EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Jun-2025 06:10 ET (30-Jun-2025 10:10 GMT/UTC)

Texas A&M chemist wins NSF CAREER Award

Texas A&M University
Grant and Award Announcement

Dr. Alison Altman is using high-pressure chemistry to rewrite the rules of the periodic table—work that just earned her an NSF CAREER Award.

Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Brondizio awarded ‘Nobel Prize for the environment,’ honoring decades-long research on the Amazon

Indiana University
Grant and Award Announcement

Indiana University environmental anthropologist Eduardo Brondizio was awarded the 2025 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his work on human-environment interaction in the Amazon and global-level work linking biodiversity to humankind. Established in the early 1970s, the Tyler Prize was the first of its kind to recognize global leaders in the environment and sustainability. Often called the “Nobel Prize for the environment,” the Tyler Prize has been awarded to scientists, policymakers and thought leaders whose work has advanced environmental science, conservation and sustainability across the world.

New technology could quash QR code phishing attacks

University of Rochester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Rochester have engineered a new form of QR codes that can protect smartphone users from QR code-based phishing attacks by signaling if users are being directed to a safe link or a potential scam. The technology is outlined in a new study published in the journal IEEE Security & Privacy.

Journal: IEEE Security & Privacy
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

New study fails to show that youth vaping causes future smoking

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team of public health researchers found “very low-certainty evidence” to support a commonly held belief that nicotine vaping is a gateway to cigarette smoking for young people.

Journal: Addiction
Funder: Cancer Research UK

A wealth of evidence: PIK compiles 85,000 individual studies about climate policy

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research on climate policy is growing exponentially. Of the approximately 85,000 individual studies ever published on policy instruments for mitigating global heating, a good quarter are from 2020 or later. A study led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in the journal npj Climate Action, using machine learning methods, now shows how this vast knowledge is distributed – by instrument, country, sector and policy level – and identifies research gaps. A corresponding web tool, the “living systematic map”, will help to guide science and policy. It will be continuously updated to reflect the current state of research.

Journal: npj Climate Action

NFL Alumni Association shares 8 plays needed to improve heart health

American Heart Association
Business Announcement

The American Heart Association and the NFL Alumni Association are sharing the 8 steps to boost heart health in a collaboration focused on improving men’s health

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute announces launch of Center for Sepsis Epidemiology and Prevention Studies (SEPSIS)

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
Business Announcement

Sepsis is a major global health issue causing one in five of the total deaths worldwide each year, yet it remains difficult to diagnose and treat effectively. The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute has launched the Center for Sepsis Epidemiology and Prevention Studies (SEPSIS) to improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of sepsis.

Led by experts Drs. Chanu Rhee and Michael Klompas, the SEPSIS Center will collaborate with researchers and health care organizations worldwide to develop better policies, surveillance systems, and treatment approaches. This initiative aligns with the Institute’s commitment to improving health care and tackling major public health challenges.