The famous composer Ludwig Von Beethoven lost his hearing at a young age. To keep composing, he actively looked for a way to compensate for his hearing loss. He managed to find a solution by making clever use of the bone conduction of sound. To this day, bone-anchored hearing aids help people stay in tune with the auditory world around them. Researchers at pioneering company Cochlear Limited in Belgium are actively working on the future of this technology.
Being overweight is not only bad for one’s health – it also costs society a lot of money. Every year, the Belgian government loses at least 4.5 billion euros due to the direct and indirect costs linked to excessive weight and obesity. As with COVID-19, this issue needs to be tackled as a public health concern: the responsibility of both individuals and policymakers.
The arrival of gene therapy in the ‘90s brought hope for the treatment of genetic diseases. In recent years, new and emerging technologies have allowed us to overcome initial limitations, opening up the potential of tackling health conditions that were impossible to treat just a few years ago. Stargardt disease – a form of inherited blindness – is one such genetic condition, where researchers in the EU project StarT are working on novel gene therapy approaches to eventually help patients.
If scientists could stop animal testing, most would do so immediately. So why is it taking so long to develop alternatives to animal testing? And what are we doing to speed up the process?
As the number of people struggling with hearing impairment is one the rise, KU Leuven researchers are attempting to develop smart hearing aids that use brainwaves to help users home in on specific conversations, cutting through the noise in chaotic situations like a busy family dinner.
The world needs more quality science communication. The value to society is evident, as clear communication is key to science-based policy and incentivizing funding for innovation. But does science communication help the individual researchers themselves? And what can be done to encourage public outreach?