Animal testing has long been a controversial issue in the European Union (EU), with growing public concern over the ethical and scientific limitations of relying on animal models for chemical safety assessments. Despite being seen as a “gold standard” in research and safety assessment, animal studies have limited applicability to human health, and are difficult to replicate due to poor reporting procedures and large variability.

Despite COP's mission to prevent dangerous climate change and keep global warming below 2°C, there is a stark gap between its goals and the inertia it reinforces among member states. We are failing on the Paris Agreement and delivering climate action too slowly to avert the worst impacts of global warming. The United Nations must shift gears to focus all efforts on meeting global goals by 2050, which requires a rapid and radical transformation of the COP process to ensure a safe climate future for humanity.

Collaboration between science, medicine, policymakers, and societies is essential for tackling major health emergencies and pandemics, highlights Brigitte Autran of Sorbonne Université and President of the French Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (COVARS).

Even as enthusiasm grows over the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), concerns have arisen in equal measure about a possible domination of the field by Big Tech. Such an outcome would replicate many of the mistakes of preceding decades, when a handful of companies accumulated unprecedented market power and often acted as de facto regulators in the global digital ecosystem.

Prof. Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes De Souza underscores the intersection of public health policy and socio-economic factors, illustrating the need for an integrated policy approach that transcends traditional sector boundaries. From a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data perspective, his piece resonates with the principles of open science and the urgent requirement for more comprehensive data sharing within and beyond public health.

To receive patent protection for their invention, inventors are required to describe their inventions in such “full, clear, concise, and exact terms” that “one skilled in the art” can make and use the claimed invention. Further, inventions are not patentable “if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious….to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains.” Both of these standards involve evaluations in light of fictitious people engaging in the art – herein referred to as a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA). They also inherently require attention to the definition of art, the specific technology field to which the invention pertains.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century academic freedom has developed in many societies into a widely acknowledged and legally protected fundamental value of academia. This coincided with the recognition of academic freedom as a prerequisite for well-functioning open and democratic societies that adhere to the rule of law. An important condition for this role of academic freedom to be realized is that academics use it to acquire, generate and apply knowledge in ways that are essential for their societies.

Capacity, access, data quality, and ethical issues must be addressed for global adoption of genomic surveillance, highlight Dr Stephen A Morse of IHRC Inc, USA, and Dr Segaran P Pillai of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Frederico Guanais at the Health Division of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) explains why we need to leverage synergies across policy domains to promote both environmental sustainability and public health.

In democratic societies, policymakers and technocrats are entrusted with promoting the well-being of the public they serve. Despite the consensus that public health is an essential component of social well-being, investments in this area are often seen sidelined in favor of other sectors reflecting a fragmented approach to policymaking.

Giriraj Amarnath from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka, discusses policy considerations for secure, equitable digital Twin Earths that proactively build resilience to extreme weather events.

The author Mark Twain supposedly said that “history does not repeat itself but it rhymes.” And with respect to support for AI research, a number of recent actions by the US government appear to rhyme with similar actions it took in the 1980s, when it recommended (and ultimately implemented) significant support for supercomputing-based research.

In an era where data drives decision-making, the accessibility of data for public interest purposes has never been more crucial. Whether shaping public policy, responding to disasters, or empowering research, data plays a pivotal role in our understanding of complex social, environmental, and economic issues.

Historically universities have played a unique role in society. As institutions they are inimitably placed to bring insight and capabilities from across a broad range of disciplines to contribute significantly to their locale, and to the world’s largest and most significant and impactful challenges - whether that is environmental sustainability transforming healthcare and education, or building a future that is more equitable. Universities are distinct from other sectors (even those that undertake research and learning activities), in the way that they can explore topics, make discoveries and offer perspectives and insight in the immediate and longer term.

Open science, in particular the open access publishing of research and the widespread sharing of data, have been depicted as key to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic – not least in the unprecedented speed with which vaccines were developed. However, there is little empirical evidence to back those assertions.

With a new study titled “Open Science – Crucial for effective COVID research?” I sought to explore whether, and to what extent, open science practices influenced the speed of COVID research. I ran a literature review, surveyed more than 200 COVID researchers, and held qualitative interviews with six scientists.

This year’s COP28 was a pivotal moment for the world to unite around tangible climate action and deliver realistic solutions.

Frontiers and the Frontiers Research Foundation organized several complementary panel sessions around open science and pathways towards innovative, sustainable solutions and actions featuring prominent experts and decision makers from policy, academia, and industry.

The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 30 November to 12 December 2023. The gathering marked a critical moment for global transformative climate action as world leaders negotiated and agreed action on how to tackle climate change, limit emissions, and halt global warming.

Open science platform Frontiers and the Frontiers Research Foundation participated in COP28 to ascertain the undeniable power of open science and advance the mission to make science open so that scientists can collaborate better and innovate faster to deliver the solutions that enable healthy lives on a healthy planet.