Arts and culture have been fundamental in the advancement of human civilization. It has a profound influence in several facets of our society including economy, education and health. Participation in arts and cultural activities foster civic and political engagement among individuals like increased participation in politics, democracy and volunteer work. However, it is unfortunate that in many cases the influence of arts and culture in human advancement is neglected. This is because, unlike science and technology, the value of arts and culture is in many cases difficult to be substantiated by concrete evidence. Therefore, investing time and resources in arts and culture is crucial in a world constantly riddled with inequalities, conflict and natural calamities.
The artistic and culture renaissance never ends. Recent technological advances have brought about a change in the way we create and perceive arts and culture. It is fascinating to see how new technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence are changing not just the science and technology sector, but also arts and culture. The connection between arts and science is captured in these words by scientist turned writer, Kristi Charish - “Art leads to scientific innovation and science inspires art. Like a pair of book ends they work best in tandem and change the way we view the world.”
One of the goals of ThinkersHub is to bring the conversation about arts and culture to the forefront. There is a need for increased public funding for arts and culture and this can be achieved by empowering researchers with our tools – THjournals and THconferences – and create a platform for idea exchange between researchers and the public through our news portal.
The agricultural sector encompassing crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry is the main source of income for around 750 million people around the world. Hence, agriculture is not just vital to our food supply but also has far-reaching effects on pressing global issues such as poverty and climate change. As the world population is projected to increase from 7 to 9.7 billion by 2050, the challenge lies in coming up with improved ways to feed this burgeoning population. The need to invest resources in making agriculture more productive, resilient and sustainable is more than ever before. Another major issue is climate change and how it affects current agricultural practices and vice versa. The 2015 Paris agreement on climate change puts agriculture and food security in perspective with climate change. Since the agreement, several countries are focussing on the agricultural sector to mitigate climate change. Besides issues of climate change and sustainability, food and agriculture plays a major role in alleviating poverty in the developing world and thereby enhancing economic growth. Majority of the population in developing countries still depend on agriculture as their major source of income, employment and food. Apart from those, the sector also provides raw materials for industries and exports. The challenges facing the agriculture and food production can be overcome through collaborative research and constant innovation.
One of the core values of ThinkersHub is sustainability in all our activities. This includes promoting research and development activities for the efficient and sustainable management and utilization of natural resources including land, water, air and genetic resources for the benefit of present as well as future generations. ThinkersHub preserve, promote and disseminate all forms of agriculture and food knowledge by organizing relevant events – through THconferences - and publishing recent advances in agriculture and food research from around the world – through THjournals and news portal.
Global economic trends have changed dramatically over the years with emerging economics taking the limelight. According to a World Bank report, the number of individuals living in extreme poverty has dropped below 10 percent of the global population. Although there is much more prosperity in the world, the economic growth has not been beneficial enough to substantially reduce poverty. The global economy currently faces several challenges which includes weaker demand, tighter financial markets, stagnant trade, low oil prices, and volatile capital flows. Besides, the global economy is also threatened by political instability, conflicts, refugee crisis, disease outbreaks and climate change.
Considering these global trends, a lot more can be done to increase dialogue between various stake holders for sustained global economic growth. Research as well as public participation in such issues can lead to more equitable economic growth, create new opportunities for the youth in terms of employment and entrepreneurship, reduce gender inequality and adapt better to the perils of climate change.
Since the industrial revolution, innovation has been a central factor driving human progress. Innovation in business and economics in conjunction with advances in science and technology is crucial in translating research findings to valuable goods and services. This interdisciplinary innovation promotes competitiveness thereby driving economic growth. Through our global events -THconferences- and peer-reviewed open access publications-THjournals and news portal -, ThinkersHub provide an all-inclusive platform for exchange of research findings and ideas on a varies of topics pertaining to business and economics such as international business administration, entrepreneurship, international trade, supply chain management, business law, finance, banking, risk management, macro and microeconomics, environmental economics, and globalization.
Energy and environment are highly interconnected topics with one influencing the other in multiple ways. The production, transportation and use of energy has huge implications on the environment whereas climate change affects the way we produce, supply and utilize energy. For example, temperature changes, melting glaciers and rising sea-levels, storm surges and other extreme events will most likely affect the way we produce and consume energy. Therefore, the issues pertaining to energy and environment are diverse and will most likely have diverse effects on different nations and populations. According to the World Bank, around 1.1 billion people mostly from Africa and Asia lack access to electricity and another 2.8 billion rely on polluting energy sources such as wood and biomass for cooking and heating. This exemplifies the disparity in the distribution and use of energy and its negative impacts on education, job creation and the environment. Increasing access to electricity, rising the share of renewable energy in total energy produced world-wide and improving energy efficiency will lead to sustainability of energy production and usage. There is, however, progress in terms of renewable energy production and in reducing global emissions. One good example is from 2014 when the global economy grew by around 3% while the energy related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions stayed the same. A recent major milestone pertaining to energy and environment is the 2015 Paris climate agreement signed by 194 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) members. The agreement tackles several issues including greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and pledges to support sustainable development.
ThinkersHub maintains sustainability in all our activities. This also means promoting research and publication to foster sustainable development. We accomplish these goals through our global events- THconferences and open access publishing- THjournals and news portal. We cover all topics related to energy and environment including energy conservation, global warming, global climate change, environmental earth science, environmental microbiology, energy economics, and environmental policy.
Improvements in health and medicine have always paralleled human progress. Major milestones in this area, from the discovery of antibiotics and the eradication of small pox to the discovery of DNA structure, have dramatically improved the duration and way of human life. A recent WHO report states that global life expectancy increased by 5 years between 2000 and 2015. In 2015, it stood at 71.4 years. These milestones in health and medicine would not have been possible without rigorous scientific research. In the healthcare spectrum, research activities should be encouraged in academic institutions as well as in public health programmes. Such a comprehensive approach is vital towards achieving the next milestone in human health and medicine- universal health coverage. Scientific, technological, social and economic advances are required to realize this goal. A good example is the incorporation of information technology in healthcare and medicine through large-scale eHealth and mHealth public health programmes. These efforts have enormously helped in educating and treating rural populations particularly in developing countries.
ThinkersHub supports research activities on health and medicine in various capacities. We have a wide range of journals – Thjournals- covering various aspects of health and medicine. Some of the areas currently covered are Neurology, Radiology, Nursing, Microbiology and Oncology. ThinkersHub also supports researchers around the world through global events – THconferences - covering topics like neuroscience and psychology, digestive and kidney diseases, cancer, heart, lung and blood diseases, stem cell and regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and global health, nursing and healthcare, clinical research and biotechnology. ThinkersHub also encourage public participation in issues related to health and medicine through our news portal.
Progress in science and technology is critical for global economic development and socio-economic welfare, regardless of nationalities. All regions of the world must not just consume but also create new knowledge for the betterment of the entire world. Unfortunately, there is a divide between developed and developing countries in their contributions towards science and technology. A recent UNESCO science report identified the reason behind this discrepancy- a lack of funding for research and development activities at universities. The current digital revolution serves as a catalyst for bridging this gap. Technologies like cloud computing, super computing and big data analysis platforms have enabled collaborative research and promoted participation from researchers around the globe. One such success story is the Human Genome Project which brought together scientists and technologists from United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, China and other nations. Second generation digital technologies like Web 2.0 has led to Science 2.0. Science 2.0 represents second generation science which co-evolved with Web 2.0. Today science is highly data-led. Next generation sequencing, smartphones, and other digital platforms are generating huge volumes of data that is being analyzed and used for scientific research. With the dawn of artificially intelligent systems like IBM’s Watson, artificial intelligence and big data analysis is coming to the forefront of science and technology.
Science and technology is at the core of our strategy at ThinkersHub. One of the major aspects of Science 2.0 is open science. Citizen engagement and open data sharing are critical factors for scientific progress. In the future, progress in science and technology must be fueled by the needs of the citizens making innovation more relevant to their needs. Hence, ThinkersHub emphasizes on collaborative research and in bringing scientific developments to the citizens. We accomplish these goals through our global events- THconferences and open access publishing- THjournals and news portal.