NAS Announces Initiative to Connect Entertainment Industry With Top Experts

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced today the creation of “The Science and Entertainment Exchange,” an initiative designed to connect entertainment industry professionals with top scientists and engineers to help the creators of television shows, films, video games, and other productions incorporate science into their work. The Exchange represents the Academy’s first formal effort to reach out to the entertainment community and provide the creative minds of Hollywood with a direct connection to the creative minds of science.
…
Relying on the special connections available to the NAS, the Exchange can make introductions, schedule briefings, and arrange for consultations for anyone developing science-based entertainment content. Endorsed by the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and Women in Film, this new resource is being promoted to all levels of writers, directors, producers, and others in the entertainment industry. Professionals involved in the creative process may contact the Exchange to be connected with scientists, engineers, health professionals, and other experts for help with their productions and stories.

+ The Science and Entertainment Exchange

Source: National Academy of Sciences

Animal Testing: Launch of a new website to inform about the development of alternative methods

The European Commission has launched today a new website, the so-called ‘Tracking System for Alternative test methods Review Validation and Approval (TSAR)’, designed to track the development of new alternative test methods which should replace, reduce and refine current animal testing.

“The launch of this website is good news: it proves that we are serious about our commitment to develop alternative methods to animal testing and to be transparent about progress being made” said European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Poto?nik. “It is in all our interests to avoid the use of animals in testing, for both ethical and animal welfare reasons. We also need fast, reliable and cost-effective test methods which ensure the safety of products for users, to help European industry, and which satisfy regulators.”

The purpose of TSAR is to enable citizens and other interested parties to track progress of the review, validation and approval of alternative test methods, ensuring greater transparency of the process. The ultimate aim will be to cover each and every step of the validation route, from submission of a new method for pre-validation through to final adoption by its inclusion in EU legislation and/or related Guidance Documents. It will also explain the decisions that have been made at every step of the process. When the final decision on a proposed test method is negative, TSAR will clearly indicate the reasons why this decision has been taken. The website will be updated whenever a phase in the process is completed, ensuring the latest information is always available. However, to enable a rapid launch, the initial version covers only the part of regulatory approval of methods in the field of chemicals.

Source: EUROPA

One-Stop Web Shop for USGS Great ShakeOut Science Resources Now Open

You can now view video interviews, see earthquake animations and impacts, download high-resolution imagery and much more, all related to the USGS science behind the Great Southern California ShakeOut, all in one place: www.usgs.gov/shakeout.

This site is in support of the Great ShakeOut, an earthquake preparedness activity in Southern California that will include the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history, on Nov. 13, 2008. The ShakeOut is based on a San Andreas earthquake scenario that the USGS created along with emergency responders, power, water and transportation departments, social scientists, engineers and many others.

In the scenario, the earthquake would kill 1800 people, injure 50,000, cause $200 billion in damage, and have long-lasting social and economic consequences. The science and many of the people responsible for that scenario are highlighted on this new Web site, which includes:

• USGS ShakeOut Scenario scientific studies and products,
• multimedia interviews with USGS scientists
• video interviews with USGS partners about how science creates safer communities,
• video footage and images of areas vulnerable to a San Andreas earthquake,
• links to earthquake preparedness resources.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

NEI Releases Complete Data from Age-Related Eye Disease Study

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the release of more than 10 years of data collected during the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), which looked at the progression of age-related macular degeneration and age-related cataract in 4,757 adults aged 55 to 80.

Researchers around the world can apply for access to this complete set of medical history records and clinical trial results as well as select genetic information to gain a better understanding of two complicated vision conditions that affect aging adults.
…
The public, open-access AREDS data can be viewed on the dbGaP website at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000001.v2.p1. Researchers can find a link to the application for controlled access to individual-level data on the same site.

Source: National Eye Institute (NEI)

Google Uses Searches to Track Flu’s Spread

There is a new common symptom of the flu, in addition to the usual aches, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.

That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.

Tests of the new Web tool from Google.org, the company’s philanthropic unit, suggest that it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

+ Google.org Flu Trends

Source: New York Times

The Nature & Science of Autumn: A Guide to Selected Resources
Includes books, articles, Internet resources

Source: Library of Congress Science Reference Services

Direct to STB: Biomass Energy

Almost any combustible organic matter can potentially be used as an energy source. Biomass is typically defined as any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis. Materials from biomass can be used as fuel (biofuels), biobased chemicals (bioproducts), or for energy production (bioenergy).

This guide is not intended as a comprehensive bibliography, but rather highlights selected works and resources about biomass energy.

Source: LC

Koshland Science Museum’s online interactive sheds new light on world trends

The Marian Koshland Science Museum has launched an online, interactive exhibit that reveals fascinating stories about the world by allowing people to view changes in energy use around the world. The display, “Lights at Night,” provides a navigable, astronaut’s-eye view of the Earth at night using satellite data that spans a decade. Comparing the differences in energy use over time can starkly illustrate trends about people’s economic, political, and living situations in many different regions of the world.
…
Created with satellite data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Lights at Night” allows users to zoom in on one particular region of the world or view the entire Earth to see energy use in each of three different years; 1993, 1997, and 2003. Several features allow for comparisons between specific years. For example, viewers who hone in on Northern India can see how energy use has increased as the area’s population and economic fortune has grown. Viewing the stark differences between light use in North Korea and South Korea tells a different story about poverty and economic prosperity in the two countries. In addition, users can even spot such details as the lights from fishing vessels off the coast of Asia.

Source: Marian Koshland Science Museum (via The National Academies)

From the report:

Reinforcing its place in the scientific community, the arXiv repository at Cornell University Library reached a new milestone in October 2008: Half a million e-print postings — research articles published online — now reside in arXiv, which is free and available to the public.

Source: PhysOrg

Spinoff 2008 Highlights NASA Innovations In Everyday Life

The 2008 edition of NASA’s annual Spinoff publication celebrates the agency’s 50th anniversary and highlights 50 new examples of how NASA technology is being put to use in everyday life. This anniversary edition features a 50-year timeline of NASA-derived technologies from historical programs and projects, and a summary of award-winning NASA technologies included in Spinoff over the years.

Spinoff 2008 lists many of the latest NASA innovations now in the commercial marketplace. These innovations have resulted in healthcare advances, transportation breakthroughs, public safety benefits, new consumer goods, environmental protection, computer technology and industrial productivity.

+ Spinoff 2008

Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Improved user interface, updated mortality data, and addition of hospital locations in TOXMAP

TOXMAP now includes several interface improvements, updated mortality data, and names and locations of hospitals when the map is zoomed to the most detailed level. Hospital and other reference data can be hidden from maps via the “Reference Data” link.

Other recent changes include:

• Ability to view TRI facilities reporting releases in a particular TRI year
• Inclusion of links to TRI state fact sheets from EPA
• Ability to zoom to US national parks via “Zoom to a Place”
• Ability to toggle on and off the “auto-zoom” behavior in the main Search page
• Section 508 compliance improvements

Source: National Library of Medicine

From the announcement:

Haz-Map, from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), has been updated. The latest update includes 180 new chemical profiles, submitted by the United States Department of Labor.
http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/

Haz-Map is an occupational health database designed for health and safety professionals and for consumers seeking information about the health effects of exposure to chemicals and biologicals at work. Haz-Map links jobs and hazardous tasks with occupational diseases and their symptoms. It covers 2030 agents, and 225 occupational diseases. More information about Haz-Map can be obtained at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hazmap.html

Send Your Name Around The Earth On NASA’s Glory Mission

Members of the public can send their names around Earth on NASA’s Glory satellite, the first mission dedicated to understanding the effects of particles in the atmosphere and the sun’s variability on our climate.

The “Send Your Name Around the Earth” Web site enables everyone to take part in the science mission and place their names in orbit for years to come. The Web site, where participants can submit their information, is located at:

http://polls.nasa.gov/utilities/sendtospace/jsp/sendName.jsp

Participants will receive a printable certificate from NASA and have their name recorded on a microchip that will become part of the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is Nov. 1, 2008.

The Glory satellite will allow scientists to measure airborne particles more accurately from space than ever before. The particles, known as “aerosols,” are tiny bits of material found in Earth’s atmosphere, like dust and smog.

Source: NASA

Did the study work? Consumers can find out

Many of the most promising new medical treatments are just beyond the grasp of consumers simply because they don’t know about them. But that’s about to change. Beginning tomorrow, the nation’s database for clinical trials, www.ClinicalTrials.com, will begin adding the results of trials of drugs, medical devices and biologic products (such as vaccines) conducted in the United States.

ClinicalTrials.com was launched in 2000 to provide people with easy access to information about clinical trials. But until now, consumers who went to the website could find only details about the trial’s launch, such as the study’s design and who is eligible to enroll. Under the new rule, researchers sponsoring the trial must go back and post their results (except for very early-stage experiments, which are called Phase 1 trials) online within one year of the study’s conclusion or within 30 days of approval of a product by the Food and Drug Administration. The database will carry results of trials that were underway as of Sept. 27, 2007. However, researchers of previously completed trials have been encouraged to post their results, too.

The rule is a result of a law passed last year to demand more transparency in clinical trials. Consumer health advocates hope the requirement will make it harder for study sponsors to hide unexpected or harmful reactions to drugs or devices. In the past, consumers could only turn to medical and scientific journals to find out a study’s results. If the study wasn’t published, which sometimes happens especially if the trial failed, no one knew. Some pharmaceutical companies have been accused of hiding the results of studies, such as the side effects that were discovered with the arthritis medication Vioxx that was removed from the market in 2004.

Source: Booster Shots (Los Angeles Times)

Space Based Ornithology:Remote Sensing & Bird Migration

This reference guide highlights the literature on using remote sensing to study bird migration.

Source: Science Reference Section, Science, Technology and Business Division, Library of Congress