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> What do science, technology and innovation have in store for 2022?
Read below among the many compilation articles produced in the press recently

> The science events to watch for in 2022 // 17.12.2021, Nature

Quantum, AI &Tech
> Top Ten Quantum Technology Predictions for 2022 // 03.01.2022, The Quantum Insider
> AIs wide shut: AI regulation gets (even more) serious // 01.12.2021, Deloitte
> 10 AI Predictions For 2022 // 22.12.2021, Forbes
> The Tech Revolution Has Reached Warp Speed: What Lies in Store for 2022 // 17.12.2021, Vanity Fair
> What next? 22 emerging technologies to watch in 2022 // 08.11.2021, The Economist

Health
> Covid will become endemic. The world must decide what that means // 31.12.2021, WIRED
> Covid-19: What can we expect from the pandemic in 2022? // 04.01.2022, NewScientist

Environment
> Climate change action: 6 trends to watch in 2022 // 05.01.2022, Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Space
> Private space companies' 2022 promises to keep // 04.01.2022, AXIOS
> In 2022 a Moonrush will begin in earnest // 01.01.2022, The Economist
> 2022 will be a big year for space exploration // 22.12.2021, WIRED

Research&Policy
> 2022 will put Horizon Europe research missions to the test // 04.01.2022, Science|Business
> R&D policy: Six things to look out for in 2022 // 04.01.2022, Science|Business
> 5 big foreign-policy things we’re watching in 2022 // 01.01.2022, Foreign Policy
Related article: 2022 is the year for a Space Summit // 01.01.2022, Foreign Policy

And more...
> The new normal is already here. Get used to it // 18.12.2021, The Economist
In 2021 people have been yearning for something like stability. Even those who accepted that they would never get their old lives back hoped for a new normal. Yet as 2022 draws near, it is time to face the world’s predictable unpredictability. The pattern for the rest of the 2020s is not the familiar routine of the pre-covid years, but the turmoil and bewilderment of the pandemic era. The new normal is already here.

> The history of predicting the future // 27.12.2021, WIRED
Humans have long tried to determine the shape of what’s to come. But even the most advanced technology can’t solve the fundamental issues with predictions.

> Ce qu’il reste des cinq prédictions d’IBM pour 2022 // 31.12.2021, Heidi.news

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> Are we witnessing the dawn of post-theory science? // 09.01.2022, The Guardian
Does the advent of machine learning mean the classic methodology of hypothesise, predict and test has had its day?

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> Neurotechnology must not treat humans like mice // 16.12.2021, Financial Times
Ethics need to be wired into a device’s initial design rather than added later as an afterthought
 

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> Une bactérie inoculée au moustique pour lutter contre la dengue // 10.01.2022, Le Monde
En 2006, des biologistes ont réussi à injecter dans le moustique qui transmet les virus de la dengue, de Zika et du chikungunya, une bactérie l’empêchant de propager ces pathologies. Une quinzaine d’essais de lâchers ciblés ont déjà eu lieu, avec des succès probants. L’OMS envisage de recommander cette technique contre la terrible fièvre.

Related article: Infection bactérienne contre génie génétique du moustique : deux voies possibles contre la dengue // 10.01.2022, Le Monde
Modifier le génome des moustiques ou leur microbiote, pour lutter contre la transmission de la dengue ? Les deux méthodes soulèvent des objections sur lesquelles les scientifiques débattent.

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> Emerging economies more optimistic about artificial intelligence, survey finds // 05.12.2022, World Economic Forum
A new survey highlights a clear divide between high-income and emerging economies in attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI), with optimism significantly higher in emerging economies. Those in emerging economies said they are more familiar with AI tools and products than those in developed economies. Only half of the global public trust companies that use AI as much they trust other companies. While six in ten people expect AI to revolutionize daily life, a majority are concerned about its potential impact on fundamental freedoms and rights.

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> The rules of space haven't been updated in 50 years, and the UN says it's time // 03.01.2022, CNN/The Conversation
The U.N. First Committee deals with disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community. On Nov. 1, it approved a resolution that creates an open-ended working group. The goals of the group are to assess current and future threats to space operations, determine when behavior may be considered irresponsible, “make recommendations on possible norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviors,” and “contribute to the negotiation of legally binding instruments” – including a treaty to prevent “an arms race in space.”

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> Zeynep Pamuk on the Case for Creating Science Courts (Interview) // 07.01.2022, Undark
A political scientist discusses the highly charged interplay between the worlds of science and politics

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> Research group aims to fix the way the world collaborates on technology //04.01.2022, Science|Business
Facing COVID-19 and climate challenges, a group of international research leaders is pushing the G7 to create a new framework for precompetitive collaboration.

Related article: Reform the way the world works together – or doesn’t – on R&D (Viewpoint) // 04.01.2022, Science|Business

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> Climate failure and social crisis top global risks 2022 // 11.01.2022, WEF
Climate risks dominate global concerns as the world enters the third year of the pandemic. According to the Global Risks Report 2022, while the top long-term risks relate to climate, the top shorter-term global concerns include societal divides, livelihood crises and mental health deterioration. Additionally, most experts believe a global economic recovery will be volatile and uneven over the next three years. Now in its 17th edition, the report encourages leaders to think outside the quarterly reporting cycle and create policies that manage risks and shape the agenda for the coming years. It explores four areas of emerging risk: cybersecurity; competition in space; a disorderly climate transition; and migration pressures, each requiring global coordination for successful management.

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> Natural history, not technology, will dictate our destiny // 06.01.2022, WIRED
Humans—convinced of our own power and control – tend to ignore the laws of nature. But that is a mistake

GOOD READS ABOUT GESDA'S PLATFORMS THEMES

Platform 1: Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI

Artificial intelligence  

> A new type of powerful artificial intelligence could make EU’s new law obsolete // 21.12.2021, Science|Business

> Oxford invited an AI to debate its own ethics – what it said was startling // 19.12.2021, SingularityHub

> Beth Singler interview: The dangers of treating AI like a god // 07.01.2022, NewScientist

> China’s new AI Governance Initiatives shouldn’t be ignored // 04.01.2022, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

> How ethical hackers could help us build trust in AI // 13.12.2021, SingularityHub

> Soon, the Hackers Won’t Be Human // 10.12.2021, Foreign Affairs

 

Quantum and physics

> Quantum computing use cases are getting real – what you need to know // 14.12.2021, McKinsey
A burgeoning quantum-computing ecosystem and emerging business use cases promise to create significant value for industries—if executives prepare now.
Related article: These will be the earliest use cases for quantum computers // 10.01.2021, SingularityHub

> Quantum advantage is the next goal in the race for a new computer age // 04.01.2022, Financial Times

> The potential and global outlook of integrated photonics for quantum technologies // 23.12.2021, Nature Review Physics

> France opens access to quantum computing to researchers, start-ups // 05.01.2022, Euractiv.com

> Indian army sets up quantum research laboratory // 02.01.2022, The Quantum Insider

> Tardigrade is first multicellular organism to be quantum entangled // 17.12.2021, NewScientist

Platform 2: Human Augmentation

Genomics&Microbiom  

> Call to restrict sharing of genomics data over fears of DNA-targeted weapons // 16.12.2021, Science|Business

> Pfizer to pay Beam $300 million in gene-editing deal, amping up its mRNA ambitions // 10.01.2022, STAT

> Gut bacteria linked to infant sleep patterns // 23.12.2021, Swiss National Science Foundation press release

Longevity and health

> Un cœur de porc greffé sur un humain par des chirurgiens américains, une première mondiale // 11.01.2022, Le Monde

> Lab-grown embryo research is poised to transform medicine // 23.12.2021, WIRED

> These 2021 biotech breakthroughs will shape the future of health and medicine // 04.01.2022, SingularityHub

> ​​Is precision public health the future – or a contradiction? // 04.01.2021, Nature
Some public-health researchers are embracing data and technology to target small groups with precise health interventions. Others fear that these tactics could fail millions.

Neurosciences

> Human brain cells in a dish learn to play Pong faster than an AI // 17.12.2021, New Scientist

> The biggest brain maps ever created are pushing the frontiers of neuroscience // 28.12.2021, SingularityHub

> Les droits de notre cerveau, ou la limite de la vie privée // 14.12.2021, RTS

Platform 3: Eco-regeneration & Geoengineering

Resources

> The race to find ‘Green’ helium // 16.12.2021, WIRED

> The waste age // 04.01.2022, Aeon
Recognising that waste is central, not peripheral, to everything we design, make and do is key to transforming the future

> The cost of lab-grown chicken dropped by more than half this year // 30.12.2021, SingularityHub

> Drop-in fuels from sunlight and air // 06.01.2022, Nature


Energy

> China’s artificial sun just broke a record for longest sustained nuclear fusion // 10.01.2022, Smithsonian Magazine

> Scientists develop stable sodium battery technology // 06.01.2022, National Science Foundation press release

> ESA reignites space-based solar power research // 10.01.2022, ESA press release

Biotechnologies

> Airborne DNA from plants could reveal invasive species, impact of climate change // 30.12.2021, Science
Gathering DNA from dust and pollen a “game changer” for surveying plants

> Can bottom-up synthetic biology generate advanced drug-delivery systems? // 07.12.2021, Trends in Biotechnology

> Increasing efficiency in artificial photosynthesis // 11.01.2022, EPFL press release

Space

> Outer space offers plant breeders some curious advantages // 08.01.2021, The Economist

> NASA’s retiring top scientist says we can terraform Mars and maybe venus, too // 02.01.2022, New York Times

> European space agency's hibernation (torpor) strategy for deep space missions: Linking biology to engineering // December 2021, Neuroscience&Biobehavioral Reviews

> This metal-rich, potato-shaped asteroid could be worth $10 quintillion // 04.01.2022, Smithsonian Magazine

> These robotic factories will make supermaterials in space // 26.12.2021, SingularityHub

Climate and environment

> How researchers can help fight climate change in 2022 and beyond // 05.01.2022, Nature

> Les océans bientôt dotés de jumeaux virtuels, pour quoi faire ? // 05.01.2022, The Conversation

> The architect making friends with flooding // 21.12.2021, MIT Technology Review
One Chinese landscape designer has pioneered a new approach – working with water instead of trying to bend it to our will.

Platform 4: Science & Diplomacy

> NASA-Russia alliance in space is shaken by events on planet Earth // 27.12.2021, New York Times
The relationship between the nations’ space agencies is facing a series of difficult tests, including an antisatellite weapon and friction over Ukraine.
Related article: Why russia tested its anti-satellite weapon // 26.12.2021, Foreign Affairs

> White House moves to dial down Trump-era controversy over US-China research ties // 06.01.2022, Science|Business

> Strengthening scientific research in Africa // 31.12.2021, SciDev.Net

> Autonomous Weapons Are Here, but the World Isn’t Ready for Them // 19.12.2021, WIRED
Related article: What next for talks on regulating ‘killer robots’? // 21.12.2021, GenevaSolutions

> Europe needs to understand Chinese research – or risks being exploited // 06.01.2022, Science|Business
Related report: Sharpening Europe’s approach to engagement with China on science, technology and innovation // December 2021, Merics

> Federal Council approves Swiss membership of the international SKA Observatory // 17.12.2021, admin.ch

> Achieving consensus in multilateral international negotiations: The case study of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change // 15.12.2021, Science Advances

> Decision makers need constantly updated evidence synthesis // 15.12.2021, Nature

OF INTEREST

> « La pandémie pose la question fondamentale de la place du doute en science » // 18.12.2021, Le Monde
La complexité des phénomènes sur lesquels les experts ont à se prononcer est telle qu’il n’est souvent pas possible de produire des faits indiscutables, expliquent les philosophes Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent et Gabriel Dorthe dans une tribune.

> The benefits and risks of new tech will decide the future // 22.12.2021, AXIOS

> Surprise! The pandemic has made people more science literate // 28.12.2021, WIRED
Despite rampant misinformation, Covid-19 has pushed science into the zeitgeist, as people have absorbed new words and how scientific discovery actually works.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

TOOLS, RESOURCES AND PARTNERS

> ERC planning closer ties to media and politicians // 07.01.2022, Research Professional News

> Tectonic: Rebuilding Trust in Institutions // 03.12.2021, Swissnex Boston
Tectonic is a Podcast production of Swissnex in Boston and New York, whose aim is to bring the leading ideas from our hub of academic inquiry to Switzerland and the world, in order to inspire new thinking across disciplinary and national boundaries.

> Impact Collaboration Programme: call for proposal // December 2021, Geneva Science-Policy Interface
The Impact Collaboration Programme is an annual call for projects by the Geneva Science-Policy Interface with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It provides a unique funding instrument to spot, support and scale science-policy collaborations that contribute to strengthening science-informed policy-making and build policy-relevant research and tools in support of global governance actors based in Geneva. The call supports projects that stem from collaborations that involve at least one actor from an academic institution (no geographical limitation) and one actor from the International Geneva ecosystem carrying policy work or implementation work. The ICP supports collaborative projects which explicitly bridge science, policy and/or implementation both in terms of aims and actors involved.