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| The latest news from the Academies
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Sep. 8 -- Centers that produce climate predictions, such as seasonal hurricane or longer-term drought forecasts, could increase their value for officials by modifying procedures for archiving and disseminating information, says a new report from the National Research Council. In addition, advancements in observational capabilities, statistical and dynamical models, and data assimilation systems could enhance understanding of key climate processes and improve forecasts.
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Aug. 30 -- A new report from the InterAcademy Council, an organization of the world’s science academies, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, says that the process used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to produce its periodic assessment reports has been a success overall, but that IPCC needs to reform its management structure, strengthen its procedures, and become more transparent to handle increasingly complex climate assessments and greater public scrutiny. The report was released today at the United Nations.
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Aug. 26 -- Beginning in September, the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., will offer a new season of public programs. Art Kramer, psychology professor, University of Illinois, will host a program on training your brain with video games; Carl Zimmer, award-winning author and science journalist, will talk about communicating science using new media; and there will be a science trivia night at the museum.
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Aug. 12 -- A new report by the National Research Council identifies the highest-priority research activities for astronomy and astrophysics in the next decade that will "set the nation firmly on the path to answering profound questions about the cosmos." The decadal survey -- the Research Council's sixth -- prioritizes activities based on their ability to advance science in key areas, and for the first time also takes into account factors such as risks in technical readiness, schedule, and cost.
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| Breaking stories in science
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Aug. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced yesterday that National Academy of Sciences President Ralph J. Cicerone will serve as a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, representing the NAS. Also joining Cicerone are five members of the National Academy of Engineering:
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Jul. 14 -- A new rule announced by the government this week makes it easier for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to receive disability benefits. This change could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam.
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Jun. 3 -- Five members of the National Academy of Sciences, two of whom are also members of the Institute of Medicine, were among eight scientists awarded the prestigious Kavli Prize today. NAS members Jerry Nelson, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Roger Angel, University of Arizona, Tucson, were among the winners of the astrophysics prize. NAS member Richard Scheller, Genentech, shared the neuroscience prize with Thomas Südhof, Stanford University School of Medicine, and James Rothman, Yale University, both NAS and IOM members.
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May. 14 -- The U.S. Senate this week confirmed Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander to lead the new U.S. Cyber Command, which the Defense Department created in response to increasing threats to its computer networks. The command is charged with giving early warning about cyber threats to the U.S. military and responding to them.
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