Global Biodiversity Goals Not Being Met, Says UN Report
A new report from the United Nations (UN) concludes that the world has not met any of the targets set 10 years ago by the Convention on Biological Diversity for protecting nature. (Source: Washington Watch)
Source: Washington Watch - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Congress to Pass Stopgap Measure to Avoid Shutdown
With negotiations over COVID-19 pandemic relief stalled, lawmakers are looking to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operational in the new fiscal year which starts on October 1. A stopgap funding measure is required because the House and Senate have not yet agreed on and passed appropriations bills to fund the government in fiscal year 2021. (Source: Washington Watch)
Source: Washington Watch - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
American Society of Human Genetics Denounces Unethical Use of False Genetic “Theories”
The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) has issued a statement reinforcing facts about human genetics and expressing strong opposition to efforts that bend genetics knowledge for social or political ends. (Source: Washington Watch)
Source: Washington Watch - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Policy for Bioeconomic Growth
Policymakers around the world increasingly look to biology to strengthen economies and promote national security and well-being. But what is the bioeconomy, and how can policy promote its growth?
According to a 2020 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report, in 2016, the US bioeconomy was estimated to account for 5.1% of US gross domestic product (GDP), or $959.2 billion, with the potential to grow to 7.4%.
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(Source: Washington Watch)
Source: Washington Watch - May 5, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: Jyotsna L. Pandey Source Type: news
Science Advice in the States
In 2006 this column posed the question, "Where are all the state science advisers?" With states challenged to make more decisions about investments in research, science education, and tech-based industry, author Gillian Andres asked, Who is advising the governors? She found that few US states had science advisers within the governor's office. An informal survey conducted by the AIBS Public Policy Office in July 2006 found that just six states (Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia) had identifiable positions. A handful of other states, including Kansas, had had science advisers in the past, and about ha...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
Congress Learns about 21st Century Biology
Last year, the National Research Council (NRC) issued A New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the Coming Biology Revolution. Described by some scientists as biology's "moon shot," the 112-page report makes a case for new research and funding models that can stimulate fundamental discovery and solve complex problems in the areas of environment, energy, agriculture, and health. Policymakers have since begun to consider the report's recommendations.
In June, shortly after the House of Representatives passed its version of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010—legislation to reaut...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Robert E. Gropp Source Type: news
Major Changes in Congress May Mean Major Changes for Science Policy
This month, voters across the nation will head to the polls for the midterm elections. Regardless of the final results, the departure of several long-standing science and education advocates will most likely change the way science is viewed in the 112th Congress.
"The retirements of champions of science, such as Representatives Brian Baird, Bart Gordon, Vern Ehlers, and Dave Obey and the defeats of Senator Arlen Specter and Rep. Alan Mollohan [in primary elections earlier this year] mean the loss of considerable support for science in the Congress," warned Howard J. Silver, executive director of the Consortium of Social S...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
New Congress, Old Climate Rhetoric?
Last month, members of the 112th Congress were sworn into office, making the composition of the new Congress very different from that of the 111th. Although the election is over, it remains unclear whether members of the new Congress will refrain from the vitriolic attacks of the 2010 campaign season long enough to legislate, or if the next two years, as many policy watchers inside the Beltway are speculating, will be dedicated instead to testing arguments for the 2012 elections. Early signals suggest the latter, replete with antiscience rhetoric, may be the case.
The 112th Congress has at least 95 new members in the Hous...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Robert E. Gropp Source Type: news
Synthetic Biology Promises Risk and Reward
In May 2010, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute announced the creation of the world's first synthetic organism—a bacterial host cell whose self-replicating genome was human-made. This momentous achievement raises questions regarding the potential risks and benefits of synthesizing genomes, and eventually, organisms.
According to proponents, synthetic biology offers great promise. Some scientists suggest that the emerging field could lead to advancements in individualized medicine, more efficient vaccine and drug production, new renewable energy sources, higher-yielding and more sustainable crops, and organ...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
Will Lawmakers Reform Immigration Rules for STEM Graduates?
Ranjini Prithviraj is at the start of a promising career in neuroscience. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), serves as an editor on the NIH Fellows Editorial Board, and mentors students interested in careers in science. Despite her strong résumé and her PhD in cell and molecular biology from a well-regarded American university, Prithviraj's ability to continue to work in the United States is uncertain, because she was born in India and raised in Dubai.
"I would like to stay in the US long term, but I'm not sure as of now," said Prithviraj. "The reason I'm not sure is because the US ...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
White House Begins to Map Course toward Bio-Based Economy
Politicians and pundits clogged the airwaves last year with rhetoric about the state of the nation's economy. Amid this noise, a few economic policy initiatives did begin to take shape. For instance, last fall, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a request for comments on a draft policy to stimulate the bioeconomy.
Scientists have long asserted that research is an investment that yields economic prosperity. A growing number of scientists and engineers have more recently advised that the biological sciences are poised to inspire transformative discoveries that can solve persistent problems...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Robert E. Gropp Source Type: news
Data Show that Federal Investment in Research Pays Dividends
In 1990, the federal government formally launched an ambitious initiative to sequence the human genome, to identify all the genes in human DNA, and to develop the tools to store and allow access to this information. The effort took 13 years and cost the federal government $3.8 billion. As is evidenced by technological advancements, the cultivation of new lines of research, and countless subsequent scientific discoveries, the Human Genome Project (HGP) was a success by nearly all measures. A question of interest to policymakers, however, is what the economic return on this kind of federal investment is.
The HGP generated g...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
New Farm Bill Could Have Devastating Effects on Water Quality
Agricultural nonpoint-source pollution has repeatedly been cited as a leading cause of degraded water quality in water bodies ranging from tributaries to coastal estuaries. Approximately 40 percent of US agricultural land—roughly 15 percent of all the land in the United States—is enrolled in farm bill conservation programs aimed at improving soil retention and reducing nutrient pollution. But as Congress looks for ways to reduce discretionary funding, these conservation programs are on the chopping block in the 2012 reauthorization of the bill. The impact on water quality could be devastating.
The conservation...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Adrienne Froelich Sponberg Source Type: news
Researchers Take on a New Role: Advocate for Profession, Science
Scientists pride themselves on being objective purveyors of information. For some, this may seem at odds with delving into the world of public policy, where politics and spin seemingly reign supreme. For others, advocating on behalf of their profession and speaking up about the importance of science is model behavior for researchers.
"Collaboration between our leading experts in science and technology and Congress and federal agencies is the only way that public policy decisions will be made using sound science," said Senator Jay Rockefeller (D–WV), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Julie Palakovich Carr Source Type: news
Balancing Privacy and Progress: Biobanks and Genome Sequencing
Genome sequencing coupled with medical and personal data holds enormous promise for unraveling the mysteries of the human body and advancing disease treatment. Increasingly, research projects are collecting data on large numbers of people to determine links among diseases, lifestyle, environment, and genes. The biobanks being created with these data raise questions about protecting the privacy of individuals whose DNA and medical records fuel research.
Repositories of human genetic material emerged more than a decade ago in Iceland with the company deCODE genetics. The United Kingdom has created a biobank with 500,000 enr...
Source: Washington Watch - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Authors: Eve S. McCulloch Source Type: news
