engineering challenge for researchers across the globe.
https://goo.gl/fmNCF8


Although there has been pretty good indirect evidence that points to
the existence of black holes between 100 and 100,000 solar masses,
their existence has yet to be confirmed. In a new paper published on
preprint resource arXiv, astronomers have described evidence that
points to one of these drifting around about 20 light-years from the
centre of the Milky Way. This makes it - if the paper passes peer review -
a very strong contender for a black hole missing link, packing all that
mass into an object roughly the size of Jupiter. In addition to potentially
discovering an intermediate black hole, the research points to what
could be a new method of discovering inactive black holes.
https://goo.gl/bajGWi


If you need to remember something, you might do well to... draw it.
According to a new study, drawing can be a more effective memory
aid than writing and rewriting, simply looking at information, or using
various other visualisation techniques. Older adults who take up drawing
could even enhance their memory, the researchers say, providing a
means to rebel against the effects of ageing and the risk of
conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia. The researchers got together
48 different participants – half aged around 20, half aged around 80 –
and asked them to go through a series of exercises. The research has
been published in Experimental Aging Research.
https://goo.gl/TsfnHy

China‘s Chang‘e-4 lander and rover just became the first spacecraft to
land on the farside of the moon. The lander touched down at 9:26 p.m.
Eastern time on January 2, according to an announcement from
the China National Space Administration. The spacecraft is part of a
series of Chinese space missions named Chang‘e (pronounced
CHONG-uh) for the Chinese goddess of the moon. Chang‘e-4 will
measure some of the region‘s composition, use ground-penetrating
radar to probe just below the surface, and take panoramic images of a
landscape that has never been seen from the ground before.
(Photo Credit: XINHUA/XINHUA VIA GETTY IMAGES)
https://goo.gl/45eEF5


Continued on next page 12

SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL
SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL Issue_23_2019


It‘s easy to think of antibiotics as a default first step in treating whatever
ambiguous cold-like illness you have this winter. But in recent years, as
we‘ve come to fully grasp how dangerous antibiotic resistance is, the
healthcare world has tried to shift away from handing out prescriptions
to everyone who walks in the door. Except it may not be going so well. A
new study in the British Medical Journal estimates that roughly one in
four antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are unnecessary—and that‘s
being conservative. The question of why doctors over-prescribe
antibiotics is, of course, a much more complex issue.
https://goo.gl/oNDBGe

A new study from the University of Oxford has found the first direct
evidence of how ancient insects hatched. The researchers observed
structures used for egg hatching that can be traced back tens of
millions of years to a newly described species called Tragichrysa
ovoruptora. The experts found several green lacewing newborn larvae
preserved inside of a piece of 130 million-year-old Lebanese amber.
The team found the split egg shells from where they hatched, and also
identified minute structures known as egg bursters that were used by the
hatchlings to crack the eggs.This is the first time that these specialized
structures have ever been definitively documented in the fossil record of
egg-laying animals. (Image Credits: Open access article in Palaeontology)
https://goo.gl/phXvJ1

When you use your smartphone, you probably don't think of all the
elements, or metals, that go into its production. However, if experts at
Yale University are right, those metals could soon be in short supply,
meaning that making electronics, such as your smartphone, will get
more difficult, as well as more expensive. In a new study, Yale
researchers studied the availability of every metal on the Periodic Table
of Elements and found that those used in the production of electronics
are the most likely to become less available in the future. Zinc, copper
and aluminum, will be probably around for a long time, but other
metals, used in electronics are at risk of running out.
https://goo.gl/6CNHKG


The oldest known periodic table in world has been discovered at the
University of St Andrews. Dated back to 1885, the table was created only
16 years after Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev introduced the
concept in 1869. The revelation was made by the university through its
official website on Jan. 17, Thursday. The periodic table was discovered
by Dr. Alan Aitken during a storage clear out last 2014. The storage,
then, was filled with laboratory equipment that grew over the years since
the department‘s opening in 1968. Not maintained with the safety an
older document would need, it was rolled up and forgotten.
(Image Credits: UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS)
https://goo.gl/NL7it5

The European Space Agency wants to extract valuable resources such
as water and oxygen from the moon by 2025.On its website, the rocket
maker ArianeGroup revealed that it has signed a 12-month contract to
study and prepare for the extraction of regolith, also known as moon
rock. "This first contract — symbolically announced on the day of a lunar
eclipse — is a milestone for ArianeGroup, which has for a long time
been working on technological proposals for space logistics
servicing," stated Andre-Hubert Roussel, the CEO of ArianeGroup in a
statement. Key sectors include mining, metallurgy, chemical
processing, and oil and gas industries. (Image Credits: ESA)
https://goo.gl/JcCT1L


13

Mr. Menelaos Sotiriou is a science writer
and communicator. He was the editor of
the official Research and Technology
online magazine in Greece, E&T (www.et-
online.gr) that was published from the
General Secretariat of Research and
Technology. He started his professional
career by developing various Management Systems,
mostly in the field of Education as well as Health Care
and Telecommunications, in over 40 public and private
Organisations. He is a certified auditor and has realised
over 50 audits, mostly in the field of Quality
Management Systems and Assurance. The last twelve
(12) years he is running (project management) and
organising European and national projects for several
institutions (including research institutions) mainly in the
areas of new and innovative technologies (ICT). He has
been involved in more than 30 EU projects in the areas
of SiS, SSH, ICT, Research for the Benefit of SMEs. He has
vast experience in networking activities as the project
Coordinator of EUROSiS Project that is the Network of the
Science in Society NCPs. (Greek NCP for SiS
Programme). During this project he has organized a lot
of brokerage events as well as info days / trainings
concerning the participation of institutions in the specific
programme. He is holding the position of President of
Science View (www.scienceview.gr) a nonprofit, non
governmental organization that has expertise in Science
Communication and Science Journalism. He is
specialised in science communication, organisation of
events (science cafes, conferences, science festivals,
exhibitions, science weeks), publications, science
writing, outreach activities for young students (mainly in
the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy and
health), and creativity in science education
(Introduction of creative ways to provide science
education like science theatre, music and science).
Finally, he is included in the Evaluators‘ Data Base of the
European Commission for the HORIZON2020 and of the
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and also he had
participated in several EC meetings as an expert in
Science Communication and Journalism issues.