Cameron Neylon is a Senior Scientist in Biomolecular Sciences at the ISIS Neutron Scattering facility at the Science and Technology Facilities Council. He has more than a passing interest in “Open Research” and is well-known for advocating the benefits for science of open access, both in terms of data and publications. Download ‘Reusing data’ (5.7MB)…
Although it was by far the most visible thing we did, the Science is Vital rally was never intended to be the only event. It was, more than anything, a publicity stunt designed to rally support and to send a message to the Treasury that we were serious. There was, as you might expect from…
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. —Margaret Mead There comes a time when you have to say, “Enough.” Draw a line in the sand—this far, and no further. To stand up for what you hold dear. That’s all…
Skip the postdoc? The National Institutes of Health has begun a new program that allows PhDs and MDs to become Principal Investigators — without doing a postdoc. The Early Independence Awards (DP5) offer up to $250,000 in annual direct costs for five years for the “pool of talented young scientists who have the intellect, scientific…
There are some interesting parallels between today’s Nobel Prize-winning technology (in vitro fertilization) and embryonic stem cell research. In the early days, Robert Geoffrey Edwards experienced some pushback from people who had ethical concerns about the technique. And IVF provides a potential source of new embryonic stem cell lines, in the form of unused embryos.…
In this guest post, Stephen Curry calls for scientists in the UK to support the Science is Vital campaign. Thanks to the world-wide economic reverberations of the credit crunch, Britain’s deficit stands at around £160 billion, meaning that to run UK plc for the coming year the government will have to spend £160bn more than it…
Stem cells, etc. The wires are abuzz about the potential fall-out from last week’s ruling by a federal district judge to deny federal funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. At Science, read about potential repercussions (i.e. lab layoffs); worries that the ban could extend to all hESC research, not just new grants; and…
First edible GM animal? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may soon approve the first genetically modified animal for humans to eat
Looming budget cuts are set to wipe out whole research groups at the Natural History Museum, but a concerted effort from the community may yet save them. The ongoing financial crisis, and the determination of the new coalition Government to tackle it, undoubtedly signal hard times to come for science in Britain. Professor Brian Cox…
One of our most popular stories last week revealed that some scientists applying for foundation funding are getting caught up in legal snags that are delaying — or perhaps even preventing them from accepting — the award. We profiled William Ja, a Scripps molecular biologist who received an award from the Found Animals Foundation to…
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