Archive by date | October 2010

House committee weighs in on ‘climate engineering’

House committee weighs in on 'climate engineering'

The US House Science and Technology Committee released a report on Friday looking into the nascent science of geoengineering and how federal programs could be aligned to study technologies – from the ordinary to the controversial – that could be used to alter the earth’s climate in order to counteract global warming.  Read more

Convention ends with new biodiversity roadmap

Convention ends with new biodiversity roadmap

After two weeks of talks and much late-night wrangling, delegates to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, reached agreement on a new roadmap for protecting biodiversity (Guardian, BBC). The agreement seeks to reduce biodiversity loss by expanding protected areas on land and in the oceans while creating a new framework for managing genetic resources – and sharing any economic benefits that stem from their exploitation – with developing nations.

Fatal helicopter crash at French Antarctic research base

Australian and US air force planes have spotted three bodies and debris strewn 150m around the site of the crash of helicopter in Antarctica carrying four people, including the pilot, a mechanic and two researchers from l’Institut polaire Paul-Emile Victor, in Brest, Brittany, France.  Read more

Biodiversity talks still wrangling over genetic resources and protected area targets

In the final hours of this year’s international talks on biodiversity in Nagoya, Japan, negotiators were still trying to hammer out details on how much of the globe should be protected, and how to compensate nations for commercial products based on their genetic resources.

Cold cash for cold science

Cold cash for cold science

The recent funding wrap-up from the international polar year (IPY) has left many Canadian researchers scratching their heads, trying to find a way to continue their arctic science projects. A new grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada may help close that research-funding gap.

Cyberspace abuzz over putative NASA mission

Cyberspace abuzz over putative NASA mission

Have you heard the one about the one-way manned mission to Mars? Many recent reports suggest that NASA and DARPA have come together in a plan for a “Hundred Year Starship” that would colonize distant worlds—starting with Mars—with each agency providing $100,000 and $1 million in funding, respectively.  Read more

Nature clears stem cell paper of image manipulation charges

Nature clears stem cell paper of image manipulation charges

An investigation by Nature has found no sign of fraud in a 2009 stem-cell paper from Konrad Hochedlinger’s group at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Last week an anonymous group calling itself ‘Stem Cell Watch’ sent a missive to researchers and journalists accusing the paper’s authors of inappropriately manipulating an image used in the publication. For more, see ‘Mystery fraud accusations’.  Read more

US government takes on white-nose syndrome in bats

US government takes on white-nose syndrome in bats

To tackle the scourge of white-nose syndrome, which has killed more than a million bats in the northeastern United States, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed a national framework of investigation and response to the outbreak. It is seeking comment on the plan from the public beginning 28 October.  Read more