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AAAS 2010: Let the blogging begin

The American Association for the Advancement of Science puts on one of the biggest science shindigs of the year, and Nature journalists will soon be blogging from the conference to bring you the freshest morsels of research news and gossip.

AAAS: Bowser blazes the trail

AAAS: Bowser blazes the trail

Whenever I see Elaine Ostrander talk about dogs, I feel sorry for human geneticists. Ostrander, a researcher at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute on Bethesda, Maryland, studies the hundreds of dog breeds that exist in the world. And because human breeders have simplified dog genetics enormously, it’s a lot easier to answer questions about the genetic basis of all kinds of traits in dogs than it is in humans.  Read more

AAAS: Climate issue getting “more complicated”

AAAS: Climate issue getting "more complicated"

A leader of the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told the meeting today that the world’s climate is likely to change much faster than predicted, leaving the world with two choices: start cutting carbon emissions earlier, or make the cuts deeper.  Read more

AAAS: The greatest mystery of all….

AAAS: The greatest mystery of all....

Since it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, you know what I’m talking about. That’s right, it’s love. Valentine’s Day always happens some time during this conference, to the eternal consternation (or relief?) of conference-goers forced to spend the holiday apart from their adored ones. But it usually means we get treated to some “science of romance” stories, and this year is no exception, as the conference organizers thoughtfully organized a press conference on the science of kissing.  Read more

AAAS: US visa woes

Posted on behalf of Karen Kaplan A terrific session about global partnerships that’s part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting this week fell a bit afoul of US visa regulations this morning. The panel presentation, “New Partnerships for Science in the Cradle of Humanity,” aimed to address and discuss existing and developing industrial, governmental and academic partnerships throughout Africa and with other nations. Great topic, great content. The problem? One of the session’s co-organizers, Thomas Egwang, executive director of the African Academy of Sciences in Nairobi, Kenya, couldn’t be here for it — because he  … Read more

AAAS: Risk assessment for climate reporters

Global warming stories are a mainstream media mainstay now, and the Obama-for-Bush swap in Washington means the climate change beat is heating up. But the media world is going through radical changes of its own. With science and environment reporters often the first cut from dying news organizations, what’s in store for climate change coverage?  Read more