Brits with a penchant for annual getaways to familiar spots might be tempted to venture off the beaten path as travel trends shift. This wanderlust has led to an unexpected tourism surge in some cities, and experts predict even more destinations will join the list in the coming years. A travel guru has now revealed…
Scientific research is essential for addressing the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, assesses the science on climate change through its regular assessment reports. These reports reflect scientific consensus on the causes and impacts of and possible solutions to climate change.
The reports are not only scientific publications. They inform environmental policy at global, regional and country level relating to anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change and the state of the environment.
The reports also undergo rigorous peer review to ensure their scientific merit and credibility before they are finally published.
Researchers from high-income countries and established researchers dominate the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change process. But early career scientists and researchers (generally known as those who’ve completed a PhD within the last eight years) are important in research into how to prevent a climate catastrophe.
They help produce more balanced scientific reports because they bring new perspectives. This can counteract some of the biases that senior researchers have, which improves the quality of scientific publishing.
Including early career researchers in the peer review process also enhances critical skills and professional development for these researchers. It benefits science and is crucial for creating fair and inclusive climate discussions.
Read more:
South Africa’s young education researchers need networks to share experience more than pressure to produce outputs
We are scientists and geographers who studied peer reviews made by early career researchers to global climate change reports between 2018 and 2021. We surveyed over 600 early career researchers from over 70 countries and found that early career researchers generated on average 2,400 comments per review.
Each Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report can receive between 78,000 and 140,000 peer review comments in total. So the contribution of early career researchers is negligible. Yet, about 36% of the early career researchers’ review comments improved the science and merit of the reports by highlighting inaccurate research, incorrect interpretations of data, and other mistakes.
This is why peer review is so important. Without the reviews, the scientific merit of the reports would be negatively affected. Without the scientific merit, governments would be unlikely to give credence to the reports.
We also found that including early career researchers in the peer review process enhances their review skills and provided opportunity for professional growth.
However, our survey also found that early career researchers from low- and lower-income countries were poorly represented in the peer review process. They made up less than 1% of the reviewers.
Early career researchers are the scientists of tomorrow. They are the ones who will develop new research. Despite ongoing efforts to include African researchers in global science, there is a lack of emerging researchers. This shows that we need to focus more resources and effort on addressing this problem.
The problems early career researchers face
Early career researchers are perceived by established researchers to lack the expertise required to do reviews.
They have less access to grants and opportunities, because they are not yet established in their careers and do not yet have a network.
Proper peer review is a skill that must be learned. It requires training or mentoring by a senior researcher.
Many early career researchers review without receiving recognition, assisting senior researchers.
Read more:
What’s stopping young African scientists from achieving their potential
Early career researchers from developing countries also face additional systemic challenges. For instance, from 1990 to 2020, 78% of research funds for climate change studies in Africa were allocated to institutions in Europe and North America. This funding imbalance is coupled with limited representation in key climate policy discussions such as the UN’s COP summits.
This restricts the capacity of African researchers to conduct locally focused studies. In turn, this means they cannot effectively influence policies directly affecting their regions. The inclusivity and relevance of global climate responses becomes very limited because of this. African researchers can seek to move to developed countries, reflecting the “brain drain” of Africa’s educated workforce.
The support that Africa’s early career researchers need
The experiences of Africa’s early career researchers are shaped by distinct socioeconomic contexts and environmental challenges. These researchers can uncover region-specific climate impacts and adaptation strategies that may otherwise be overlooked. This is particularly important given that Africa is heavily burdened by climate change.
The scientific community should include African early career researchers in review processes to foster a more inclusive scientific community.
Structured training, targeted mentorship and collaborative and networking opportunities must be set up. An effective way to provide these opportunities would formally include Africa’s early career researchers in the peer review process of the regular climate change reports.
Networking should be set up more formally so that it meets the needs of early career researchers. This can include hosting regional workshops or online forums to foster interaction, collaboration, a sense of community, and shared purpose.
Mentorship and training programmes should be tailored for unique challenges and cultural differences.
When international research collaborations are set up, these must make arrangements for equitable access to resources. This is necessary for conducting high-quality research.
This article was co-authored by early career researcher R. Arun Prasath.
Scientific research is essential for addressing the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, assesses the science on climate change through its regular assessment reports. These reports reflect scientific consensus on the causes and impacts of and possible solutions to climate change.
The reports are not only scientific publications. They inform environmental policy at global, regional and country level relating to anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change and the state of the environment.
The reports also undergo rigorous peer review to ensure their scientific merit and credibility before they are finally published.
Researchers from high-income countries and established researchers dominate the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change process. But early career scientists and researchers (generally known as those who’ve completed a PhD within the last eight years) are important in research into how to prevent a climate catastrophe.
They help produce more balanced scientific reports because they bring new perspectives. This can counteract some of the biases that senior researchers have, which improves the quality of scientific publishing.
Including early career researchers in the peer review process also enhances critical skills and professional development for these researchers. It benefits science and is crucial for creating fair and inclusive climate discussions.
Read more:
South Africa’s young education researchers need networks to share experience more than pressure to produce outputs
We are scientists and geographers who studied peer reviews made by early career researchers to global climate change reports between 2018 and 2021. We surveyed over 600 early career researchers from over 70 countries and found that early career researchers generated on average 2,400 comments per review.
Each Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report can receive between 78,000 and 140,000 peer review comments in total. So the contribution of early career researchers is negligible. Yet, about 36% of the early career researchers’ review comments improved the science and merit of the reports by highlighting inaccurate research, incorrect interpretations of data, and other mistakes.
This is why peer review is so important. Without the reviews, the scientific merit of the reports would be negatively affected. Without the scientific merit, governments would be unlikely to give credence to the reports.
We also found that including early career researchers in the peer review process enhances their review skills and provided opportunity for professional growth.
However, our survey also found that early career researchers from low- and lower-income countries were poorly represented in the peer review process. They made up less than 1% of the reviewers.
Early career researchers are the scientists of tomorrow. They are the ones who will develop new research. Despite ongoing efforts to include African researchers in global science, there is a lack of emerging researchers. This shows that we need to focus more resources and effort on addressing this problem.
The problems early career researchers face
Early career researchers are perceived by established researchers to lack the expertise required to do reviews.
They have less access to grants and opportunities, because they are not yet established in their careers and do not yet have a network.
Proper peer review is a skill that must be learned. It requires training or mentoring by a senior researcher.
Many early career researchers review without receiving recognition, assisting senior researchers.
Read more:
What’s stopping young African scientists from achieving their potential
Early career researchers from developing countries also face additional systemic challenges. For instance, from 1990 to 2020, 78% of research funds for climate change studies in Africa were allocated to institutions in Europe and North America. This funding imbalance is coupled with limited representation in key climate policy discussions such as the UN’s COP summits.
This restricts the capacity of African researchers to conduct locally focused studies. In turn, this means they cannot effectively influence policies directly affecting their regions. The inclusivity and relevance of global climate responses becomes very limited because of this. African researchers can seek to move to developed countries, reflecting the “brain drain” of Africa’s educated workforce.
The support that Africa’s early career researchers need
The experiences of Africa’s early career researchers are shaped by distinct socioeconomic contexts and environmental challenges. These researchers can uncover region-specific climate impacts and adaptation strategies that may otherwise be overlooked. This is particularly important given that Africa is heavily burdened by climate change.
The scientific community should include African early career researchers in review processes to foster a more inclusive scientific community.
Structured training, targeted mentorship and collaborative and networking opportunities must be set up. An effective way to provide these opportunities would formally include Africa’s early career researchers in the peer review process of the regular climate change reports.
Networking should be set up more formally so that it meets the needs of early career researchers. This can include hosting regional workshops or online forums to foster interaction, collaboration, a sense of community, and shared purpose.
Mentorship and training programmes should be tailored for unique challenges and cultural differences.
When international research collaborations are set up, these must make arrangements for equitable access to resources. This is necessary for conducting high-quality research.
This article was co-authored by early career researcher R. Arun Prasath.
Jordan’s tourism revenue fell to 5.13 billion Jordanian dinars ($7.23 billion) in 2024, reflecting a 2.3% drop from the previous year’s record earnings, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Lina Annab said Monday. Speaking at a parliamentary Tourism Committee meeting, Annab revealed that the number of visitors also declined, reaching 6.11 million—3.9% fewer than in 2023.
Annab cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza and other regional instabilities as key factors behind the downturn. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which persisted throughout 2024, disrupted travel across the Middle East, impacting Jordan’s critical tourism industry.
Jordan, known for iconic sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea, relies heavily on tourism, which contributes a substantial portion of its GDP and supports thousands of jobs. The sector had experienced a strong recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, setting a revenue record in 2023 before regional tensions slowed the momentum.
President-Elect Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at 11 am this morning. The transition of power from the Biden/Harris regime will also fall on a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The 2024 election turned into a landslide for former President Donald Trump despite…
Tesla Outsourcing Services Drives BIM Innovation in 2024 with Landmark Projects across the USA – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
Snowshoe Science is the activity in White Hall Monday. This experiment demonstrates how snowshoes keep people from sinking into the snow, and why animals that live in snowy regions have large paws. That’s Monday at 4:30pm at the White Hall library.Date:Monday, January 27, 2025Time:4:30pm – 5:30pmLibrary:White Hall Branch
Snowshoe Science is the activity in White Hall Monday. This experiment demonstrates how snowshoes keep people from sinking into the snow, and why animals that live in snowy regions have large paws. That’s Monday at 4:30pm at the White Hall library.Date:Monday, January 27, 2025Time:4:30pm – 5:30pmLibrary:White Hall Branch
BOSTON – It sounds incredible, but a group of scientists has discovered a way to generate electricity from the air. The team from the United States has developed a groundbreaking device that harvests humidity in the air to generate clean power. Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amhurst are investigating the potential for upscaling and future applications, and if the technology proves viable, it will be an epic win for the country.Scientists are working on generating electricity from the airSpeaking about the amazing opportunity being developed, UMass Amherst reported with confidence:“Nearly any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air.”The key reportedly lies in filling the material nanopores that are less than 100 nanometers in diameter, and researchers have named the process the “generic Air-gen effect.” In the team’s research paper, it’s explained that humidity in the air is a vast and sustainable source of energy that is continuously available, unlike solar or wind energy.The team’s positivity stems from the revelation that by developing the new process, energy should be able to be harvested from a broad range of organic, inorganic, and biological materials.The potential of air energy has not been explored until now because the complex process requires the development of unique material synthesis, and the approach can’t be scaled up until this process has been honed.In more developments to do with generating electricity from the air, a startup called Vortex Bladeless has developed a new offering in wind energy harvesting technology in the form of a bladeless structure that harvests vibrational energy from its movements in the wind.The cutting-edge electricity production process uses nanopores to create mini thundercloudsAt the core of the generic Air-gen effect are nanopores, which are nanometer-sized holes that enable water and air to pass through any material, creating a surface charge as they do so. The harvesting structure would have to be constructed from a super thin layer of material filled with nanopores smaller than 100 nanometers, which is the equivalent of one-thousandth of a human hair.Because of the tiny size of the holes, as water molecules pass through the layer of material from the top to the bottom, they will create a charge by coming into contact with the edges of the pore. This would result in a charge imbalance such as is found in clouds, as the upper part of the layer would targeted with more charge-carrying molecules than the lower section.Essentially, a small-scale, contained “thunderstorm” is created, which is converted into electricity the same way lighting bolts are created. Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Amherst, said in a statement:“The air contains an enormous amount of electricity. Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt – but we don’t know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning. What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”The harvesting process could theoretically operate without interruption under any conditions because humidity is constantly present in the air.Is the Air-gen process viable for scaling up?At this stage, the device is nowhere near being scalable or usable for any practical application. The researchers have only managed to produce a fraction of a volt, which is raising serious doubts about its viability for large-scale energy generation. If the tech can’t be significantly enhanced, the potential for competitive power output and cost efficiency are low.Previous efforts to use humidity for electricity production have failed due to a reliance on costly materials with a short lifespan. However, the new approach looks to utilize materials like wood or silicon that can be impregnated with minuscule holes to serve the Air-gen process and enhance the practicality of the device.While the potential of this particular system is being assessed, there’s another research project on the go that’s catching just as much attention. Researchers have made a breakthrough in solar electricity generation with a panel that’s capable of operating at night.
BOSTON – It sounds incredible, but a group of scientists has discovered a way to generate electricity from the air. The team from the United States has developed a groundbreaking device that harvests humidity in the air to generate clean power. Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amhurst are investigating the potential for upscaling and future applications, and if the technology proves viable, it will be an epic win for the country.Scientists are working on generating electricity from the airSpeaking about the amazing opportunity being developed, UMass Amherst reported with confidence:“Nearly any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air.”The key reportedly lies in filling the material nanopores that are less than 100 nanometers in diameter, and researchers have named the process the “generic Air-gen effect.” In the team’s research paper, it’s explained that humidity in the air is a vast and sustainable source of energy that is continuously available, unlike solar or wind energy.The team’s positivity stems from the revelation that by developing the new process, energy should be able to be harvested from a broad range of organic, inorganic, and biological materials.The potential of air energy has not been explored until now because the complex process requires the development of unique material synthesis, and the approach can’t be scaled up until this process has been honed.In more developments to do with generating electricity from the air, a startup called Vortex Bladeless has developed a new offering in wind energy harvesting technology in the form of a bladeless structure that harvests vibrational energy from its movements in the wind.The cutting-edge electricity production process uses nanopores to create mini thundercloudsAt the core of the generic Air-gen effect are nanopores, which are nanometer-sized holes that enable water and air to pass through any material, creating a surface charge as they do so. The harvesting structure would have to be constructed from a super thin layer of material filled with nanopores smaller than 100 nanometers, which is the equivalent of one-thousandth of a human hair.Because of the tiny size of the holes, as water molecules pass through the layer of material from the top to the bottom, they will create a charge by coming into contact with the edges of the pore. This would result in a charge imbalance such as is found in clouds, as the upper part of the layer would targeted with more charge-carrying molecules than the lower section.Essentially, a small-scale, contained “thunderstorm” is created, which is converted into electricity the same way lighting bolts are created. Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Amherst, said in a statement:“The air contains an enormous amount of electricity. Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt – but we don’t know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning. What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”The harvesting process could theoretically operate without interruption under any conditions because humidity is constantly present in the air.Is the Air-gen process viable for scaling up?At this stage, the device is nowhere near being scalable or usable for any practical application. The researchers have only managed to produce a fraction of a volt, which is raising serious doubts about its viability for large-scale energy generation. If the tech can’t be significantly enhanced, the potential for competitive power output and cost efficiency are low.Previous efforts to use humidity for electricity production have failed due to a reliance on costly materials with a short lifespan. However, the new approach looks to utilize materials like wood or silicon that can be impregnated with minuscule holes to serve the Air-gen process and enhance the practicality of the device.While the potential of this particular system is being assessed, there’s another research project on the go that’s catching just as much attention. Researchers have made a breakthrough in solar electricity generation with a panel that’s capable of operating at night.