Artificial Intelligence, and its rapid incursion into the (geo)sciences, was already impossible to ignore at last year’s EGU General Assembly. (you can read my reflections then in this blog post) This year, unsurprisingly, it felt equally present. On Thursday, I attended the Great Debate on “The ethics of using AI in Geosciences: opportunities and risks”, a discussion spanning everything from scie ...[Read More]
EGU26 is almost over. The question is: Now what? It is busy during the conference. Finding the way around the convention center, presenting work, learning what others are doing, back-to-back sessions, browsing eye-catching exhibits, not to forget the 20,000+ people to network with! It can feel exhausting, making me crave a still moment to chill from all that thrill. But when I finally walk out of ...[Read More]
For this year’s Photo Contest, EGU received a number of amazing images capturing a broad spectrum of the geosciences. Since the selection committee whittled the field down to 10 finalists, you have been voting for your favourites throughout EGU26’s week-long conference, both on-site in Vienna at the EGU booth, and online. After an enthusiastic response from voters, we are now ready, and VERY ...[Read More]
Talking to people about their work is always an EGU highlight for me. Being able to nerd out about rivers, rocks, big research vessels crossing the Arctic, maps, mountains anywhere in the solar system, or even beyond? Yes, please! However, while those topics are the things of dreams for me (and I dare to say many other EGU-goers), that enthusiasm isn’t always a given once we leave the confer ...[Read More]
Many people exhibit a strong visual orientation, as a significant portion of human neurobiology is dedicated to processing light; however, this reliance is usually as much a product of our visually-centered environments as it is our biology. Science, however, reminds us that important information can come from different senses as well: sound, smell and tactile information all have something to say ...[Read More]
As we immerse ourselves in our 20th Viennese General Assembly EGU26, the volume of climate models and atmospheric projections can be quite overwhelming, to say the least. While our EGU geoscientific community is excellent at observing the planet, a persistent challenge remains in communicating that massive planetary data into tools that a local council, a commercial farmer, or an urban planner can ...[Read More]
The latest NASA Juno briefing was presented at EGU26 yesterday. Speakers introduced unprecedented results that not only deepened our understanding of Jupiter but also invited us to reflect on the future of scientific methodology. Whether you’re a space geek or a tech enthusiast, hop in, as we’re about to take you on an exploratory journey to learn about how neural networks, serendipitous cameras, ...[Read More]
There’s a particular kind of energy you get in a conference room when something is about to matter. You can feel it before anything starts: chairs filling quickly, people sitting closer than usual, no polite gaps left between strangers. This was the case for the Great Debate on The future of scientific publishing: do we need scientific publishing? at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly ...[Read More]
I grew up watching my dad come home covered in soot. For most of his life, he worked as a firefighter in a natural reserve in Galicia, in northern Spain, a region of green mountains and steep terrain, almost Lord of the Rings in its landscape, but also a place where fire moves quickly and is notoriously difficult to control. Firefighting crews there are used to the fact that, to even begin work, t ...[Read More]
Despite the perfect timing, we are not talking about lunch. Policymakers often sit together and have crucial discussions that would greatly benefit by being scientifically informed. Scientists are sometimes invited to join those conversations but are starting to tune in on their own initiative as well. Field camps and labs are where us scientists usually feel the most at home. Being surrounded by ...[Read More]
