Latest Releases
COST Action People in Motion: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on our societies
Throughout history, pandemics have been identified as causing a specific impact on the evolution of societies, triggering different social behaviours in urban environments. The current context of the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception and affects the way our identities continue to develop. As the COVID-19 crisis forces academics to re-organise scientific activity, historians and social scientists are now sharing their insights into the current crisis which adds a new page to the history of pandemics in our societies.
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Understanding the risks of indoor pollutants: INDAIRPOLLNET
While people spend 80 to 90% of their time indoors, it is not common knowledge that this is where we receive most of our exposure to air pollution. As our indoor activities have significantly increased in the current context of the pandemic, it is essential to better grasp in what circumstances the concentration of air pollutants could be higher indoors than outdoors. This is the purpose of COST Action “Indoor Air Pollution Network” (INDAIRPOLLNET) that specifically focuses on improving our understanding of the cause of high concentration of indoor air pollutants.
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Ende einer Ära am HBI: Uwe Hasebrink im Ruhestand
Uwe Hasebrink hat das Institut nach innen und außen entscheidend geprägt und in zahlreichen internationalen Kooperationsprojekten die Kommunikationswissenschaft, vor allem die Mediennutzungs- und –wirkungsforschung, folgenreich vorangebracht. Auch die Bereiche Jugendmedien-, die Radio- und Journalismusforschung sowie…
Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut
HOW GENOMICS CAN HELP FARMERS
COST scientists turn to genomics – digging for solutions to beat plant parasites, helping farmers protect their valuable crops. Keeping crops healthy is a costly business for farmers worldwide. Plant parasitic nematodes or roundworms are responsible for global agricultural losses estimated at over $ 100 000 million annually.
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Almost half of the internet users receive misinformation on the coronavirus
Almost half of the adult online users in Germany (46%) state that they have seen false or misleading information about Covid-19 within one week. The greatest concerns about encountering false information about the coronavirus are towards Facebook (28%) and messenger apps (14 %) as well as towards activists as senders (31%). Journalistic actors play only a minor role from the respondents’ point of view (6%). These are the results of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021, for which the Leibniz Institute for Media Research in Hamburg conducted the German part of the study. The study is based on 92,372 respondents from 46 countries on six continents.
Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut
Digital sovereignty in Africa. German Federal President Steinmeier in dialogue with experts from 14 African countries
On 24 June 2021, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be attending the “Toward an African Narrative on Digital Sovereignty” research sprint via a live online connection. Together with the participants, he will talk about new solutions for Africa’s digital economy in order to realise the national and individual interests of the continent’s citizens. The sprint is part of the “Ethics of Digitalisation” research project at the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC). The Federal President is the patron of the project.
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
New Oxford report shows freelance and microwork platforms fail to provide minimum fairness standards for their global workforce
Millions of people across the world now work remotely for freelance and microwork platforms, creating a largely invisible workforce, often based in low-income countries, that offer outsourcing services to international clients and help power AI systems. While online work has been associated with freedom and empowerment and a borderless labour market, a new report by from the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the University of Oxford, reveals that these ‘ghost’ workers often face low pay, risky and exploitative conditions, opaque disciplinary systems and little to no bargaining power. The Oxford report calls for greater protections for gig workers across the globe.
Oxford Internet Institute
About the ESPS
The European Science Press Service (ESPS) is a platform for scientists, journalists, policy makers and interested citizens to learn about and share most recent relevant scientific results. The platform aims to promote networking and knowledge sharing between the scientific community and the media in Europe.
The ESPS is a project of the European Hub of the Network of Centers and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. The goal of the EU-Hub is to support scientific discussion and cooperation between internet researchers in Europe. If you would like to find out more about the European Hub, please click here.