Scientia Global Issues | Explore the Latest Research Publications

Our healthcare continues to be transformed at an accelerating pace due to breakthroughs in bioscience research. Even in the past 50 years, our life expectancy worldwide has skyrocketed – people born this year can expect to live on average around 15 years longer than those born in 1966. We are enjoying healthier, longer lives as a direct result of scientific advances in vaccines, diagnostics, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatments, surgery, nutrition and medical technologies such as drug delivery, medical imaging and radiotherapy. In this edition of Scientia, we pay homage to the scientists behind our ever increasing quality of life by showcasing the latest in biomedical and biological research from around the world. To open the edition, we have had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Melanie Welham, the Interim Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, in an exclusive interview about the BBSRC’s activities in supporting and promoting biological sciences in the UK and further afield.

There has never been a more exciting time for physical science and engineering. The last few years have witnessed some of the most ground breaking discoveries ever made, such as proving the existence of the Higgs boson, detecting gravitational waves and imaging the farthest galaxy ever observed. To celebrate these huge leaps for fundamental physics and astronomy, opening this edition we have had the pleasure of speaking to representatives from Fermilab and The European Southern Observatory.

Such fundamental advances have given rise to an abundance of new technologies. Throughout this edition we introduce the latest in physics and technology research, from developing molecular computing devices to applying mathematics for the analysis of electromagnetic phenomena in the human body. Also in this edition we highlight recent innovations in clean energy research, from nuclear fusion, through storing energy using sodium batteries, to capturing CO2 emissions from industrial boilers.

In this edition, we celebrate the latest advances in Earth Science and Ecology. To open this issue, we have had the pleasure of interviewing Vítor Correia, the president of the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), who gives us an overview of the activities of the EFG and its role in geological research and public outreach. From here we delve into the world of geoscience, where we highlight several intriguing research projects, from uncovering how magnificent continental plateaus are formed, to developing new tools for seismic imaging of the Earth’s interior. In the second half of the issue, we highlight the latest discoveries in the diverse world of ecology, from exploring how mathematical modelling can be used to investigate the resilience of ecosystems, to investigating how land usage of the ancient Maya people has affected the environment and our use of land today.

In this edition we celebrate the increasingly diverse and interdisciplinary nature of the life sciences. The life sciences now encompass a wide array of disciplines and scientists are coming to understand the value of interdisciplinary cross-collaboration, leading to maximised outputs, paradigm shifts and the pooling of expertise.

Our healthcare system depends and thrives on innovations, both old and new. Indeed, medical equipment that one can find in any doctor’s office, a stethoscope, was once a revolutionary innovation that we now routinely use to do simple, yet critical tasks such as measuring blood pressure and listening to normal/abnormal noises of the heart and lungs.

In this edition we celebrate the increasingly diverse and interdisciplinary nature of the life sciences. The life sciences now encompass a wide array of disciplines and scientists are coming to understand the value of interdisciplinary cross-collaboration, leading to maximised outputs, paradigm shifts and the pooling of expertise. In this edition, we showcase a variety of life science research from a diverse array of fields and demonstrate that scientists increasingly blur the lines between disciplines, with encouraging results.