This Week In HIV/AIDS News

New research published this week indicates that a genetic mutation prevalent in individuals of African descent may increase susceptibility to HIV infection.

Public Health’s Newest Tool: the Fountain of Youth

Resent research concludes that even if scientists were to score a complete home run by finding a “cure” for any single chronic disease such as cancer or stroke, life spans in developing countries would hardly grow longer.

The United States Can Learn from Europe’s Genetic Privacy Laws

The United States lags behind Europe in terms of genetic privacy legislation, argues a commentary in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, but we can use European experience to guide future policy that builds on the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act.

American Public: “Science is Good!”

Embryonic stem cell research, strong scientific input on global warming policy, and more federal funding for scientific research: these are all things the American public wants.

Integrity in Science Means Integrity in Energy Policy, Too

Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) told the attendees as a conference on scientific integrity that the “vigilant protection of the integrity of science” cannot relax after the November elections. But we need to be more vigilant about the science that informs national energy policy now.

In Search of Balance for Intellectual Property Protections

The Senate Finance Committee revisited the problems in international intellectual property rights protection without offering solutions or new points to consider. The conflict between IP protection and the benefits of sharing drugs and technology with developing nations will become even more pertinent as clean energy technologies are perfected.

A Little Less Talk, A Lot More Action

Support grows in Congress for a reprise of the 1973 National Water Commission. Studies are useful, but must lead to real change.

Philosophy Lab

Philosophers are now wielding the tools of social science to shed light on challenging philosophical questions. This adds a quantitative dimension to discussions in moral philosophy and thereby gives policymakers more data with which to work.

Balancing Out the Lab Bench?

Despite significant gains over the years in the number of young women pursuing science and engineering degrees, the upper echelons of scientific research are still a boy’s club. A piece in today’s Science Times explores new research into why women are underrepresented in certain scientific fields, along with a federal push to use Title IX to expand and ensure equity in research departments.

Hot Stuff

Randy Olson’s new global warming mockumentary, Sizzle, burns into your mind a lesson about how to reach broader audiences with science.

The Cure That Could Be Worse Than The Disease

Could a mad scientist-like approach to reversing climate change provide our only remaining hope? A close look at geoengineering schemes.

Boxer Pushes for Full Disclosure of Climate Change Evidence

With recent evidence highlighting the Vice President’s Office’s misconstruing of climate change evidence, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) called upon EPA administrator Stephen Johnson to release every document related to the threat global warming poses to the public.

Federal Funding Fosters Innovation

A report released today by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation analyzes the evolution of the innovation ecosystem in the United States over the last four decades and argues that in order to encourage innovation most effectively, policymakers must better understand where new ideas come from.

The Coming Global Warming “Scopes” Trial

Suing companies that pump greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere for damage to cities and states proved difficult a few years ago. But the latest court rulings could set the stage for a climactic battle over who pays for overheating the planet.

CLIMATE

We Are Living In a Carbon World

Carbon fuels evolutionary systems and climate change—and the story of this element cuts across a wide swath of scientific fields, underscoring much of the research that’s changing the way we think about everyday life.

Red Cross: Natural Disasters Increase Spread of AIDS “Disaster”

The Red Cross recently released its 2008 Disasters Report, which calls the global HIV/AIDS epidemic a “disaster.” The study devotes a chapter to unraveling the the “complex link” between natural disasters and the spread of HIV.

Harnessing Citizen Scientists

Congress should bring back the OTA, but this time with a prominent role for the public, especially the burgeoning numbers of citizen scientists.

Hard Data: National Policies Limit Stem Cell Research Output

According to a recent study published in the journal Cell, federal policy has a measurable impact on the amount of human embryonic stem cell research conducted in different countries.

With New Genetic Knowledge, New Possibilities for Cancer Screening

Individual genetic markers can reveal increased risks of breast and ovarian cancer, but recent research examines the cumulative impact of multiple markers and could inform more effective genetic screening procedures.

Voters Care About Science!

Science has gotten short shrift in political campaigns for years, but new data shows that voters care more about it than politicians think.