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Journalists are not the only generators of information content, but they certainly are the ones who are trained to select, channel, and amplify truthful information and combat misinformation. In crisis situations, where scientific evidence guides decision-making, science communication to society takes on an almost strategic role. Here are some key points for scientists talking to journalists at such times.
The European spacecraft that was to investigate whether Mars harboured life in the past will no longer fly. The satellite that was to study dark energy in the universe is delayed and a robotic telescope at the Teide Observatory stops working. Europe used to spend tens of millions of euros on scientific collaboration with Russia. But no more.
Today the International Space Station (ISS) is completely dependent on Russia to keep it in orbit. Space X spacecraft, which NASA contracts, carry astronauts but cannot propel the ISS to maintain its altitude. A new American spacecraft, Cygnus, which has already conducted a successful propulsion test, is expected to be able to do so.
The Joint European Torus (JET) has achieved a relevant scientific milestone related to energy production from nuclear fusion reactions. The results confirm some of the technological options selected for the large international ITER experiment. Spain has proposed to build a scientific facility in Granada to develop materials with which to build future reactors.
More than two million doses of the vaccine from US company Novavax are expected to arrive in Spain soon. Nuvaxovid, or NVX-CoV2373, became the fifth vaccine approved in Europe against covid-19 on 20 December. We tell you how it differs from those already available, how it is produced and why it is especially important for countries with fewer resources.
The WHO recommends keeping an eye on the BA.2 variant of Omicron because it is spreading, but it does not appear to cause more serious disease or escape vaccination. Don't be fooled by its evocative nickname: it is perfectly detectable. The misconception that tests do not identify it was propagated by a headline that was corrected.
The Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration calls for the creation of an institution "that prepares us to protect the health of our population in the face of the current pandemic, future pandemics and current health challenges".
The dream of obtaining electrical energy from the fusion of two atomic nuclei is a little closer. Results obtained with some of the most powerful lasers on the planet show that one of the strategies to achieve this, nuclear fusion by inertial confinement, works as predicted 50 years ago.
Several results confirm that vaccination against covid-19 does not affect fertility. One of them, carried out on some 2,000 couples and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, compares the ability to conceive naturally in vaccinated and unvaccinated couples. The other, in Obstetrics & Gynecology, studies some 1,300 vaccinated and unvaccinated women who have used different assisted reproductive techniques. Neither paper finds a link between vaccination and pregnancy.
In Spain, since 13 January, the booster vaccination against covid-19 has been recommended for the general adult population. 78.8 % of those over 50 and 88.9 % of those over 60 have already had it, said the Minister of Health yesterday. If those who are missing have doubts, here we try to solve them.