Everyone loves to visit the seaside, whether to enjoy the physical benefits of an exhilarating swim or simply to relax on the beach and catch some sun. But these simple life affirming pleasures are easily ruined by the presence of litter, which if persistent can have a serious negative impact on both the local environment and economy. However, help is at hand to ensure the pristine nature of our coastlines.

Scientists have found minuscule shreds of plastic everywhere – in rivers and lakes, at the bottom of the sea, on the tallest mountain on earth, blowing in the wind and moving through our food chain. Now they’re trying to find out how all this plastic is affecting human health.

We asked a selection of Europe’s scientists to shed light on their research and make predictions for the new year.

This article was originally published on 28 October 2020. Picture this: You’ve experienced no physical sensation beyond your wrists for years, then a doctor drapes a thin, flexible membrane over your hand and, like magic, you can feel the trickle of water through your fingers again.

The article was originally published on 16 March 2021. It may sound like something out of a fantasy movie, but scientists hope to be able to bottle the smell of happiness so it can be used to help people with phobias or depression.

This article was originally published on 19 April 2021. Asteroids can pose a threat to life on Earth but are also a valuable source of resources to make fuel or water to aid deep space exploration. Devoid of geological and atmospheric processes, these space rocks provide a window onto the evolution of the solar system. But to really understand their secrets, scientists must know what’s inside them.

This article was originally published on 31 August 2021. Rail transportation is core to Europe’s plans to become carbon neutral by 2050, but noisy trains are an obstacle that will need to be first overcome.

This article was originally published on 26 February 2021. The earliest signs of alkaptonuria are often subtle and harmless, like a diaper stained black. However, over the years, this rare genetic disease can lead to a lifetime of surgery. Now, after 20 years of research, a not-so-new drug can offer relief for thousands of patients worldwide.

This article was originally published on 14 January 2021. In the summer of 2014 a strange building began to take shape just outside MoMA PS1, a contemporary art centre in New York City. It looked like someone had started building an igloo and then got carried away, so that the ice-white bricks rose into huge towers. It was a captivating sight, but the truly impressive thing about this building was not so much its looks but the fact that it had been grown. 

While fighting food waste is a year-round mission, it’s more important than ever around the holidays. This is something to consider during this year’s festivities, typically known for an abundance of food.

From coronavirus to climate change, asteroids and nanorobots, these are some of the stories that made 2021 a year to remember. Take a look at some of the most-read stories we shared this year.

The inspiration to use Earth’s abundant supply of water as a source of hydrogen fuel is not new. But will it fuel the future? Meet two leading European innovators who are championing clean hydrogen as a key solution in building de-carbonisation strategies.

People with a disability can look forward to many new advances in technology to make their lives easier while navigating public transport systems, or even crossing the street, thanks to several new initiatives in Europe.

Coronavirus will not be the last pandemic in our lifetime. Scientists warn the threat posed by zoonoses – infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans – is on the rise. And the risk of a new pandemic is higher now than ever before.

The idea of putting furniture on wheels has been around for hundreds of years. From a custom-built chair with four small wheels used by King Phillip II of Spain in the 16th century to a German paraplegic watchmaker’s wheelchair with a geared front wheel and hand cranks unveiled in 1665, the innovation never stops.

By growing just one crop species in a field at a time, monocultures enable farmers to use machinery, increasing the efficiency of activities like planting and harvesting. But despite supplying the lion’s share of the world’s food, monocultures are amongst the most controversial features of today’s agriculture.

As the world's newest Nobel Prize laureates gather for Nobel Week, EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel speaks about the incredible advancements made by scientists and the EU's commitment to creating more tech unicorns.

Groundbreaking discoveries about gravitational waves, black holes, cosmic rays, neutrinos and other areas of cutting-edge astronomy may soon become more frequent due to the convergence of two major communities of astronomers in a fresh project.

Advances in assistive technology have removed many access barriers for people with vision loss. But it’s the development of visual prosthesis that has the potential to offer a whole new way of ‘seeing’ the world.

The use of technologies for the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities is not new – from the creation of Braille and the first hearing aid to the invention of the wheelchair. For disabled persons, new assistive technology can make all the difference.