Why is science communication important, and what role does it play in society? Sarah Davies, who researches the area, wants to encourage all who spend time communicating science to take a step back and reflect on this question. “It’s important to look at the whole, and to realise that science communication contributes to creating a robust and democratic society.”
Six years ago, his picture of a giant virus was chosen as one of that year’s best scientific images by the journal Nature. Now, he and his colleagues have made a major breakthrough in the process of obtaining a picture of an individual protein. “Images are unbeatable when it comes to communicating things such as the structure of proteins,” says Tomas Ekeberg, a biophysicist.
Competition is fierce among researchers at the beginning of their careers, and the dream of becoming independent and leading your own projects can feel very distant. Tenacity is one of the most important characteristics for success, in the opinion of Daniella Ottosson, who has passed through the eye of the needle.
What were researchers like as children? This is the subject of the book “Forskardrömmar – Berättelser för nyfikna barn” (“Research Dreams – Stories for curious children”), which includes 60 stories of the childhoods of researchers, and their paths to research. “We want all children to know that you can research anything you like in principle, and to feel that they become researchers in the future if they want to,” says Robert Lagerström, who is one of the initiators of the book.
Swedish researchers are bad at reporting the results of clinical studies. Many results cannot be found either in databases or in articles, according to an article from the organisation Transparimed. The consequence may be that patients receive poorer care. However, a change now seems to be on the way.
Research studies are not always conducted according to the rules. They may promise too much, show relationships that do not exist, or not be replicable. Two researchers who have been involved in reviewing studies in different disciplines know this – and have discovered lots of shortcomings.
Being the author of a scientific work entails both a merit and a responsibility. But it is not self-evident who it is that deserves this merit and how the responsibility should be allocated – these are issues that attract increased focus when the author lists of scientific works become longer.
Stefan Buijsman has always thought faster than others, and received a doctorate in philosophy of mathematics at only 20 years of age. He is now considering subjects from what mathematics actually is, to how children learn mathematics, and what artificial intelligence entails for us all.
She blogs about why and how scientists should use social media för science communication. Stina Börchers is a PhD student at the University of Gothenburg and is working on the neuroscience of feeding behavior and energy expenditure. In her spare time she likes to take long walks to explore Sweden´s nature and cities.
For several years, research infrastructure has been short of funds. It was even uncertain whether the Swedish Research Council could carry out the next planned call. But the Government recently announced that it will inject an additional 1.3 billion SEK to the budget for infrastructure over three years, as part of a major investment in research.
