Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through on-line media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focussed on process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come

Os experimentos de William Harvey sobre o movimento circular do sangue: uma releitura histórica sob as lentes da epistemologia de Bachelard

Este estudo, de caráter teórico e bibliográfico, teve como objetivo analisar os experimentos de William Harvey com o movimento circular do sangue no corpo humano a partir da Epistemologia de Bachelard. Recorreu-se a fontes que discutem o referido episódio histórico e outras que abordam a perspectiva bachelardiana. A análise indicou que as investigações e os experimentos de Harvey romperam com compreensões de circulação sanguínea vigentes até então e retificaram erros cometidos por estudos anteriores, como os de Aristóteles e Galeno. Todavia, perceberamse, em sua produção, traços de continuísmo materializados pela presença de alguns obstáculos epistemológicos: verbal, realista, animista e do conhecimento unitário e pragmático. Com os estudos de Harvey, cresceram os grupos de médicos e anatomistas dedicados à temática, instituindo-se a cidade científica e o fortalecimento da fenomenotécnica. Ressaltam-se a importância das releituras de episódios históricos à luz de diferentes epistemologias no Ensino de Ciências e seu potencial de irromper visões ingênuas e objetivistas da produção do conhecimento científico.William Harvey’s experiments on the circular blood movement refreshed by the Bachelard’s epistemologyThis theoretical and bibliographic study aimed to analyze William Harvey’s experiments with the circular movement of blood in the human body based on Bachelard’s Epistemology. We resorted to sources that discuss the historical episode and others that approach the Bachelardian perspective. The analysis indicated that Harvey’s investigations and experiments broke with current understandings of blood circulation and corrected errors made by earlier studies, such as those of Aristotle and Galen. However, traces of continuity were noticed in his production, materialized by the presence of some epistemological obstacles: verbal, realistic, animistic, and unitary and pragmatic knowledge. With Harvey’s studies, the groups of doctors and anatomists dedicated to the subject grew, establishing the scientific city, and strengthening phenotechnics. The importance of re-reading historical episodes in the light of different epistemologies in Science Teaching is highlighted, as well as its potential to erupt naïve and objectivist visions of scientific knowledge production.Keywords: Blood circulation. William Harvey. Bachelard. Breakages. Epistemological obstacle

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH)–a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through online media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focused on the process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora