Three professors named AAAS fellows Barry Connors, Diane Lipscombe, and David Rand have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They will be officially welcomed as fellows on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Three members of the Brown University […]

 Gene expression study made easy: Just sequence all of it Next-generation sequencers / Eric Morrow, postdoctoral scholar Ece Gamsiz, and colleagues have sequenced the entire “transcriptome” of the mouse neural retina. They used “game-changing” technology that would have been prohibitively expensive even five years ago./Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University In a new study, researchers have gained new insights into neural […]

UN agency, Italian energy company partner to combat hunger and climate change The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Italian energy company Enel announced today a new partnership to combat hunger and malnutrition while also reducing carbon emissions through the use of ‘green’ stoves and solar panels.The €8 million agreement was unveiled at the UN […]

Afghanistan and regional partners launch UN plan to boost counter-narcotics efforts  UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov. UN Photo/Evan Schneider Senior officials from Afghanistan and neighbouring countries today launched a United Nations plan to strengthen counter-narcotics efforts and boost regional stability. The launch of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2011- 2014 Regional Programme […]

UN meeting hears call for greater Asia-Pacific cooperation on development goals ECOSOC in session Asia-Pacific countries need to boost their cooperation with each other if the region is to achieve the series of social and economic targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their 2015 deadline, a United Nations meeting heard today. Ambassador […]

Ban presses for support for UN initiative to combat deforestation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses high-level forum on international forest protection in Durban, South Africa Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for increased support from Member States for a United Nations initiative to slow, halt and reverse deforestation, and help developing countries manage their forests in a sustainable […]

Good or bad: Surprises drive learning in same neural circuits Neurosurgeons hoping to find ways to accelerate re-learning after a stroke or brain injury are trying to tease out the circuitry that governs learning. A new study of how the brain processes unexpected events found that neurons in two important structures handle both positive and […]

Kids: Getting to the Heart of the Matter The brisk woosh-woosh-woosh of a baby’s heart is music to a pregnant mom’s ears. But once outside the womb, an all-out assault begins: American culture (and the rising tides of childhood obesity) is poised and ready to threaten that beautiful beating. Maybe it’s the inescapable screens (TVs, iPads, DXs, cell […]

UN relief fund allocates $6 million to alleviate food crisis in Niger Mothers with hungry children lining up at distribution site in Taoa, Niger, for food handouts The United Nations relief chief today announced the allocation of $6 million from the world body’s humanitarian fund to support efforts to alleviate the suffering of millions of […]

Rotating Night Shift Work Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women Boston, MA — Women who work a rotating (irregular) schedule that includes three or more night shifts per month, in addition to day and evening working hours in that month, may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes when […]