The future of science is the title of the 2022 volume of Metode Science Studies Journal, published by the Vice-Rectorate for Research of the University of Valencia. The twelfth volume of this publication collects the contents of the four monographs published during the past year and coordinated by experts in each of the topics addressed. Citizen science, addictions, the climate crisis, and transhumanism are the protagonists of this new volume, which vindicates the importance of science that looks to the future without forgetting the challenges of the present. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown in the last two years that a strong commitment to scientific research is essential, not only to move towards a future in which what was once only science fiction becomes reality, but also to address latent issues that affect the everyday life of society, such as the problems of addiction and mental health or climate change.
Deep into the post-genomic era, the science of the future fills us with hope but also with uncertainty. The potential of becoming enhanced beings calls for an ethical debate. This process of research and innovation must necessarily take into account the public, who provide part of the funds that make this research possible and who suffer the problems that science is trying to solve.
The new issue of Metode SSJ had the collaboration of the Valencian artist Rebeca Plana. The cover of the issue features the work Secrets, a piece in line with her work, which uses abstraction as a tool for transcending concepts. Artists such as Diego Mir, Xisco Mensua, Anna Moner, Sebastià Carratalà, and Marina Núñez have also participated in this issue, illustrating the four monographs that make up this volume.
Metode Science Studies Journal, which is fully available in open access, is included in several indexes and databases such as Scopus, Emerging Sources Citation Index, Google Scholar, ERIH Plus, and Latindex, among others.
