NAE Awards Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Grants

March 15, 2019

Two Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Grants of $30,000 each have been awarded to attendees of the National Academy of Engineering’s 2018 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. The grants provide seed funding to enable further pursuit of important new interdisciplinary research and projects stimulated by the symposia. Read More

Joint Statement on Need for International Framework on Heritable Genome Editing

March 13, 2019

In response to a commentary in Nature that calls for a moratorium on clinical uses of heritable genome editing and the establishment of an international governance framework, a statement by the presidents of the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society says that the commentary "underscores the urgent need for an internationally accepted framework that addresses these complex scientific, ethical, and societal issues. "Toward that end, the U.S. National Academies and the Royal Society are leading an international commission to detail the scientific and the ethical issues that must be considered in planning any genome editing, and to define specific criteria and standards for evaluating whether proposed clinical trials or applications that involve germline editing should be permitted." Read More

Russian and U.S. Academies Sign Agreement to Continue Cooperation

March 13, 2019

The president of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the presidents of NAS, NAE, and NAM have signed a five-year agreement to continue their cooperation on studies, workshops, and other activities in areas of mutual interest, marking 60 years of cooperation between the Russian and U.S. academies.Learn More

NAS, NAE, and NAM Presidents Highlight Facts on Vaccine Safety in Light of Measles Outbreaks

March 8, 2019

The current measles outbreaks in the United States and elsewhere are being fueled by misinformation about the safety of vaccines. To help counter such misinformation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine created a website that provides clear, concise, and evidence-based answers to questions about vaccine safety and other commonly asked questions about health and science. The evidence base includes a number of our studies examining vaccine access, safety, scheduling, and possible side effects. Our work has validated that the science is clear — vaccines are extremely safe. Read full message from the presidents

2018 Cozzarelli Prize Recipients Announced

March 7, 2019

The Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has selected six papers published by PNAS in 2018 to receive the Cozzarelli Prize, an award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences. Papers were chosen from the more than 3,200 research articles that appeared in the journal last year.

NAS President Testifies on Capitol Hill

March 6, 2019

Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, spoke to the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee about "Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Science and Technology." Committee's web page Read the formal testimony

G20 Science Academies Release Statement on Threats to Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Conservation of the Ocean Environment

March 6, 2019

Representatives from the national academies of sciences of the G20 countries handed over recommendations for improving marine conservation to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe today in Tokyo, for later consultation at this year's G20 summit. The statement was jointly drafted by the G20 National Academies of Sciences under the leadership of the Science Council of Japan. The G20 summit will take place on June 28 and 29 in Osaka, Japan.

$2.5 Million in Grants Available to Advance Understanding and Prediction of Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

March 6, 2019

The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced a new funding opportunity to provide up to $2.5 million in grants to foster innovative approaches that support its ongoing efforts to improve understanding and prediction of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System. Read More

Sodium and Potassium Dietary Reference Intake Values Updated in New Report; Introduces New Category for Sodium Based on Chronic Disease Risk Reduction

March 5, 2019

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reviews current evidence and updates intake recommendations known as the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for sodium and potassium that were established in 2005. Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium revises the Adequate Intakes (AIs), which are the best estimate of intakes assumed adequate for apparently healthy individuals. The report reaffirms the sodium AI for individuals ages 14-50, decreases the sodium AIs for children age 1-13, increases the sodium AIs for adults ages 51 and older, and decreases the potassium AIs for individuals age 1 and older. The report also uses guidance from a 2017 National Academies report to introduce the first DRI specific to chronic disease risk reduction. Read More

New Decadal Survey for the Social and Behavioral Sciences Presents Guidance to the Intelligence Community

March 5, 2019

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that the U.S. Intelligence Community make sustained collaboration with researchers in the social and behavioral sciences a key priority as it develops research objectives for the coming decade. Read More