This week, under the slogan "First, virtual," Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) introduces a new virtual production studio called "Faux Real Studio" to the Lithuanian film, advertising, and video content industries.

“Many cancers are curable with existing protocol therapy, however, not all cancers respond to it. Based on the data of my research, I think that both treatment and diagnostics will become more and more individualised,” says Prof. Rūta Navakauskienė, researcher of Vilnius University Life Sciences Center. Her research group’s study on stem cells and their therapeutic application is part of this progress.

This year, three groups of scientists from the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University (VU) have been nominated for the Lithuanian Science Award. The series of papers entitled, From Surgery to Genome, Transcriptome, Metabolome: Fundamental and Applied Research and Innovation (2008–2022) was submitted for the award by Prof. Kęstutis Strupas (Head of the Gastroenterology, Nephro-Urology and Surgery Clinic at VU Faculty of Medicine), Prof. Tomas Poškus (Director of the Institute of Clinical Medicine and Head of the Abdominal and Onco-Surgery Centre at VU Hospital Santaros Klinikos), and Dr. Aistė Kielaitė-Gulla (Head of the Centre for Visceral Medicine and Translational Research and Head of the Organ Transplantation Coordination Centre of Santaros Klinikos). Prof. K. Strupas agreed to tell us about the papers that were submitted for the award.

Research conducted by a team of scientists from Kaunas universities, Lithuania, revealed that low-frequency ultrasound influences blood parameters. The findings suggest that ultrasound’s effect on haemoglobin can improve oxygen’s transfer from the lungs to bodily tissues.

The New Arqus joint Master’s programme in International Cybersecurity and Cyber Intelligence is now open for applications. The joint programme brings together the expertise and academic excellence of four Arqus universities (the Universities of Granada, Minho, Padua, and Vilnius) and is offered entirely in English.The second semester of the study programme will be conducted at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Vilnius University.

Lithuanian National Broadcaster, LRT started January with the traditional Awards of the Year ceremony, which honours the people, organisations, teams, organisers of various business, science and initiatives, and innovators who have contributed the most to the growth and development of the State of Lithuania in 2023. Among the awardees was Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) researcher Professor Rytis Maskeliūnas.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of tons of used surgical masks were dumped every month without a real vision to manage them. Although the world has successfully passed the critical period, a serious industrial eco-solution must be developed to deal with this waste.

Although climate change has long been a subject of great debate and nature keeps surprising us with various anomalies, this phenomenon is still often questioned or even denied. Dr Laurynas Jukna and Dr Elzė Buslavičiūtė, geographers at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences of Vilnius University (VU), who apply remote sensing to monitor the Earth’s surface for their research, have explained what climate change evidence can be revealed by satellite data and how global warming has affected glaciers.

The University of Minho will host the “Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) on Host-Fungus Interactions and Virulence: One Health Approach” next May. It will take place in-person from 20th to 24th May and online from 27th to 30th May.

What are the insights from futurists and academics about the state of education in the near-distant future? We have discussed various topics, such as the impact of artificial intelligence on education, the far-reaching effects of transhumanism, and the status of future universities. We now want to explore what the average university student may look like. Will we be dealing with cyborg freshmen or an exclusive breed of students? We spoke to futurists and academics alike to imagine the future class of 2050.