Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
Nobel Winners Urge European Commission Not to Cut Funds for Science
Feb. 19, 2015 | The Independent
Dozens of European Nobel prize-winners wrote a letter to the President of the European Commission asking him to reverse plans to cut research funding.
- Read more about neuroscience funding globally.
Ukraine’s Science Minister Aims to Mend Soviet-Era Rift
Feb. 17, 2015 | Science Insider
The current conflict in Ukraine has overshadowed efforts made by Serhiy Kvit, Ukraine’s education and science minister, to try to reform Ukraine’s higher education and science system.
- Learn more about global advocacy programs.
NSF Director Calls for More Funding to Spur US Innovation
Feb. 18, 2015 | ASU News
During a national tour of research facilities that receive NSF funding, director France Cordova emphasized the importance of brain research.
- Find more information about neuroscience funding through NSF.
Nature to Allow Double-Blind Peer Review
Feb. 18, 2015 | Times Higher Education
Nature research journals will introduce the option for double-blind peer review of articles. This move comes after a trial showed that double-blind review had “no substantive effects” on the quality of reviews.
- Learn more about how to review a paper.
Articles of Interest
Scientists are Cautious About Public Outreach
Feb. 19, 2015 | Nature News
While many scientists think that they should participate in public debates about science, a new survey shows that many have misgivings about doing so.
- Watch a webinar about participating in outreach activities.
Human DNA Enlarges Mouse Brains
Feb. 19, 2015 | Science
Researchers increased the size of mouse brains by giving them a piece of human DNA that controls gene activity, providing some of the strongest genetic evidence yet for how the human brain expanded.
- Read more about the evolution of the brain at BrainFacts.org.
How Marijuana Highjacks Your Brain to Give You the Munchies
Feb. 18, 2015 | NPR
Researchers have a big clue why insatiable hunger follows pot-smoking: Cannabinoids, the drug in marijuana, appear to flip a neural circuit that normally tells us we're full.
- Learn more about how marijuana affects your brain at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
The Credit System in Science is Outdated
Feb. 13, 2015 | Chronicle Vitae
Scientists get credit based on authorship of journal articles, but this system may not accurately reflect the complex collaborative work that most scientific publications are built upon.
- Learn more about publishing your research.
Science Under Attack in the 114th Congress
Feb. 17, 2015 | The Hill
In response to Sen. Ran Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) recent op-ed, Rep. Mike Quiqley (D-IL) and Andrew Rosenberg, PhD, discuss “attempts to undermine the use of science in making policy,” and the long term importance of making science-based policies.
- Register for an upcoming webinar on how congressional staff affects science.
