“One of science’s great titans.”

NIH Director Francis S. Collins sings the praises of Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Marshall W. Nirenberg, who has died aged 82 (Washington Post).

“Our intent is to have them displayed in the United States and have them shown to as many citizens as possible. The intent is not for NASA to make money.”

NASA spokesman Michael Curie says it is cutting the price of the Space Shuttles – which end their working lives later this year – from $42 million to $28.8 million each. But it seems museums will get preference to deep-pocketed space-nerd billionaires (Orlando Sentinel Write Stuff blog).

“Many presidents feel that it’s important to share some of the pain.”

Raymond D. Cotton, a Washington lawyer working in HE employment contract, tells the Chronicle of Higher Education why some presidents of public universities are taking pay freezes when they’re contractually entitled to more money.

“This project would create strict legislation to guarantee 100% smoke-free public venues and workplaces and figure out a feasible and forceful working mechanism to enforce the smoking ban.”

Wang Yu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, comments on proposals for smoking bans in seven cities (China Daily).

“I have been reading with growing indignation what appears to be a sustained vendetta against me in The Sunday Telegraph and on your blogs.”

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC, comments on the latest of the Telegraph’s articles about him.