Early criticism of COVID-19 rhetoric cautions against the use of war metaphors that can shift us toward authoritarian and nationalistic sentiment, evoking xenophobia and racism.

Most of the fake news that circulated on the web before this pandemic concerned health and became far more widespread than the real news. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has escalated with the global COVID-19 crisis.

If we want science to play a truly relevant social role, we must take the opposite path and respond with science to the questions and problems of individuals and society. We must treat is as a tool, not as the protagonist.

Retraction is a compulsory literary genre: it is only written by one who has no other choice, and it does not pursue fame. Except for a few media cases, retractions go unnoticed by the public. What makes for hot news?

Elizabeth Rasekoala, chemical engineer and president of African Gong, has been awarded for her fight for diversity, sociocultural, and gender inclusion, in science learning, practice, and communication in Africa.

What do scientists do when they explain their own or others’ research? Do they communicate do they popularise? Gemma Marfany prefers to say she disseminates knowledge...

Science disseminator Pere Estupinyà lists four possible roles for science communicators: none, a collaborative role, an involved one, or that of a professional.

It is clear that the term synthetic biology raises expectations, but it is no less true that it also causes concern. This article starts with a critique of the identification of cells as machines and discusses the current scope of synthetic biology and efforts to standardise it. We also outline some of the social implications of attempts to manufacture life.