Science academies from the G20 countries under the leadership of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released a joint statement to inform discussions within their respective governments on how advanced technologies can be used to strengthen preparedness and response to natural hazards and disasters. The statement will be presented to the G20 prior to the summit to be held in Miami, Florida, in December.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded jointly to NAS member Karl Deisseroth, NAS international member Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to NAS member Francis Halzen for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to NAS member Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford for the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilization.
Rocks are the source of many of the materials we rely on every day, but they also play a much broader role in shaping our planet. For Earth Science Week, which this year highlights critical minerals, we spoke with NAS member and geochemist Susan Brantley about her research on the processes that transform rocks over time—from weathering and interactions with water and living organisms, to their influence on soils, nutrients, and climate. She also discusses our reliance on materials mined from the Earth and the challenges of meeting society’s demand for critical minerals more sustainably.
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November 18, 2026
Distinctive Voices—Zip code: The elephant in a child’s brain
For decades, neuroimaging studies have searched for brain signatures of…
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