Our brains are larger than those of most other species, and hefty even in relation to our body mass. Is this the result of an 'arms race' triggered by social drivers such as competition? Probably not, according to EU-funded research that points primarily to environmental challenges and provided fresh food for thought on human evolution.
An EU-funded project is developing tools to improve gender balance in research institutions and higher education, helping to sustain female talent in research-based careers over the long term.
The EU-funded CORE project is helping to develop safer, more effective medicines by improving the processes pharmaceutical companies use to separate mirror-image pharmaceutical molecules, which will boost the industry's efficiency and competitiveness.
The EU-funded INVITE project has boosted the profile of the University of Verona and is helping it to attract international research students.
An EU-funded project has trained social entrepreneurs to foster innovation and tackle challenges faced by Europe's rural regions, developing a toolkit to help them further improve people's lives.
The luminosity of an astronomical object, if known, can be used to measure vast distances in space. A particular type of gamma ray burst could be applied in this way, according to an EU-funded project. It would be the brightest such 'standard candle' yet, opening up new opportunities to advance our understanding of the cosmos.
An EU-funded project is developing a blueprint for the design of low-cost approach to behaviour analysis in public places, while respecting individuals' right to privacy. Such systems could be used for gauging crowd size and monitoring crowd flows for public safety and commercial purposes, for example.
An EU-funded project has improved understanding of people's choices when using a variety of shared transport services - such as carpooling. The analysis will help planners design more sustainable services better aligned to commuters' needs, encouraging them to leave their cars at home and thus easing road congestion.
An EU-funded research project studied how the life cycles of oceanic islands affect the origin and extinction of life forms on them. The findings will help advance Europe's efforts to protect biodiversity in a changing world.
Cognitive evaluation is a major pillar of detection and diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. An EU-funded project has helped enhance the effectiveness of cognitive tests, benefiting patients, their families and society.
