DFG Senate working group outlines threat scenarios in new position paper and puts forward options for action for researchers, the research ecosystem and other stakeholders

A new study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports found that adults with disabilities received AUD diagnoses at more than three times the rate of adults without disabilities between 2016-2023. Adults with serious mental illness, such as severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, had the highest rates of AUD at more than 10 times the rate of non-disabled adults. Adults with acquired brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke, had the second-highest rates of AUD, at over 5 times the rate of non-disabled adults. Importantly, adults with all types of disabilities had higher rates of AUD than adults without disabilities. 

How do journalists act as watchdogs of science? New qualitative research led by University of Amsterdam media scholar Alice Fleerackers sheds light on the labour‑intensive nature of watchdog science journalism, a form of critical journalism that scrutinises science. It shows that practical feasibility sometimes takes precedence over public interest when deciding whether or not to run a story, particularly in newsrooms with limited resources. The findings, recently published in Science Communication, underscore the precarity of a form of journalism that is essential for public trust in science, yet operates under severe pressure.

Young people who vape or smoke cigarettes have reduced blood vessel functionality, breathing efficiency and exercise capacity compared to those who have never smoked or vaped, according to a study published today in ERJ Open Research.

Dementia imposes an annual societal cost of more than €221 billion across 30 high-income European countries, with families and unpaid informal carers carrying much of the burden, according to a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

When it comes to taking action on major societal issues like climate change or a pandemic, scientists and the public’s joint endorsement has the greatest influence on Americans across a host of important social issues, while signals of support or opposition from the government and industry hold relatively less impact, according to a study by researchers from Boston College and Princeton University. The findings suggest that opposition from major institutions like the federal government or large corporations does not have to produce public paralysis: when a consensus between scientific experts and the general public is present and made visible, they can mobilize public action even when top-down leadership falters.