2008 News Blog

Researchers: Tuna Population Decline Similar to Cod Collapse

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:15:00 -0500

A panel of marine scientists at a AAAS Annual Meeting press briefing warned that regional tuna populations are being depleted at a dangerous rate, due to population mismanagement and the national palate for juvenile tuna.

If nothing is done to reverse the trend, the 18 February 2008 panel said regional tuna populations may experience a collapse similar to the Atlantic cod -- a favorite dish in Boston, once considered cheap and plentiful, that “shaped the economy of whole nations.”

“We will never know more about a fish than we knew about the Atlantic cod, yet their populations still collapsed,” said Daniel Pauly, a researcher at the University of British Columbia. “We need to make sure the same thing does not happen with tuna.”

Plenary Speakers Discuss Next Steps for Global Health

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0500

The AIDS epidemic is far from over, but the fight against the disease has entered a new phase that could contribute to healthier communities around the world if handled properly, experts said at the final plenary session of the AAAS Annual Meeting.

AIDS is the number one cause of death in Africa and the seventh largest cause of death worldwide, and places like Eastern Europe, Vietnam and China are the latest hotspots in the epidemic, said Peter Piot, executive director for UNAIDS and under-secretary general of the United Nations. He called AIDS "the make or break issue of our times."

AAAS Town Hall Examines Childhood Obesity

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:33:10 -0500

Whole communities, not individuals, should be the targets for understanding and combating childhood obesity across the globe, researchers agreed at a special town hall forum at the AAAS Annual Meeting.

The forum speakers said the childhood obesity epidemic is really twin epidemics of poor nutrition and diminishing physical activity, driven by powerful economic and cultural forces. As the scientists reported, children will lose the battle against these pervasive forces unless they have the support of their schools, families and towns.

"We have to change the environment so it's simple for kids to make a healthy choice," said Steven Gortmaker, director of the Harvard Prevention Research Center.

The Sounds of Science

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:12:00 -0500

Listen and learn more from the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting: You can hear from young science explorers who participated in Family Science Days over the weekend, and listen to ScienceNOW editor David Grimm talk about what it's like to cover the meeting on the Science magazine blog, Findings, in a series of Science podcasts here, along with coverage of researchers working on a sustainable bioeconomy. The Findings blog also probes the psychological disconnect between what you anticipate and what really happens, while AAAS radio program Science Update talks to a UCLA researcher about the link between ultrafine air pollution particles and heart disease.

Negroponte: Laptops Key to Global Knowledge

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:10:00 -0500

In a AAAS Annual Meeting plenary, Nicholas Negroponte, founder and director of One Laptop per Child (OLPC), detailed how he transformed a desire to provide access to learning into a successful non-profit organization providing low-cost computers to children in the developing world.

At its core, Negroponte said during his 17 February 2008 address, One Laptop per Child uses technology to foster in children a desire to learn and attend school by making education both interesting and useful.

Meeting Closes with Salon-Style Plenary on Global Health

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:30:00 -0500

The final day of the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston opens with a 8:00 a.m. salon-style plenary on global health challenges moderated by AAAS President David Baltimore.

The panel will feature Jim Young Kim, MD, director of the Francois Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University; Peter Piot, MD, executive director of the UNAIDS program; and Timothy Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund.

Beginning at 9:15, the final symposia include presentations on a possible link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease, new strategies for protecting tuna populations, and the evolving definition of a planet.

A call for symposia proposals is underway for the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting, with the theme of "Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures," which will convene 12-16 February 2009. See you in Chicago!

Scientists: Air Pollution Increases Risk for Heart Disease, Stroke

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:58:30 -0500

Speaking at a AAAS Annual Meeting press briefing on 17 February 2008, a panel of researchers said air pollution could lead to the hardening of arteries – atherosclerosis – with an impact similar to smoking.

While the results remain preliminary, the researchers said small-particles air pollutants, including gasoline and diesel exhaust, appear to cause increased plaque production in vascular systems of studied mice.

Astronomers Look for Earth-Like Worlds

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:08:45 -0500

To learn more about the solar system’s formation and the potential for extraterrestrial life, speakers in an AAAS Annual Meeting press briefing said debating what makes a planet is not as important as finding bodies that have planet-like characteristics.

At the 17 February 2008 briefing, Michael Meyer, an associate professor and astronomer at the University of Arizona, cited a paper he authored in the 1 February issue of The Astrophysics Journal in which he estimates between 20 and 60 percent of stars contain rocky planets similar to Earth around them.

These rocky planets, he said, might contain the necessary conditions to support life.

“I do not know exactly what a planet is, nor am I interested in a precise definition,” Meyer said. “I am much more interested in finding the characteristics of bodies in space.”

Research, Meeting Reports Fill Blog, Podcasts

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 11:01:59 -0500

Findings, the Science magazine news blog, lives up to its name this week with reports on research presented at the 2008 AAAS annual meeting on pesticide mixtures' impact on salmon and satellites aiding human rights efforts, and podcasts on emerging chemical contaminants, the evolution of morality, and the engineering challenges of the 21st century. But the blog also moves beyond the sessions to single out faces in the crowd for attendee interviews; lets you listen in on a cocktail hour conversation about historic figures in the Royal Society, which celebrates its 350th anniversary in 2010; and tells you five more things you didn't know, this time about AAAS president-elect and climate scientist James McCarthy. Meanwhile, the AAAS radio program Science Update is reporting on the impact climate change may have on reintroducing predators to the Antarctic.

Fedoroff: A Call For Science Diplomats

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:45:00 -0500

The world needs more science diplomats who can lend their expertise and passion to solving global problems of environmental degradation and poverty in developing nations, said Nina Fedoroff in her AAAS plenary address on 16 February 2008.

Fedoroff, science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State and adviser to the Administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said scientists are already roused to work on these problems, but may be paralyzed by the thought that they have nothing to contribute. (See a video of the plenary address.)

Clinton, Obama S&T Advisers Square Off At AAAS

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:33:00 -0500

Science and technology advisers to the U.S. presidential campaigns of Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama outlined their candidates' S&T plans and took questions from a standing-room-only audience at the AAAS Annual Meeting on 16 February 2008.

Childhood Obesity and Nutrition Town Hall, Negroponte Delivers Plenary

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:00:00 -0500

A free town hall-style event on understanding obesity and childhood nutrition at 1:15 p.m. will bring teachers, students, public health professional, and scientists to the Boston Marriott Copley Place. The event will cover key topics including childhood nutrition worldwide, nutrition instruction in the K-12 science curriculum, and finding time for exercise.

Invited participants include: Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; Sally Squires, Washington Post health reporter; Mark Fenton, PBS host of “America’s Walking;” and Virginia Stallings, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

This special event—planned under the auspices of the AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology—is free and open to the public as well as all AAAS Annual Meeting registrants.

At 6:30 p.m., Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of One Laptop per Child, will deliver a plenary address also in the Boston Marriot. Negroponte’s non-profit association was launched in 2005 to provide low-cost laptops and Internet access to poor children in developing countries. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he has provided start-up funds for more than 40 companies, including Wired Magazine.

Young Engineers Serve Up Fun at Family Science Days in Boston

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:59:00 -0500

At AAAS Family Science Days, children could discover the science behind the “walking the dog” Yo-Yo trick, explore underwater earthquakes and tsunamis through Second Life, and learn how racecar drivers use science to cross the finish line first.

But perhaps the most inventive display at Family Science Days – which ran 16-17 February 2008 at the AAAS Annual Meeting -- was an exhibit with two machines dispensing candy and lemonade. These were not your average vending equipment. They were Rube Goldberg Machines designed by four aspiring engineers in the Science Club for Girls.

So You Think You Know Baseball? New Ways to Use Statistics

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:35:00 -0500

Speakers at a 16 February press briefing at the AAAS Annual Meeting weren't sure when we would see laptops in baseball dugouts, but explained teams are increasingly relying on advanced statistics to evaluate player performance.

While the use of advanced statistics in baseball--also known as sabrmetrics--is not new, the panel said teams will soon be using them to evaluate overall defensive talent, fielding range, and managerial strategies.

“Fielding is a very important part of a player's performance, but it poses challenges if you want to statistically compare or model players,” said Shane Jensen, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “The defensive statistics are just not as apparent as counting home runs, hits, or runs.”

Focus on "Remarkable Women" At Networking Breakfast

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:30:00 -0500

At the Women and Minorities in Science Networking Breakfast at the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting, attendees were introduced to a collection of inspiring stories from famous and not-so-famous "remarkable women" researchers.

Published by the AAAS/Science Business Office, the booklet "Beating the Odds: Remarkable Women in Science" shares the secrets of women who juggle family and career, make their careers in industry and share their love of research with their communities, explained Science commercial editor Sean Sanders, who helped compile the volume. The booklet was created in partnership with the L'Oreal Foundation, which also supports the L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women in Science program administered by AAAS.