For Yet Better Science

As publics around the world look to scientists and the research and development process to bring new treatments and preventive strategies for the novel coronavirus, a new international survey finds scientists and their research are widely viewed in a positive light across global publics, and large majorities believe government investments in scientific research yield benefits for society. Still, the wide-ranging survey, conducted before the  COVID-19 outbreak  reached pandemic proportions, reveals ambivalence about certain scientific developments – in areas such as artificial intelligence and genetically modified foods – often exists alongside high trust for scientists generally and positive views in other areas such as space exploration.

Ten calls to action for research culture. Research culture should be defined by fairness, appreciation, diversity and holistic assessment. Better Science shows how this works.

What if that knowledge . . . should become the possession of all? Would not science itself progress in leaps, and cause mankind to make strides in production, invention, and social creation, of which we are hardly in a condition now to measure the speed?

Avengers for Better Science is a workshop organized to  support young researchers committed to building an inclusive, open and ethical academia . The event will focus on communities related to machine learning and life science.

A positive, solutions-focused animation explaining the current status of animal testing in the UK – and the necessary next steps for science to progress.

Lisa Loseto is a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a federal government department whose regional offices include one in Winnipeg, where she is based. Some of Northern Canada’s Indigenous people have shaped her research into how beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas ) interact with their environments, and have taught her to rethink her own part in the scientific method. As co-editor-in-chief of the journal  Arctic Science  since 2017, she is looking at ways to increase Indigenous representation in scientific publishing, including the editorial and peer-review processes.  

A philanthropic organization started by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt is to provide $40 million over five years to build a Virtual Institute for Scientific Software,  Science   reports . The aim of the institute is to provide university researchers with the expertise of professional software engineers, who often do not work in academia as they can command a larger paycheck in the private sector, it adds. Currently,   Science   notes, a lot of scientific research relies on programs written by grad students and postdocs, who might not have the know-how to scale it up.