07 JANUARY 2011, No. 977
CONTENTS
UK SCIENCE POLICY
FUNDING
HIGHER EDUCATION
HEALTH POLICY
RESEARCH ETHICS
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE
AFRICA
ASIA
EUROPE
EUROPEAN UNION
NORTH AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA
INTERNATIONAL
UK SCIENCE POLICY
1 The organic approach
An interview with Sir John Beddington, the Government's chief scientific adviser, discusses his "collegiate" approach to the post; the recent decisions on the science budget; and his role in ensuring that all Government departments, other than the Treasury, have appointed their own scientific adviser.
THE 1979 23 December 2010 p.20
2 International aid focuses on saving lives of pregnant women
In its strategy for international aid, the Department for International Development (DfID) will focus on improving family planning and maternal and child health, with an average of £740 million a year being spent on initiatives in theses areas. DfID's other focus will be to dramatically reduce the number of deaths from malaria.
Guardian 31 December 2010 p.15
See also: The Lancet 377 7 January 2011 p.98
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3 UK Science faces facilities freeze
The Department of Business Innovation and Skills has announced a 40 per cent cut to the annual capital budgets for the Research Councils and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. A handful of large facilities were spared the cuts, including the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, along with some subscriptions to international collaborations such as CERN.
Nature 468 23 December 2010 p.1010
See also: Financial Times 21 December 2010 p.2
THE 1979 23 December 2010 p.6-7
4 Bid to help the aged
The Medical Research Council and Arthritis Research UK are investing £2.5 million in a new multidisciplinary centre that will carry out research into musculoskeletal aging. Universities are being invited to bid for the right to host the centre.
THE 1979 23 December 2010 p.13
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5 Chair to the hot seat: Browne may have to give evidence to MPs' inquiry
The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee is to launch a major inquiry into the Government's higher education reforms. The inquiry will be timed to follow the publication of the Government's White Paper on higher education, expected in early spring.
THE 1980 6 January 2011 p.8-9
6 Poetic justice - arts backed by state and science by industry
In an interview, Allan Goodman, head of the Institute of International Education, criticises the Government's decision to cut teaching funding for arts and humanities subjects. He argues that the business sector should play a greater role in supporting commercially-relevant subjects such as science and engineering, leaving Government to focus on supporting culture and the arts.
THE 1980 6 January 2011 p.8-9
7 Save university arts from the bean counters
A comment piece urges scientists to offer support to university humanities and arts departments in the face of widespread funding cuts in many countries. It suggests that universities should not be governed according to the economic principles of market forces and profit, but should aim to preserve, as well as discover, knowledge.
Nature 468 23 December 2010 p.1003
8 Secondary school science has improved, says Ofsted
A review by Ofsted looking at science teaching in 200 schools and colleges in England has found improved rates of success in science at GCSE level, and an increased number of pupils opting to take triple science at this level. The review highlights an increase in the quality of teaching in secondary schools, but concerns remain about the number of primary school teachers with science and mathematics expertise.
BBC News Online 7 January 2011
See also: Daily Telegraph 7 January 2011 p.12
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9 Lansley faces flak over yet another broken promise on healthcare
Experts have criticised the coalition Government for a failure to recognise the importance of research in its new mental health strategy. While Labour's 'New Horizons' strategy promised to increase mental health research spending from less than two per cent to 11 per cent of the total health research budget, the coalition is not expected to commit any money to research as part of its strategy.
Independent 2 January 2011 p.12
10 Government spells out how value based pricing will work
The Government has issued a consultation paper which outlines its plans to change the way drugs are priced in the UK. The new value-based pricing system, set to be introduced in 2014, will price drugs according to the value they bring to the patient.
BMJ 342 1 January 2011 p.13
11 NICE is told to halt its work on 19 public health topics
Following the recent public health White Paper, the Government has told the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to significantly cut its work programme on public health. Six sets of guidance will be abandoned and a further 13 "put on hold", in light of Government plans for greater business and voluntary sector involvement in public health strategy.
BMJ 342 1 January 2011 p.11
12 Thatcher stalwart to head new Aids inquiry
With nearly 100,000 people in the UK infected by HIV, the former health secretary Norman Fowler is to head up a House of Lords investigation into the spread of the disease in the UK and the efforts to combat it. The investigation comes 25 years after Fowler's 'Don't die of ignorance' campaign, which helped to reduce the rate of HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Guardian 30 December 2010 p.2
13 GPs turn to old vaccine as flu death toll hits 50
With 50 people already having died as a result of this winter's flu outbreak, the Department of Health has approved the use of last year's swine flu vaccine to overcome shortages of seasonal flu vaccine. Shadow ministers raised concerns that the Government has been "slow to act at every stage of this flu crisis", prompting ministers to order a review of how the NHS procures flu vaccines.
Guardian 7 January 2011 p.2
See also: BMJ 342 8 January 2011 p.72
Guardian 4 January 2011 p.15
Guardian 31 December 2010 p.1
Daily Telegraph 27 December 2010 p.2
Daily Telegraph 24 December 2010 p.6
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14 Human embryo could lose research safeguard
There are concerns that human embryos will lose their special status granted under the Human Fertility and Embryology Act following the publication of a Government-ordered review from the Academy of Medical Sciences next week. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is worried that the review, which will focus on controversial issues including the use of human tissues in research, will recommend that a new clinical research regulatory body oversees human embryo research.
Guardian 6 January 2011 p.2
15 Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent
An editorial introduces the first of a series of articles examining the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues which triggered a national scare over the MMR vaccine. While the original paper has been retracted and Wakefield has been struck off by the General Medical Council, the editorial alleges that clear evidence of scientific misconduct has been found and that the paper was an "elaborate fraud".
BMJ 342 8 January 2011 p.64-66, 77-82
See also: Daily Telegraph 6 January 2011 p.8
16 Bad science used to support torture and human experimentation
A policy forum article argues that the science used to justify the authorisation of "enhanced interrogation" techniques by the previous US Administration was fundamentally flawed and unethical. It also makes a series of recommendations which it argues should govern the conduct of government scientists and health professionals.
Science 330 7 January 2011 p.34-35
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17 The challenge of feeding scientific advice into policy-making
A policy forum article discusses the issues surrounding the use of scientific advice in policy - presenting case studies around nuclear waste, biofuels and the recent Icelandic Volcanic Ash cloud incident. It argues that scientists should be more proactive in engaging with both policy makers and the wider public.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1749-1751
18 Stand up for science
A comment piece argues that scientists should consider communication as "central to their enterprise" if they wish their research to have real impact, with the author calling for communication skills to be a central part of scientific training.
Nature 468 23 December 2011 p.1032-1033
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19 Polio outbreak breaks the rules
Health experts are working to address a serious outbreak of polio in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new outbreak has displayed several non-typical characteristics - including an unusually high fatality rate, with a high proportion of victims being young adults rather than children.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1730-1731
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20 French Nobelist escapes 'intellectual terror' to pursue radical ideas in China
In an interview, 78-year old Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier discusses his decision to take up the leadership of a new institute in Shanghai, where he will pursue studies relating to his contentious claims that electromagnetic signals emanate from the diluted DNA of various pathogenic organisms.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1732
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21 ESF moves toward rebirth, but change worries some
An article discusses the European Science Foundation's (ESF) plans to transform into a new lobbying and strategy organisation during 2011. The move has been met with a mixed response from the scientific community.
Science 330 7 January 2011 p.16
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22 Europe to ban hundreds of herbal remedies
Under EU legislation due to come into effect in May, hundreds of traditional herbal medicines will be banned from sale in the UK and products will have to be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbal practitioner. Supporters of the move believe that regulation is important for safety, while critics think that the law is "discriminatory and disproportionate" and will force patients to obtain products over the internet.
Independent 30 December 2010 p.1-2
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23 US science faces big chill
Late in December, the US Congress reauthorised the America COMPETES Act, legislation that increased funding for basic research and science education. However, as Congress convenes this week with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, there is uncertainty around the impact that promised spending cuts will have on science.
Nature 469 6 January 2011 p.9-10
See also: Science 330 7 January 2011 p.14-15
Nature 468 23 December 2010 p.1006
24 US Congress gives FDA new powers to regulate food safety
The US Congress has approved a new law which reforms how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors and regulates food safety. The new legislation gives the FDA power to conduct targeted food inspections, in order to prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.
BMJ 342 8 January 2011 p.75
25 Integrity policy unveiled at last
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has released long awaited guidelines for scientific integrity in US Government departments and agencies. The four-page document has received mixed reviews, with some scientists suggesting the guidelines are too vague and set goals without clear instructions on how to reach them.
Nature 468 23 December 2010 p.1009-1010
26 CIRM: the good, the bad and the ugly
A news focus article takes stock of the progress of the Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which is currently seeking a new chair following its board's failure to appoint a successor to Robert Klein in December. Although a recent review found that research supported by CIRM is of a high quality, there is a strong feeling that it needs to do more to build links with industry.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1742-1743
27 On synthetic biology
An editorial discusses the recent conclusion of the US Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues that the creation of a synthetic living cell does not constitute the creation of a new life form.
The Lancet 377 1 January 2011 p.2
28 Discoverer asks for time, patience over arsenic bacteria controversy
An interview with US scientist Felisa Wolfe-Simon, who sparked controversy in December when she published results indicating that some bacteria can use arsenic instead of phosphorus in DNA and other biomolecules. The announcement was accompanied by a press release indicating that the finding would "impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life".
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1734-1735
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29 Chávez squeezes scientific freedoms
Scientists in Venezuela are concerned that a series of legislative changes will damage research in the country. From this week the Ministry of Science and Technology will take control of research funds obtained from business levies, restricting the range of research areas for which they can be used.
Nature 469 6 January 2011 p.11
30 Cholera shots
WHO is due to begin a cholera vaccination programme in Haiti this April, with only 400,000 doses of the vaccine available initially for the population of ten million. Due to the nature of previous outbreaks, which haven't persisted long enough to warrant vaccination programmes, the cholera vaccine has not been used before and is in short supply.
New Scientist 209 8 January 2011 p.6
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31 What's next for disease eradication?
A news focus article surveys the prospects for future disease eradication efforts, in light of discussions at a major meeting held in Frankfurt last September. Amongst the conclusions were that any new eradication programmes would need to be more evidence-based than those in the past and would also need to incorporate efforts to assist developing countries in building stronger health systems.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1736-1739
32 WHO recommends against inaccurate tuberculosis tests
WHO is set to release a "negative policy recommendation" advising against the use of commercial serology tests for tuberculosis. While no international guidelines currently endorse their use, these inaccurate tests continue to be sold in high burden countries and may be negatively impacting efforts to control the disease.
The Lancet 377 7 January 2011 p.113-114
33 Where will new drugs come from?
An editorial focuses on the declining levels of new drug development and concerns about the resulting levels of investment in R&D. It is suggested that by changing the current R&D model, and boosting collaboration between academia and industry, the current levels of "waste and failure" may be avoided.
The Lancet 377 7 January 2011 p.97
34 Model organisms and human health
An editorial emphasises the importance that research on key model organisms - such as flies and worms - will have in building our knowledge of cellular processes and providing the basis upon which future opportunities for 'translational medicine' will emerge.
Science 330 24 December 2010 p.1724
35 Love thy lab neighbour
A Harvard study has found a positive correlation between the number of citations received by a research paper and the geographical distance between the first and last authors on the paper, suggesting that "better research" emerges when the research and organisational leads work more closely together.
Nature 468 23 December 2010 p.1011
36 New year, new science
The arrival of whole genome sequencing for $1,000 and new insights from genome-wide association studies are among the key predictions made in a piece on potential scientific developments in 2011.
Nature 469 6 January 2011 p.12
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