News by Subject Policy & Ethics

New Curtin University-led research has called into question existing health advice that mothers wait a minimum of two years after giving birth to become pregnant again, in order to reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm and small-for-gestational age births.

Germany is not meeting its legal obligations to protect refugee women and girls from discrimination, according to a "shadow report" by Göttingen University, the association Pro Asyl and several refugee councils. Based on current research and a survey of 65 women's counselling centres, psychosocial counselling centres and institutions working with refugees, the study finds that Germany does not adequately protect refugee women and girls and does not meet the requirements of the Istanbul Convention.

Interoperability describes the ability of different systems to communicate. With the SPHN, scientists (UNIGE/HUG/SIB/CHUV) have developed the strategy for a national infrastructure adopted by Swiss university hospitals and academic institutions. With its pragmatic approach, this strategy is based on the development of a common semantic framework that does not aim to replace existing standards, but to use them in a synergistic and flexible way according to the needs of the research and the partners involved.

As atmospheric concentrations of CO2 continue to rise, we are putting future generations at risk of having to deal with a massive carbon debt. IIASA researchers and international colleagues are calling for immediate action to establish responsibility for carbon debt by implementing carbon removal obligations, for example, during the upcoming revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Participants at the 6th Joint Science Conference of the Western Balkans Process have developed a "10 Point Plan" to control the coronavirus pandemic in the Western Balkans. They also discussed priorities for the time after the pandemic in the Western Balkans and South East Europe. These include a decent healthcare system, climate neutrality, reduction of air and water pollution, and the digitalization of education, public administration, industry and healthcare.

Unagi kabayaki -- grilled freshwater eel in soy sauce -- can be found in many Japanese restaurants, Asian shops and supermarkets. But new research tracing the DNA of eel fillets used for this dish has found that fraudulent food labelling is rife, with a third of the products violating EU regulations on the provision of food information. With certain species of eels now endangered, the researchers say that accurate labelling on these products is vital if the global eel trade is to be sustainable.

A new report raises serious questions about the benefits, risks and ethics of a new service -- which the authors call "embryo selection based on polygenic scores," or ESPS -- that allows in vitro fertilization patients to select embryos with the goal of choosing healthier and even smarter children.

The most narcissistic US presidents since 1897 preferred to instigate conflicts with other great power countries without seeking support from allies, a new study suggests. Results showed that of the presidents measured, those highest in narcissism -- including Lyndon B. Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon -- were about six times more likely to initiate a dispute with another great power in any given year than a president with average levels of narcissism.