Nov. 25, 2014 – This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
Republican Steering Committee Recommends House Committee Chairs for 114th Congress
Nov. 18, 2014 | Speaker Boehner’s Press Office
The House Republican Steering Committee made recommendations for new committee chairs for the 114th Congress. These chair recommendations will be presented to the full House Republican Conference for approval.
- Read more about Congressional Committees relevant to neuroscience.
Who Will Hold Science's Purse Strings in New House?
Nov. 20, 2014 | ScienceInsider
Two spending panels in the House that have influence over federal research funding will have new chairs in January. The article examines subcommittees and new chairs of interest to scientific research.
Science Gets a Nod in Obama’s Immigration Plans
Nov. 21, 2014 | ScienceInsider
President Obama’s immigration speech included several moves that will have an impact on the research community. This includes making it easier for foreign students studying in the US to get temporary work permits and for foreign researchers with US work permits to apply for permanent residency.
New Special Report Highlights NSF-Funded Broader Impacts
Nov. 12, 2014 | National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation released a special report “to showcase broader impacts and examples of the diverse and far-reaching ways NSF-supported science touches our lives.”
Articles of Interest
A Vital Brain Structure Was Forgotten for 100 Years Because Scientists Couldn’t Agree
Nov. 18, 2014 | The Washington Post
A group of researchers tracked the complicated history of long-forgotten neural pathway, revealing that the brain structure — which is vital to our ability to read — was lost to neurologists for a century because of bickering and confusion.
- Learn more about neuroanatomy at BrainFacts.org.
‘Emotional Map’ Reveals Where Human Body Feels Gentle Touch
Nov. 17, 2014 | LiveScience
Humans may also have an emotional body map that corresponds to feelings of gentle touch, according to new research presented at the 44th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
- Read more about senses and perception at BrainFacts.org.
Alzheimer’s Test Detects Disease Decade Ahead of Onset
Nov. 17, 2014 | Bloomberg News
A new blood test for Alzheimer’s appears to detect the disease as many as 10 years before clinical diagnosis is possible -- far sooner than other tests in development.
- Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease at BrainFacts.org.
Cutting Calories Slows Aging, New Study Finds
Nov. 17, 2014 | The Washington Post
A new study conducted on female mice by neuroscientists at the NYU Langone Medical Center suggests that restricting diets affects hundreds of genes linked to aging and memory formation.
- Read more about learning and memory at BrainFacts.org.
Electrical Scalp Device Can Slow Progression of Deadly Brain Tumors
Nov. 15, 2014 | The New York Times
An electrical device glued to the scalp can prolong survival in people with the deadliest type of brain tumor, glioblastoma, researchers have found.
- Learn more about brain tumors at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Reproducibility Issue May Be Science’s Growing Pains
Nov. 20, 2014 | Nora’s Blog- NIDA
As scientists are working to address issues of reproducibility, it is important to note that this issue may reflect increased complexity in scientific research. Issues of reproducibility may be growing pains for the field, and scientists can try to maximize data quality by focusing on proper methodology and transparency of findings.
- Learn more about 2014 annual meeting events that discussed enhancing reproducibility.
The Rules of Replication: Should There Be Standard Protocols for How Researchers Attempt to Reproduce the Work of Others?
Nov. 1, 2014 | TheScientist
Science is currently experiencing a “reproducibility crisis,” and questions remain on the best way to go about replication. This article examines suggestions and initiatives aimed to establish protocols for replicating the work of other scientists.
New GOP Leaders Embrace Science but Don’t Hug Trees
Nov. 24, 2014 | Scientific American
The House Committee on Appropriations “recently appointed two relatively science-friendly chairmen to powerful subcommittee seats.” The author profiles the two appointees and discusses the potential impact for science and scientific research.
- Read more about Congressional committees relevant to neuroscience.
Seventy Years Ago This Week, a Science Policy Milestone
Nov. 19, 2014 | ScienceBlog
On November 17, 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented questions about post-WWII scientific research. These questions, and the responses from the head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, laid the foundation for the National Science Foundation.
The Shrinking World of Ideas
Nov. 21, 2014 | The Chronicle Review
Originally titled “Neuroscience is ruining the humanities,” this article is an opinion piece on how brain research has impacted the humanities.
