http://www.national-academies.org The nation turns to the National Academies -- National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council -- for independent, objective advice on issues that affect people's lives worldwide. en-us Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:06:11 EST maintainer@nas.edu webmaster@nas.edu http://www.national-academies.org/newsroom/rss.gif http://www.national-academies.org http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100209.html The classification of the dry-cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, also known as PERC, as "likely to be a human carcinogen" and as toxic to the nervous system is supported in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s draft human health assessment for the chemical, says a new National Research Council report. The report also recommends improvements for EPA's final assessment, such as using better designed studies and stronger approaches to estimate the potential for cancer and safe inhalation and oral exposures. 09 Feb 2010 10:06:11 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100209.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100204.html In an editorial in Science magazine, National Academy of Sciences President Ralph J. Cicerone says that the publicity surrounding the case of climate scientists’ e-mails that were stolen from a U.K. university has raised concerns about the standards of science and damaged public trust. While he says that scientists' understanding of climate change is undiminished by this incident, he calls for action to preserve the trust between science and society. 04 Feb 2010 04:29:24 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100204.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100201.html The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine will hold a series of events for African-American History Month including a lecture on Feb. 18 by Wanda M. Austin (NAE) about how living by your values and working for an employer with values you admire can make a difference for communities, companies, and citizens; Counting America and the 2010 Census at the Koshland Science Museum's Family Day on Feb. 27; and a concert on Feb. 14 by Ritz Chamber Players. 01 Feb 2010 09:48:55 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100201.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100129.html Naturally occurring methane hydrate may represent an enormous source of methane -- the main component of natural gas -- and could ultimately enhance conventional natural gas supplies, although some technical challenges remain before commercial production is feasible, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Energy has made considerable progress toward understanding and developing methane hydrate as a possible future energy resource. 28 Jan 2010 05:07:59 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100129.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100127.html Several researchers and other experts affiliated with the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine who specialize in managing emergency operations and responding to medical and infrastructure needs when disasters strike are available to answer questions from officials leading relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. In particular, experts from the Disasters Roundtable, the  Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events, the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment , and the Transportation Research Board may be able to provide useful information to those responding to the disaster in Haiti. 27 Jan 2010 02:02:35 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100127.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100122b.html Helium is used in applications ranging from medical devices such as MRIs to surveillance balloons for national security.  In the Helium Privatization Act of 1996, Congress directed the government to sell essentially all of the U.S. helium reserves by 2015. A new report from the National Research Council finds that selling off the reserves has adversely affected critical users of helium and recommends that the federal government reconsider whether selling the reserves is still in the nation’s best interest. 22 Jan 2010 10:09:33 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100122b.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100122a.html A new report from the National Research Council lays out options NASA could follow to detect more near-Earth objects (NEOs) – asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard if they cross Earth’s orbit. The report says the $4 million the U.S. spends annually to search for NEOs is insufficient to meet a congressionally mandated requirement to detect NEOs that could threaten Earth. 22 Jan 2010 10:04:36 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100122a.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100120.html The National Academy of Sciences will honor 17 individuals in 2010 for their extraordinary scientific achievements in the areas of biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and psychology. Achievements include establishing the existence of the solar wind; development of a fundamental building block for nanoscience; pioneering studies of the dominant photosynthetic organisms in the sea; contributions on the theory of fluvial erosion, sedimentation, and landscape evolution; and the development of fast algorithms in mathematical physics, operator compression, and linear algebra. 20 Jan 2010 10:26:01 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100120.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100113.html A new joint report from the National Research Council and the National Academy of Public Administration offers U.S. leaders ways to address the nation's fiscal problems and confront its rapidly growing debt -- a burden that if unchecked will inevitably limit the nation's future wealth and risk a disruptive fiscal crisis that could lead to a severe recession. 13 Jan 2010 09:26:59 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100113.html http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100112.html The National Academy of Sciences’ governing Council has selected Dr. Eugenie C. Scott to receive its most prestigious award, the Public Welfare Medal. Established in 1914, the medal is presented annually to honor extraordinary use of science for public good. The NAS Council chose Scott for championing the teaching of evolution in the United States and for providing leadership to the National Center for Science Education. 12 Jan 2010 09:09:53 EST http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100112.html