Legislation
U.S. court says human genes cannot be patented
June 13, 2013 11:53 am | by JESSE J. HOLLAND - Associated Press Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that companies cannot patent parts of naturally-occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries. The high court's unanimous judgment reverses three decades of patent awards by government officials.
U.S. to remove controversial X-ray scanners
January 18, 2013 2:53 pm | by JOSHUA FREED - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsThose airport scanners with their all-too revealing body images will soon be going away. The Transportation Security Administration says the X-ray scanners will be gone by June because the company that makes them can't fix the privacy issues. The other airport body scanners, which produce a generic outline instead of a naked image, are staying.
Science and engineering students petition Congress to stop sequestration
December 7, 2012 9:33 am | News | CommentsMandatory cuts to federal funding as outlined in the Budget Control Act, known as sequestration, will take place in early January, unless Congress takes action. More than 6,000 science and engineering students have hand-delivered a petition to the local offices of U.S. senators and House leaders, requesting that sequestration be halted because it would harm their future as innovators and hurt economic growth in the United States.
How biotech will benefit from new patent laws
May 1, 2012 5:48 pm | News | CommentsIndustrial biotechnology companies rely heavily on patents to attract investment to fund R&D. The recent America Invents Act stands to have a significant impact on technology innovators such as biotech firms, and two recently published papers from patent law experts help explain the extent of these shifts.
Study: Clean energy scale-up needs reality check
May 1, 2012 5:30 pm | by Mark Golden, Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University | News | CommentsIn a post-Solyndra, budget-constrained world, the transition to a decarbonized energy system faces great hurdles. Overcoming these hurdles will require smarter and more focused policies. Two Stanford writers outline their visions in a pair of analyses.
A divided Congress confronts a rising cyberthreat
April 23, 2012 8:44 am | by Donna Cassata and Richard Lardner, Associated Press | News | CommentsAs cyber attacks worsen and the tactics employed by hackers grow more nefarious, Congress is being asked to consider legislation to improve defenses for government, municipal, and corporate networks. However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups are applying pressure from the other side, saying the rules would cost money without improving risk.
Feds, five states to push for Great Lakes wind farms
April 1, 2012 3:18 pm | by John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer | News | CommentsThe Great Lakes currently have no offshore wind turbines, but several plans to install them are in the works. Both federal and state governments are about to announce an agreement to speed up approval of the farms, which have been delayed by cost concerns and public opposition.
Protest exposes Silicon Valley-Hollywood rivalry
January 18, 2012 1:42 pm | News | CommentsInternet users quickly learned about the standoff between technology companies and Hollywood on Wednesday. Google blacked out its name, Reddit shut down for 12 hours, and Wikipedia blacked out its main site for the full day. At issue are two congressional proposals intended to limit online piracy of movies and TV programs.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship
December 15, 2011 4:13 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsFederally funded research can be a solution to some of the nation's top challenges, say government laboratory executives.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: Argonne National Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:57 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsArgonne National Laboratory's Deborah Clayton speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: Los Alamos National Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:54 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsLos Alamos National Laboratory's David Pesiri speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:49 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsLawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Erik Stenehjem speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: NASA Glenn Research Center
December 15, 2011 3:44 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsNASA Glenn Research Center's Ramon (Ray) Lugo III speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: National Energy Technology Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:39 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsNational Energy Technology Laboratory's Paul E. King speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:35 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsNational Renewable Energy Laboratory's Bob Hawsey speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: Y-12 National Security Complex
December 15, 2011 3:18 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsY-12 National Security Complex's Kevin Finney speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Report: EPA cut corners on climate finding
September 28, 2011 1:36 pm | by Dina Cappiello, Associated Press | News | CommentsAccording to an internal government watchdog, the Obama administration cut corners before concluding that climate-change pollution can endanger human health. This key finding underpins costly new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Spin overtaking facts in Marcellus Shale debate
September 27, 2011 8:44 am | by Kevin Begos, Associated Press | News | CommentsFor some, Marcellus Shale natural gas represents a economic boon for America. For others, it’s an ongoing ecological disaster. Scientists worry that as advocates on both sides spin every shred of research to fit their own views, they will ignore the bigger picture.
Obama signs patent reform legislation
September 16, 2011 11:12 am | by Darlene Superville, Associated Press | News | CommentsPresident Barack Obama signed into law Friday a major overhaul of the U.S. patent system, a measure designed to ease the way for inventors to bring their products to market. Passed in a rare display of congressional bipartisanship, the America Invents Act is the first significant change in patent law since 1952. It has been hailed as a milestone that would spur innovation and create jobs.
Hurdles remain for upcoming Mars mission
June 8, 2011 12:01 pm | by Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsIntended to be the most sophisticated rover sent to the Martian surface, NASA's next-generation rover, the Mars Science Laboratory, is already over budget and behind schedule. The price tag has ballooned to $2.5 billion, auditors have found, from $1.6 million. And the project may need still more money to meet its November launch date.
Radiation expert criticizes comparison of Fukushima to Chernobyl
May 18, 2011 7:25 am | News | CommentsIn rating the severity of the Fukushima accident as a Level 7 major accident, the highest possible level, the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale has prompted another kind of fallout. Richard Wakefield, a radiological protection specialist at the Univ. of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, is questioning the accuracy of the system, which also placed Chernobyl at Level 7 despite that reactor's much greater release of radiation, and thinks media confusion will result.
APS: House budget plans would jeopardize scientific research facilities
April 11, 2011 8:14 am | News | CommentsDespite deals made over the weekend, the threat of a government shutdown remains. According to the American Physical Society, not only would a shutdown be harmful, the budget agreement in Congress as it stands would strip almost $1 billion from the Dept. of Energy’s budget.
The threat of inadequacy
October 14, 2010 9:05 am | Blogs | CommentsMore immigrants live in the U.S. today than at any time since 1910. There are more immigrants living in the U.S. than there are Canadians. In reflecting on the wave of anti immigration sentiment that has swept the country in
Don’t let the RD tax credit slip away
September 16, 2010 5:34 am | by Pamela Villarreal and Michael Barba | Blogs | CommentsIn 1981, the U.S. enacted the most generous R&D tax credit in the world, but since then it has fallen behind other nations and has kept companies guessing by adopting a stop-and-go approach to renewing the credit. Making these credits permanent, and expanding their scope, can only have positive effects on the nation’s GDP.
2010 Independent R & D Organizations Report: Southwest Research Institute
March 4, 2010 10:56 am | Articles | CommentsJ. Dan Bates, President, Southwest Research Institute answers questions related to R&D Magazine's 2010 Independent R&D Organizations Report.
