National Academies Feed

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InterAcademy Council Releases Review of IPCC

A new report from the InterAcademy Council, an organization of the world?s science academies, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, says that the process used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to produce its periodic assessment reports has been a success overall, but that IPCC needs to reform its management structure, strengthen its procedures, and become more transparent to handle increasingly complex climate assessments and greater public scrutiny. The report was released today at the United Nations. [?]

Koshland Science Museum Announces Fall Events

Beginning in September, the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., will offer a new season of public programs. Art Kramer, psychology professor, University of Illinois, will host a program on training your brain with video games; Carl Zimmer, award-winning author and science journalist, will talk about communicating science using new media; and there will be a science trivia night at the museum. [?]

Top Priorities Picked for Astronomy and Astrophysics

A new report by the National Research Council identifies the highest-priority research activities for astronomy and astrophysics in the next decade that will "set the nation firmly on the path to answering profound questions about the cosmos." The decadal survey -- the Research Council's sixth -- prioritizes activities based on their ability to advance science in key areas, and for the first time also takes into account factors such as risks in technical readiness, schedule, and cost. [?]

Meeting on Causes of Deepwater Horizon Explosion

A committee of the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council that is conducting a technical analysis of the causes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico held its first public meeting Aug. 12 and 13 to gather information on government oversight and regulation of deep water oil exploration and drilling. [?]

Management of Methane Well Water Complicated by Regulatory Framework

Effective management of water produced from coalbed methane wells in some western U.S. basins is limited by complications in the regulatory framework, not because of water quality, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council that examines management of water extracted from coalbed methane basins in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. [?]

Select Agents Should Be Defined by DNA Sequence

A DNA sequence-based system could be developed to better define when a dangerous pathogen or toxin should be subject to Select Agent regulations, says a new report from the National Research Council, which adds that this system could be coupled with a "yellow flag" system that recognizes requests to synthesize suspicious DNA sequences and serves as a reference to anyone with relevant questions, allowing for appropriate follow-up. [?]

U.S. Nuclear Forensic Capabilities Analyzed

, a new report from the National Research Council, examines how the U.S. can sustain and improve its ability to test intercepted nuclear material and devices, or in a worst-case situation, evaluate the aftermath of a nuclear detonation or radiological dispersal, to determine the origin of nuclear material or devices. [?]

Workshop on Medical Device 510(k) Clearance Process

An Institute of Medicine committee that is assessing the FDA process for clearing and approving certain kinds of medical devices and its ability to protect and promote public health held an information-gathering workshop. [?]

U.S. Response to Climate Change Should Be Guided by Coordinated, Reliable Information

A comprehensive national response to climate change should be informed by reliable data coordinated through climate services and a greenhouse gas monitoring and management system to provide timely information tailored to decision makers at all levels, says a new report from the National Research Council. [?]

Near-Term Emissions Choices Could Lock In Climate Changes For Centuries to Millennia

Choices made now about carbon dioxide emissions reductions will affect climate change impacts experienced not just over the next few decades but also in coming centuries and millennia, says a new report from the National Research Council. Because CO2 in the atmosphere is long lived, it can effectively lock the Earth and future generations into a range of impacts, some of which could become very severe. [?]