Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment: How deep and how long?

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) announcement released in early March 2020 stated there is no proven evidence that the COVID-19 virus can survive in drinking water or sewage, there has been some recent evidence that coronaviruses can survive in low-temperature environments and in groundwater for more than a week. Some studies have also found SARS-CoV-2 genetic materials in raw municipal wastewater, which highlights a potential avenue for viral spread. A lack of information about the presence and spread of COVID-19 in the environment may lead to decisions based on local concerns and prevent the integration of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 into the global water cycle. Several studies have optimistically assumed that coronavirus has not yet affected water ecosystems, but this assumption may increase the possibility of subsequent global water issues. More studies are needed to provide a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 occurrence and outbreak in aquatic environments and more specifically in water resources. As scientific efforts to report reliable news, conduct rapid and precise research on COVID-19, and advocate for scientists worldwide to overcome this crisis increase, more information is required to assess the extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment. The goals of this study are to estimate the extent of the environmental effects of the pandemic, as well as identify related knowledge gaps and avenues for future research.

Heading towards an unsustainable world: some of the implications of not achieving the SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were conceived at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 (Rio + 20), and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. They are part of a larger framework, namely the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, many countries round the world have been engaging in respect of their implementation. The slow progress seen in the implementation of the SDGs, is in contrast with the many negative implications of not implementing them. This paper outlines the relevance of the SDGs, the barriers currently seen in respect of their implementation and outlines what is at stake, if they are not duly implemented. To accomplish this, a thorough literature review of contributions published in the field of SDGs in English between the years 2012-2020 was performed.

Trends in Biotechnology at the Turn of the Millennium

BACKGROUND

The concept of biotechnology has gained wide popularity by the time. There is, of course, some anecdotal evidence as to what topics are currently considered the most prominent and how they can be compared to the common perception of which research topics were considered "trendy" years ago.

OBJECTIVE

A thorough search of exact time frames can help us quantitatively determine the evolution of prominent biotechnology research topics since the turn of the century.

METHODS

A text data mining approach has been followed to better identify the emerging trends and perspectives in biotechnology, taking a look back at how the focus of research and innovation in biotechnology has shifted, evolved and impacted the human race over the past three decades.

RESULTS

The extent of biotechnology today is vast, however, the most important newly developed research themes and patents largely influence human healthcare, affecting hundreds of millions of people who use grafts, devices, diagnostics, treatment and delivery systems. Even if biotechnology is very much focused on healthcare, there is also focus on other specialized concepts, such as biofuel, biocatalyst, food, agriculture and water purification, which have a strong influence on the research topics studied today.

CONCLUSION

We are in the process of developing the practice of medicine through pioneering advances in biotechnology research and innovation. As companies continue to develop emerging treatment strategies (involving gene therapy, stem cells, nanomedicine and new drug delivery systems) that address significant unmet needs, future innovations in biotechnology research will bring exciting new advancements to help millions of more people worldwide.