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Live Webcast Monday on Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing
The webcast will include morning sessions on Aug. 31 -- covering the history and likely evolution of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, as well as the regulatory framework. Listen to the live audio webcast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT.
Please refresh this page after 7:55 a.m. for a link to the webcast audio. |
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The latest news from the Academies
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Aug. 18 -- The Marian Koshland Science Museum's fall programs explore how the next generation of technologies will affect the study of climate change, exploration of the universe, surveillance of infectious diseases, and the creation of art. Speakers include John C. Mather, NASA; Jay Gulledge, Pew Center on Global Climate Change; Dan Goods, NASA; and Amy Sonricker, Children's Hospital of Boston.
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Aug. 14 -- The fall program for Distinctive Voices@The Beckman Center features award-winning scientists and engineers discussing recent findings and research developments in their fields. The lectures include: The Great Warming by Brian Fagan, Evolution and the Future of the Earth by E.O. Wilson, Redefining Science Education by Bruce Alberts, How CSI Went Awry by William Thompson, and many more.
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Aug. 12 -- According to a new interim report from the National Research Council, NASA’s current near-Earth object surveys will not meet the congressionally mandated goal of discovering 90 percent of all objects over 140 meters in diameter by 2020. Funding for near-Earth object activities at NASA has been constrained, with most costs being met by funds from other programs. A final report will include findings and recommendations on detecting, characterizing, and mitigating the hazard of near-Earth objects.
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Jul. 31 -- Current methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions have limitations that make it difficult to monitor CO2 emissions and verify an international climate treaty, says a new report from the National Research Council. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which failed to launch in February, would have offered proof that these emissions could be monitored from space, as well as provided baseline data on CO2 emission trends from cities and power plants. NASA is expected to decide in the coming months whether to launch a replacement observatory.
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Breaking stories in science
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Aug. 18 -- President Obama has directed federal agencies to review the overall U.S. export control system, including rules restricting the export of technologies considered to be security risks. "The U.S. has one of the most robust export control systems in the world," the White House said in a statement issued last week. "But, it is rooted in the Cold War Era of over 50 years ago and must be updated to address the threats we face today and the changing economic and technological landscape."
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Aug. 14 -- Last week experts on the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) attended an annual conference to share information and give support to those who suffer from the mental disorder that affects 2.2 million people in U.S. One-third of adults who have OCD developed their symptoms in childhood, but often the disorder goes untreated or misdiagnosed for years before being recognized. OCD is often accompanied by depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and learning disorders, which further confounds diagnostic efforts.
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Aug. 3 -- President Obama last week named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, including Janet Davison Rowley, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, and Stephen Hawking, an NAS foreign associate. The medal, which was awarded at a ceremony on Aug. 12, is the United States' highest civilian honor.
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Jul. 31 -- At a press conference on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, surviving astronauts from NASA’s Apollo missions made a public statement indicating that they’d like the agency to work on taking humans to Mars, instead of focusing on a return to the moon. This return, and an eventual lunar base that would serve as a jumping-off point for further ventures into our solar system, are objectives of a space-exploration initiative established by George W. Bush.
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Jul. 23 -- In late June an advisory panel urged the Food and Drug Administration to lower the maximum over-the-counter dosage for acetaminophen. The recommendation came on the heels of an FDA report that found acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage when used in excess of recommended dosages.
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