Imagine if you could eat all your favourite foods without feeling guilty about the amount of salt, fat and sugar you are putting away. EU-funded researchers have been studying how to lower levels of all three ingredients in everyday foods, and the results are promising – reductions of up to 30% with no effect on flavour.
Do you trust the police? Do you think the police trust you? The public’s relations with Europe’s boys and girls in blue can be rocky, particularly for members of minorities. EU-funded research has looked into the power of restorative justice to foster constructive attitudes and defuse conflicts.
EU-funded researchers are developing an environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical-based coatings on food and beverage packaging. Made from food processing by-products, the biodegradable coatings would decrease dependency on fossil fuel-based plastics, improve recyclability and reduce landfill waste.
FARSEEING aimed to focus on the issue of promoting healthy, independent living for older adults. More specifically, it aimed at better prediction, identification and prevention of falls with a focus on ICT devices and the unique proactive opportunities they can provide to older adults to support them in their own environment. Key to this was the falls repository (real-world falls) and a broad range of technologies which include the use of smartphone, smarthome, wearable sensors and exergames.
When we look at galaxies far, far away, we don’t see them as they are today. We see them as they were a long time ago, because their light takes a while to reach us. These images could easily fade on their epic journey, but “natural telescopes” in their path enable astronomers to study some of these postcards from the distant past.
The T-REX project is sending outdated business practices the way of the dinosaurs by showing how closer cooperation between manufacturers and their clients can save resources and boost productivity. Up to 50% gains have been achieved thanks to real-time equipment performance-monitoring implemented by a Spanish project partner.
EU-funded researchers have adapted two biodegradable plastics made from crop waste for use as food packaging, laying the groundwork for Europe to become a global leader in the sector.
Shrimp heads, crab carapaces, lobster shells — many billion tonnes of shellfish waste are generated globally per year. Very little of it is put to good use. This could be about to change, as EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative way to transform this briny refuse into plastic.
Europe contains landscapes that are breathtakingly beautiful – and essential for wildlife, communal activities, human wellbeing and local economies. An EU-funded project brings together data on how these landscapes are changing, to help manage them wisely for the long term.
About 300 million people in 75 tropical and sub-tropical countries are infected with Schistosoma flatworms, which cause a debilitating disease. An EU-funded project looked into a new way of fighting the parasites: tackling specific enzymes in the worms to modify gene expression and stop their development in its tracks.
Some of the most innovative sustainable transport initiatives are being driven by the world’s emerging economies. An EU-funded project is making sure that European industry can learn and prosper from these developments.
Could it be easier and greener to travel around your city? A solution might already exist. People around the world are coming up with clever ideas for low-carbon, high-quality transport. An EU-funded project helps cities learn from the best.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, with more than one million cases diagnosed in the world every year. The EU-funded BASIS project has reached a major milestone in characterising the different genetic mutations that lie behind this disease – defining the range of possibilities for drug development.
Juicy burgers, spicy kebabs, creamy chocolate shakes — limiting your intake of animal protein doesn’t mean you have to forego such treats. Products as varied as meat-free steaks and non-dairy ice cream can, for example, be made from lupin seeds. An EU-funded project has helped to optimise such foods and studied potential health benefits.
A data sharing portal to facilitate marine ecosystem monitoring in North Africa, a spin-off satellite mapping start-up and continued cooperation between researchers in the region – these are some of the key results from an EU-funded project likely to have a long-lasting impact.
Where there’s pee, there’s phosphorus — and that’s not a resource we can afford to pour down the drain. Nor should we waste the ammonia our urine contains, say EU-funded researchers who are developing a recovery process. Large buildings could soon house their own treatment systems to extract these substances for reuse, notably as fertilisers.
How much do you know about the effects of glutamate on the frontostriatal circuits? Not as much as you’d like, possibly, but then again there is still a lot to learn. EU-funded researchers are studying the role of this neurotransmitter and potential genetic factors in the development of compulsive disorders such as autism, ADHD and OCD.
Inflammation is not your enemy. It's a mechanism the body uses to keep us healthy, e.g. to fight invading pathogens. But sometimes, the immune system doesn't know when to stop, say EU-funded researchers. They are learning how to get the message across, in a bid to help tackle diseases caused when our tiny defenders go rogue.
The widening gap between rich and poor is leading to segregation in more and more European cities. The rich and the poor are living at increasing distance from each other, and this can be disastrous for the social stability and competitive power of cities. These are the conclusions of joint research of Prof. Maarten van Ham, ERC grantee at Delft University of Technology, and Prof. Tiit Tammaru, Dr. Szymon Marcińczak and Prof. Sako Musterd.
Keeping global warming below 2 °C: this objective was set to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. That said, even if the rise in average temperatures worldwide could still be contained within this limit, it will have major consequences. How will two additional degrees affect Europe? An EU-funded project has looked into the future.
