Modern domestic horses come from the Western Eurasian steppe – report scientists. An international research team, including researchers from the PAS Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals and PAS Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology manage to determine the beginnings of domestication of horses.
The virus knows no borders. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to take action for the sake of the health and common safety of neighboring countries. Herein we consider the observed similarities and differences in how the pandemic has played out in Poland and Ukraine, and what kinds of conclusions might be drawn from them.
“There is no doubt that over time humanity will win the battle against SARS-CoV-2, but we must all do our best to do so at the lowest possible cost. Therefore, we should protect the lives of seniors by offering them third doses of the vaccine,” scientists from the interdisciplinary COVID-19 Advisory Team to the PAS President write in their newest position statement.
Data should be harnessed more broadly not only by decision-makers but also by researchers – the more quality data is available, the more likely the phenomena under study will be properly understood. Amid an epidemic crisis that can only be overcome by sensible behavior on a societal scale, ensuring wider data access for journalists and citizens is of key importance.
Emotions expressed by people in our vicinity impact our life satisfaction. Prof. Kuba Kryś from the PAS Institute of Psychology together with an international team of scientists examined how societal emotional environment influences our well-being. Their results have been published in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
The Nicolaus Copernicus Medals were received by members of the interdisciplinary COVID-19 Advisory Team to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences.This distinction is awarded by thePAS Presidium to scientists who have done great service for the research community in Poland.
The Polish Young Academy has chosen new authorities.Dr Jacek Kolanowski from the PAS Institute of Bioorganic Chemistrybecame the new chairman, whileAssoc. Prof.Marta Gmurek from the Lodz University of Technology and Assoc. Prof. Jan Poleszczuk from the PAS Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering were nominated as his deputies.
As summer gives way to fall, millions of birds make their way to their wintering grounds. This is a perfect time to watch birds migration. Bird-ringing is one of the methods in studying migrations. Now, anyone can join the research by reporting ringed bird to the Ornithological Station of the PAS Museum and Institute of Zoology.
We invite Polish researchers planning to apply for ERC Starting or Consolidator grants to take part in the upcoming Key Innovations workshop. Free of charge ERC training will be held on October 26, 2021 via the Zoom online meeting platform.
Poorly designed cities contribute to climate change while being particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate crisis. Members of the Advisory Group on Climate Crisis affiliated to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences warn that after 2040 the mortality rate in Warsaw will increase to over 225% compared to this year. They recommend certain actions.
Polish scientists were the first in the world to explain why radioactive fossils are formed and what fossilization processes lead to it.Dr. Daniel Tyborowski from the Museum of the Earth of the Polish Academy of Sciencestook part in this pioneering research.
United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will discuss energy, climate change and women’s participation in science and technology at a meeting with female scientists from these fields. The meeting will take place on September 24. The livestream will be available on PAS YouTube Channel.
The campaign to vaccinate school-aged children is not slated to intensify until the third week of September, which means that its effects will make themselves felt near the end of November. In the absence of a vaccine approved for children under 12 years of age and the lack of compulsory vaccination for children over 12, only non-specific prophylactic measures can be applied in schools: room ventilation, masks, testing, social distancing, and disinfection.
The Grand Gold Medal for many years of significant contribution to the study of Slovak literature and culture abroad was awarded to Prof. Joanna Goszczyńska from the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The award was given by the rector of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Prof. Marek Števeček.
The recent IPCC Report confirms that global warming is getting faster and faster. The impact is playing in real time as we watch villages flood and forests burn. Meanwhile the hidden crisis of biodiversity loss continues with the loss of forests to land clearance, exacerbated by the fires. As the Climate and Biodiversity Crises potentiate each other, EASAC’s new Commentary adds the most recent data to inform both the UN Glasgow Climate Summit and the Biodiversity Summit in China this autumn, with a focus on 16 areas requiring urgent action to shield humanity from the worst. The Polish Academy of Sciences is a member of EASAC.
In rural areas, bees have a more varied diet compared to urban areas. Scientists from the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences and other centers investigated what kind of pollen the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) collects depending on the degree of urbanization.
Vaccinations are an essential tool to effectively and safely limit the spread of COVID-19, its consequences, and its costs. For this reason, it is necessary to urgently consider introducing mandatory vaccinations for selected groups and in selected situations.
Regenerative medicine has great potential for tissue regeneration and repair, comprising various novel interdisciplinary approaches including the use of cell and gene therapies, and tissue engineering. The pace of advance in this area is exciting, and the medical opportunities in addressing the causes of disease rather than the symptoms may be transformative, but concerns about the misuse of regenerative medicine technologies also grow. The InterAcademy Partnership network has issued a statement on this matter.
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