Archive by date | January 2011

Missing nerve agent caused army lockdown: updated

Missing nerve agent caused army lockdown: updated

The reason for the mysterious Dugway Proving Ground lockdown last night was a missing vial of VX nerve agent, says the army base’s public affairs spokesman Al Vogel. The vial was found at about 3am last night and the lockdown was lifted a couple of hours later.  Read more

Late vaccination ‘could still control cholera outbreaks’

Late vaccination ‘could still control cholera outbreaks’

Cholera outbreaks can be mitigated by the use of vaccination after they have begun, according to two new studies. This issue is currently at the top of the research agenda for many scientists, as controversy over plans to roll out a vaccination campaign in Haiti continues.

NIH shores up plan to axe resource center and open new translational hub

Cross posted from Nature Medicine’s Spoonful of Medicine blog. It’s official. Before the end of the year, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to dissolve its National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and open a new center devoted to translational research. Speaking at a NCRR advisory council meeting on 25 January, Lawrence Tabak, deputy director of the NIH and co-director of the NCCR task force, presented a tentative framework for breaking up of the center, redistributing its programs and budgets, and reassigning all NCRR employees to comparable positions within the agency. NIH officials first disclosed the plan to  … Read more

Abortion ‘does not lead to mental health problems’

A major claim of anti-abortion campaigners appears to have been undermined by a new study showing termination of pregnancy does not lead to mental health problems. Although women who had abortions were found to have a higher incidence of pre-existing mental health problems in a major new study relative to women who gave birth.  Read more

New House science committee roster will tackle funding issues

New House science committee roster will tackle funding issues

On the same day that President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union Address stressing science and education investments, Democrats announced their picks for ranking members on the subcommittees of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. The selections will be finalized during the committee’s organizational meeting, slated for early February.  Read more

Obama touts science, education in State of the Union address

Obama touts science, education in State of the Union address

US President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address last night, invoking innovation and education in science and technology as central to his nation’s prosperity and well being. In contrast to previous years, Obama did not face any outbusts or breaches of decorum from a Congress still shaken by the recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and left Representative Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life, After first paying tribute to Giffords – who was reported to have watched the address from her hospital bed, alongside her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly – Obama turned to  … Read more

Obama’s energy & climate czar steps down

Obama's energy & climate czar steps down

US President Barack Obama’s climate agenda hit a wall on Capitol Hill, and now his administration’s Plan B – going it alone with existing regulatory authority – is under fire from a newly emboldened Republican majority in the House of Representatives. So perhaps it’s not surprising that the president’s top adviser on energy and climate issues, Carol Browner, is stepping down (New York Times, Washington Post).  Read more