Nature lists Brazilian among year’s most influential scientists

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Nature scientific magazine on Wednesday, December 15, published the list of the year’s 10 most influential scientists. Brazilian Túlio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Response and Innovation in Epidemics (CERI) in South Africa, is among them. The researcher stood out for his discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

In an interview with Nature, Tulio said he knew that the announcement of a new strain could result in economic sanctions against southern African countries. However, it was the right thing to do. “The way to stop a pandemic is with swift action,” he said. “Waiting to see has not been a good option.”

OTHER SCIENTISTS HONORED:

Winnie Byanyima

Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie fights for equal distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to poorer populations.

The activist is one of the founders of the People’s Vaccine Alliance group, which seeks to push the equalitarian agenda to powerful leaders. “This notion that you can sell a life-saving health technology the same way you sell a luxury handbag is not normal,” she has said in interviews.

Friederike Otto

German climatologist Friederike Otto studies extreme weather events. The researcher founded the World Weather Attribution (WWA) with the goal of quickly analyzing how climate change plays a role in extreme events of heat, cold, rainfall, drought, and forest fires.

Zhang Rongqiao

Zhang Rongqiao is an engineer who led China’s first successful mission to Mars. On May 15, the space vehicle landed on the planet’s surface.

The mission made China the second nation to land a rover on Mars after the United States.

Timnit Gebru

A researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, Timnit Gebru has founded an independent institute to study issues related to ethics in technology.

The initiative came about after the scientist was fired from her job at Google. The incident sparked major discussions about discrimination against black people in technology and the potential damage of artificial intelligence to marginalized groups.

John Jumper

The PhD in physics from Cambridge University in the UK has developed a project that uses artificial intelligence to change biology.

Using technology, he and his team can predict protein structures with great accuracy.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Victoria is a Filipino international activist for the indigenous cause. During the United Nations climate summit, COP26, she succeeded in convincing officials to recognize indigenous peoples as protectors of biodiversity and the climate.

Guillaume Cabanac

Guillaume Cabanac specializes in scrutinizing scientific articles looking for expressions that do not make sense.

The computer scientist created a website that singles out academic papers of dubious quality. The goal is to make the literature clearer and free of false information.

Meaghan Kall

Meaghan Kall has made a name for herself on social media to explain coronavirus-related studies. The UK government epidemiologist has helped spread information about the pandemic in a simple and accessible way.

Janet Woodcock

Janet was appointed by President Joe Biden to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. regulatory agency.

The former doctor’s career is marked by her administration of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, responsible for ensuring that drugs are safe and effective before being approved for the U.S. market.

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