No abstract

Food safety plays an important role in public health and thus to society as a whole. Food borne illness associated with toxins, pathogens or other food contaminants poses a serious health threat all over the world. Food may become unsafe due to the presence of adulterants such as melamine, food born pathogenic bacteria, toxins such as cholera, shiga, aflatoxin amongst others. The present review is focused on the potential role of nanomaterials, which are currently being used in various biosensors, for the detection of various chemical contaminants, toxins and pathogens.

No abstract

Scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and to build international partnerships as part of science diplomacy is a well-established notion. The international flow of people and ideas has played an important role in the advancement of the ‘Sciences’ and the current pandemic scenario has drawn attention towards the genuine need for a stronger role of science diplomacy, science advice and science communication. In dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, visible interactions across science, policy, science communication to the public and diplomacy worldwide have promptly emerged. These interactions have benefited primarily the disciplines of knowledge that are directly informing the pandemic response, while other scientific fields have been relegated. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists of all disciplines and from all world regions are discussed here, with a focus on early-career researchers (ECRs), as a vulnerable population in the research system. Young academies and ECR-driven organisations could suggest ECR-powered solutions and actions that could have the potential to mitigate these effects on ECRs working on disciplines not related to the pandemic response. In relation with governments and other scientific organisations, they can have an impact on strengthening and creating fairer scientific systems for ECRs at the national, regional, and global level.