Research and society

The tension between privacy law and criminal law is a ticking time bomb. “We are heading for an unmitigated disaster”, says Professor Gert Vermeulen.

Ghent University’s Motivation Barometer suggests that two out of ten Belgians are sceptical about the corona vaccines. Philosopher of science and researcher at Ghent University Massimiliano Simons and moral philosopher Brecht Decoene, two specialists in conspiracy thinking and anti-vaxxers, explain how to counter this doubt and opposition.

The first vaccines against the coronavirus will be administered en masse in the coming months. And several other vaccines are under development. Three of them will pass through the Center for Vaccinology (CEVAC) of Ghent University, internationally renowned in the field of vaccine studies.

It turns out that large forests are not the only woodland to contribute to combatting climate change. In fact, small woods are important too, and far more than we once believed. Small areas of woodland actually take in proportionately more carbon than their larger relations. This means it is really important to take care of such areas, and plant more of them.

Imagine a virus that increases its chances of spreading by staying undetectable for a few days after it infects us, while we humans try to defend ourselves with a tool that we developed over thousands of years of evolution: our power to think. “Evolution is about more than just fossils or Darwin’s finches. It’s happening every day, before our very eyes.”

Researchers and governments come from all over the world to ask advice to Sarah De Saeger and Marthe De Boevre. The two UGhent researchers are world authorities in their field, namely toxic substances in fungi that cause cancers and affect immune systems. “We want to share our knowledge with regions that need it.”

The corona crisis is having a major negative impact on the most vulnerable refugees, according to a study by the World Health Organization published last Friday, on the International Day of Migrants. It was researchers from Ghent University and the University of Copenhagen that developed this report. “We are very happy that the WHO chose to run with our study. In this way our work can have worldwide resonance.”

Our tap water travels hundreds of kilometers each day, even though we get more than enough water falling on the roof. According to bioengineer Korneel Rabaey, switching to a local or even circular water supply is quite feasible.

Would you be able to trust the diagnosis of an app in the same way as a doctor’s? What happens with your personal data? A research team led by Heidi Mertes, lecturer in medical ethics, will be examining in the coming years the ethical concerns raised by these questions.

Corona continues to rule our lives and activities, after causing over 1.3 million deaths worldwide, of which 15,000 in Belgium. Yet what appears to be reaching unseen and unknown proportions is certainly not the first epidemic to have been felt in this area.