Natural sciences
Senne Starckx
Eske Willerslev returns to his first research interest: ancient environmental DNA. In his words, «That’s where the new frontier lies in our field». The research not only tells something about the distant past, but it might also help steer our future.
Natural sciences
Marco Ferrari
Recent assumptions about the nature and physiology of plants could revolutionise our perspective on the world of plants. But orthodoxy is not easy to change. The first of this two-part article deals with plant neurobiology.
Social sciences
Marylin Strathern
During the COVID-19 pandemic, divergent as well as convergent narratives cried out for attention. Strathern discusses them through the anthropological response and its reception in the UK while questioning individual responsibility and the usefulness of “common humanity” as a universal concept.
History of sciences and ideas
In presenting the work of Jean-Jacques Hublin, 2023 Balzan Prize for the Evolution of Humankind: Paleoanthropology, Francesco Ranci traces a ‘genealogy’ of Balzan Prizewinners who have done research in or related to the field.
History of sciences and ideas
Paolo Rossi Monti
In discussing the work of the historian of science, with “La scienza e la sua storia” Paolo Rossi Monti provides an interesting overview of long-forgotten objects, theories, methodologies, formulations of problems, career paths. The essay comes with a profile of Paolo Rossi Monti where Nicolette Mout outlines his contribution to the history of science as […]
Medicine
Reinhard Jahn
Despite decades of research, scientists are only beginning to unravel the complexities of the brain’s functions, which surpass high-performance computers. Reinhard Jahn focuses on understanding synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter release, shedding light on this intricate system.
History
Jürgen Osterhammel
Osterhammel surveys global history’s evolution, noting its establishment in academe while highlighting its fragility. He calls for methodological awareness and pluralism in an approach balancing movement-building and the field’s transformative potential.
Natural sciences
The research of Lima and the Kondorosi team on NCR peptides influencing bacteroid differentiation and nitrogen fixation may find ways to improve crop efficiency and develop antimicrobial agents for therapeutic and agricultural uses.