Emission Reduction Assumptions for Carbon Dioxide Overly Optimistic, Study Says

Reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the coming century will be more challenging than society has been led to believe, according to a research commentary appearing this week in the journal Nature.The authors, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, and McGill University in Montreal, said the technological challenges of reducing CO2 emissions have been significantly ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111348&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

National Science Board Names 2008 Public Service Award Winners

The National Science Board (NSB) today announced its 2008 Public Service Award Winners: the Bayer Corporation and SAE International. NSB will honor the awardees for increasing the public understanding of science and engineering at a black tie dinner and ceremony on May 6, 2008, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. BayerThe NSB is paying tribute to Bayer for its long-standing and exemplary commitment to science public outreach, science education ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111368&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

New Star Systems First of Their Kind

Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today in Astrophysical Journal Letters that they have discovered a faraway binary star system that could be the progenitor of a rare type of supernova.The two yellow stars, which orbit each other and even share a large amount of stellar material, resemble a peanut. The Ohio State University astronomers and their colleagues believe the two stars in the system, 13 million light years away and tucked inside a ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111349&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Small is Big During NanoDays

April 2008 witnesses the launch of two efforts--with major funding from the National Science Foundation--that are intended to promote understanding of nanotechnology among the general public. Nanotechnology is the art and science of manipulating matter at the nanoscale (down to 1/100,000 the width of a human hair) to create new and unique materials and products. It is also the subject of "Nanotechnology: The Power of Small," a three-part, in-depth

Is Graphene the New Silicon?

Research results from University of Maryland physicists show that graphene, a new material that combines aspects of semiconductors and metals, could be a leading candidate to replace silicon in applications ranging from high-speed computer chips to biochemical sensors. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnolgy, reveals that graphene conducts electricity at room temperature with less intrinsic ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111341&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Coming Together to Help Grow the Next Generation of Computing Leaders

Javier Rosa is on a mission. As an undergraduate at Rutgers University double-majoring in computer science and mathematics, he hopes to one day pursue an advanced degree in computer science with a focus on computational biology or bioinformatics and work to fight cancer. Many college students studying at top-tier research universities have similarly ambitious goals, but two factors make Javier's academic journey particularly remarkable. For one thing, his passion for fighting cancer ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111301&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Rich Terrorist, Poor Terrorist

New research suggests political freedom and geographic factors contribute significantly to causes of terrorism, challenging the common view that terrorism is rooted in poverty. "There is no significant relationship between a country's wealth and level of terrorism once other factors like the country's level of political freedom are taken into account," says Alberto Abadie, public policy professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Abadie's review of ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111328&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

A Planet in Progress?

Scientists are one step closer to understanding how new planets form, thanks to research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and carried out by a team of astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History.Ben R. Oppenheimer, assistant curator in the museum's Department of Astrophysics, and his colleagues have used the Lyot Project coronograph attached to a U.S. Air Force telescope on Maui, Hawaii, to construct an image of material that seems to be coalescing into a ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111330&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Online Magazine for Elementary Teachers Brings Polar Issues Into Classrooms Nationwide

To fill a national void in the elementary school curriculum and capitalize on student interest in the polar regions, Ohio State University and the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) have launched a new online magazine for teachers in the early grades.The National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded publication, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is designed to help teachers develop their ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111303&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Countering an Approaching Water Crisis

As growing demand for clean water stretches even the resources of the world's largest industrialized nations, scientists and engineers are turning to new technology and novel ideas to find solutions.Mark Shannon of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joined a slate of world leaders in water resource research to address this crisis in a review paper in the March 20, 2008, issue of Nature."As dire as the growing problems are with a lack of ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111305&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

"Nanominerals" Influence Earth Systems from Ocean to Atmosphere to Biosphere

The ubiquity of tiny particles of minerals--mineral nanoparticles--in oceans and rivers, atmosphere and soils, and in living cells are providing scientists with new ways of understanding Earth's workings. Our planet's physical, chemical, and biological processes are influenced or driven by the properties of these minerals.So states a team of researchers from seven universities in a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Science: ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111279&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Tiny Torrents

Engineers harnessing the same physical property that drives silent household air purifiers have created a miniaturized device that is now ready for testing as a silent, ultra-thin, low-power and low maintenance cooling system for laptop computers and other electronic devices.The compact, solid-state fan, developed with support from NSF's Small Business Innovation Research program, is the most powerful and energy efficient fan of its size. ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111293&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Tell Them Where it Hurts

EMBARGOED until March 18, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. ET For statues, stress injuries come from standing in place for hundreds of years. Using a novel technique, researchers have now developed a way to predict such fracturing, applying the procedure to Michelangelo's David in an analysis that proved simpler, faster and more accurate than previous methods. In applying the technique to other objects -- including human bones -- the researchers are also gaining new ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111276&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

New Window Opens on the Secret Life of Microbes: Scientists Develop First Microbial Profiles of Ecosystems

Nowhere is the principle of "strength in numbers" more apparent than in the collective power of microbes: despite their simplicity, these one-cell organisms--which number about 5 million trillion trillion strong (no, that is not a typo) on Earth--affect virtually every ecological process, from the decay of organic material to the production of oxygen.But even though microbes essentially rule the Earth, scientists have never before been able to conduct comprehensive studies ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111275&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

"Telework" Benefits Employers, Employees and the Environment

The Telework ExchangeSM, a public-private partnership focused on telework, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), today announced the results of a joint study, "Telework Under the Microscope--A Report on the National Science Foundation's Telework Program."  Based on survey responses from 87 percent of NSF's employees, the study shows that telework is a win-win-win for managers, employees and the environment.Among top-level findings, the study reveals that ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111252&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

High-School Scientists Decode DNA Sequence, Present Findings

Opportunities for high school students to do research as part of a science class are--sadly--all too rare. Where such opportunities do exist, students often find themselves going through the motions of an experiment with a predetermined outcome.Against this backdrop, imagine a project where students can work in a rapidly advancing field, doing original research, then publish their results and share them with the scientific community. About 300 New Jersey high school students have such ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111243&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Memory on Trial

The U.S. legal system has long assumed that all testimony is not equally credible, that some witnesses are more reliable than others. In tough cases with child witnesses, it assumes adult witnesses to be more reliable. But what if the legal system had it wrong?Researchers Valerie Reyna, human development professor, and Chuck Brainerd, human development and law school professor-- both from Cornell University -- argue that like the two-headed Roman god Janus, memory is of two ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111230&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Attend Capital Science 2008, a Premier Showcase of Scientific Talent, at NSF

Do you want to learn about timely, dynamic scientific issues straight from leading experts? If so, attend Capital Science (CapSci) 2008 on Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30, 2008, at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Va., near the Ballston Metro stop.  This event--which is sponsored by the Washington Academy of Sciences--should appeal to scientists, researchers, professors, students, policy-makers, government professionals, reporters, ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111233&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Tax Rebates Versus Tax Bonuses

On Feb. 13, 2008, the president signed a $168 billion stimulus package designed to give $300, $600 or $1,200 checks to more than 100 million Americans. It was the second time in seven years that lawmakers agreed to return additional tax money in hopes that people would spend it to stimulate a sluggish economy. A key question: Will those receiving checks spend enough to have the desired effect?Economic theory says "yes" -- give people money and they will spend it. ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111197&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.

Tim Killeen to Become NSF Assistant Director for Geosciences

Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr., director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), today announced the appointment of  Timothy Killeen to become NSF Assistant Director for the Geosciences. Killeen, currently director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and president of the American Geophysical Union, will assume his new post July 1."Tim Killeen's vision for the geosciences will be invaluable in guiding NSF during this renaissance period for addressing the ... More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111199&govDel=USNSF_51 This is an NSF News item.