It began with a fact-checking podcast. This was followed by a series of self-critical tweets – triggered by a threat. Nicholas Holmes, a research neurologist, has made review and criticism into a visible part of his work.

Sweden has many private foundations that fund research, but who are really the persons behind the funding? And how do the foundations allocate their prizes and grants? Curie has taken a closer look at some of the foundations.

Women who want to have careers in academia still encounter greater obstacles than men, but the differences are decreasing. The perception of women leaving academia more than men is not true, according to a new report from the Swedish Research Council.

Veterinary medicine and human medicine are usually considered to be “worlds apart”, but during the corona pandemic, these worlds have met. When a COVID test is analysed, it actually does not matter much whether the sample is from a human being or a cat.

Hundred per cent open publication, lower costs and a transparent pricing model. That is SUHF’s goal for the agreements between Swedish HEIs and scientific publishers that are to replace those that terminate in 2024. A newly appointed inquiry will produce the strategy for achieving this.

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.