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Reducing Plastic Pollution in the Oceans and Beyond

Revelle Lecture Explores the Problem and Proposes Solutions




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Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases Provides Rapid Response to Government on Whether COVID-19 Could Also Be Spread by Conversation

The recently formed National Academies Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats, assembled at the request of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, has been providing rapid expert consultations on several topics, such as social distancing and severe illness in young adults.




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DOD Biological Threat Reduction Program Should Be Part of a New Interagency Mechanism to Coordinate Efforts to Prevent Biological Threats, Including Natural Disease Outbreaks - Report Offers Five-Year Strategy for BTRP

Over the next five years, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) should encourage and be among co-leaders in the federal government’s development of an enduring interagency mechanism to address an array of biological threats – including natural disease outbreaks, accidental releases, and intentional attacks -- to deployed U.S. forces and to the nation itself, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine




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U.S. Funding for World Health Organization Should Not Be Interrupted During COVID-19 Pandemic, Say Presidents of the NAS, NAE, and NAM

It is critical for the U.S. to continue its funding for the World Health Organization in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic given the WHO’s lead role in coordinating an international response, especially in developing countries.




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Doing the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number of People

Latest COVID-19 Conversations webinar discusses implementing crisis standards of care.




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How Nursing Homes Are Handling COVID-19 - Best Practices from Maryland and Massachusetts

The 1.3 million nursing home residents in the U.S. make up less than 0.5 percent of the nation’s population, but represent approximately 15 percent of COVID-19 related deaths to date.




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Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are currently conducting a study to review available data on the well-being of LGBTQI+ populations and future research needs for this community.




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Prescribers Should Restrict the Use of Non-FDA-Approved Compounded Bioidentical Hormones, Except for Specific Medical Circumstances

The use of compounded bioidentical hormone therapies (cBHTs) — an increasingly popular approach to relieve symptoms of menopause and male hypogonadism — should be limited to the small number of patients who cannot benefit from an FDA-approved hormone therapy product, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Schools Should Prioritize Reopening in Fall 2020, Especially for Grades K-5, While Weighing Risks and Benefits

Weighing the health risks of reopening K-12 schools in fall 2020 against the educational risks of providing no in-person instruction, school districts should prioritize reopening schools full time, especially for grades K-5 and students with special needs, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Promising Strategies for Encouraging COVID-19 Protective Behaviors, Including Mask Wearing and Physical Distancing, Identified in New Guidance

A new rapid expert consultation from the Societal Experts Action Network identifies promising strategies to make the adoption of protective behaviors against COVID-19, such as wearing a mask or regularly washing your hands, more likely.




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Reopening U.S. Research Universities - Weathering the Pandemic, and Looking Beyond It

The COVID-19 pandemic is posing some entirely new challenges to U.S. research universities — the need to dramatically ramp up online education, for example, and to find ways to protect the health and safety of faculty, students, and staff.




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As SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolves, Genomic Data Should Be Collected Alongside Patient and Public Health Data, Says New Report

To better understand the evolution, transmission patterns, and disease progression of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — genome sequence data should be integrated with patient clinical data and epidemiological data, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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To Reduce Food Waste Standardized Date Labeling, Behavior Change Campaign, and Marketing Changes Needed, Says New Report

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies promising strategies for reducing consumer food waste nationwide, including a national campaign to change consumer behavior, federal standardization of food date labeling, and changes to retailer marketing and food service practices, among other measures.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - September 2020

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Heritable Genome Editing Not Yet Ready to Be Tried Safely and Effectively in Humans - Initial Clinical Uses, If Permitted, Should Be Limited to Serious Single-Gene Diseases

Human embryos whose genomes have been edited should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is established that precise genomic changes can be made reliably without introducing undesired changes — a criterion that has not yet been met by any genome editing technology, says a new report by an international commission of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.’s Royal Society.




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International Transportation Research Relationship Formed Between TRB and PANAMSTR in Latin America

The U.S.-based Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has formed a cooperative understanding with the Colombia-based Sociedad Panamericana de Investigación en Transporte y Logística (Pan-American Society of Transportation Research, PANAMSTR).




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Experts Work to Better Understand Impact of More Frequent, Intense Wildfires

As wildfires tear across the Western U.S., officials are confronting the challenge of evacuating and sheltering people in the middle of a pandemic.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - September 2020

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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How Sports Logos on Masks and Better Signage Can Help Prevent COVID-19, According to Social Science

By now, we’ve all heard the official COVID-19 prevention guidance - wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay 6 feet away from other people. But hearing information, and turning it into an everyday habit, are two very different things.




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Fishing for Answers - Genomes of Some Ocean Creatures May Reveal How We Could Live to Be 100

What Can Lobsters, Clams, and Rockfish Tell Us About Human Aging? Some species of rockfish only live to age 7. Others live over 200 years while maintaining the necessary functions to find food, mate, resist disease, and evade predators.




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New Report Calls for More Comprehensive Data on LGBTQI+ Well-Being

More Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other non-binary identities (LGBTQI+) than ever before, but significant gaps remain in data collection and understanding of their well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - November 2020

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - December 2020

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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National Academies Offer Guidance on Student Behavior and COVID-19 Testing for College Administrators Ahead of 2021 Spring Semester

Two new rapid expert consultations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offer lessons learned from the 2020 fall semester regarding COVID-19 testing and guidance on student behavior, as college administrators plan for the 2021 spring semester.




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Colleges and Universities Need Campuswide Culture Change to Better Support Students’ Well-Being and Address Mental Health Problems

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls on U.S. colleges and universities to take comprehensive, campuswide approaches to more effectively address mental health and substance use problems among students and to develop cultures that support well-being.




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Incoming Administration Names Academy Members to Key Posts

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced their nomination of several members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine to serve in key science positions.




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Nobel Prize Summit ‘Our Planet, Our Future’ To Be Held April 26-28 - Registration Now Open

The first Nobel Prize Summit “Our Planet, Our Future” will bring together Nobel Prize laureates and other esteemed leaders in the sciences, policy, business, the youth movement, and the arts to explore actions that can be achieved this decade to put the world on a path to a more sustainable, more prosperous future for all.




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National Academy of Medicine Launches Initiative Supported by YouTube on Evaluating the Authoritativeness of Online Providers of Health Information

In order to enhance the accessibility of trustworthy health information on its platform, YouTube asked the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to identify preliminary definitions of “authoritative” sources of health information and the criteria by which these sources derive and maintain their authority.




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Despite Increasing Rates of STIs, Federal Investment Has Been Flat - Report Recommends Approach to Address Structural Drivers of STIs While Expanding No-Cost Care Services, New Vaccines and Diagnostics

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) impose billions of dollars in medical costs in the U.S., but STI prevention and control is chronically underfunded, stigmatized, and siloed from efforts to promote overall health and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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New Report Says U.S. Should Cautiously Pursue Solar Geoengineering Research to Better Understand Options for Responding to Climate Change Risks

Given the urgency of the risks posed by climate change, the U.S. should pursue a research program for solar geoengineering — in coordination with other nations, subject to governance, and alongside a robust portfolio of climate mitigation and adaptation policies, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Key Leaders of the Nobel Prize Summit “Our Planet, Our Future” Stress Urgency for Action, International Collaboration

On the heels of President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate, the first Nobel Prize Summit “Our Planet, Our Future” will bring together Nobel Prize laureates and other esteemed leaders in the sciences, policy, business, the youth movement, and the arts to explore actions that can be achieved this decade to put the world on a path to a more sustainable, more prosperous future for all.




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Nobel Prize Laureates and Other Experts Issue Urgent Call for Action After ‘Our Planet, Our Future’ Summit

This statement was inspired by the discussions at the 2021 Nobel Prize Summit, issued by the Steering Committee and co-signed by Nobel Laureates and experts.




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High-Quality Primary Care Should Be Available to Every Individual in the U.S., Says New Report - Payment Reform, Telehealth Expansion, State and Federal Policy Changes Recommended

Ensuring access to high-quality primary care for all people in the United States will require reforming payment models, expanding telehealth services, and supporting integrated, team-based care, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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ERs Rise to the Covid-19 Challenge - Teamwork between Engineers and Healthcare Providers Cuts ER Waiting Time

In 2020, surges of covid-19 patients challenged the ability of hospitals to manage the operation of their emergency rooms (ERs).




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‘Our Planet, Our Future’ Statement Signed by 126 Nobel Laureates Delivered to World Leaders Ahead of G-7 Summit

Organizers of the recent Nobel Prize Summit shared a statement titled “Our Planet, Our Future - An Urgent Call for Action” — issued by the summit’s steering committee and co-signed by 126 Nobel laureates — with leaders of the G-7 countries and the U.N. secretary general, as well as other groups.




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Should Solar Geoengineering Be Considered in the Fight Against Climate Change?

A recent discussion explored the possible risks and benefits and the need for more research




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New Report Charts Path Forward for FAA’s Cybersecurity Workforce

Looking Ahead at the Cybersecurity Workforce at the Federal Aviation Administration, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, charts a path forward for creating and maintaining a cybersecurity workforce at FAA that can meet the challenges of a highly competitive cybersecurity labor market and a wave of future retirements.




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Science Education Should Be National Priority - New Report Calls on Federal Government to Encourage Focusing Resources on High-Quality Science for All Students

Scientific thinking and knowledge are essential to democracy and the workforce, but science education is not the national priority it needs to be. The White House, with leadership from OSTP, should encourage federal agencies, state and local governments, and others to focus resources on increasing the quality and accessibility of science education.




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Environmental Resilience of Transportation Infrastructure Should Be Assessed for All Federally Funded Projects, Says New Report

Congress should consider requiring all projects that are candidates for federal funding undergo resilience assessments to account for natural hazards and the changing risks stemming from climate change.




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How Six Health System Leaders Are Addressing Clinician Burnout During COVID-19 and Beyond

When clinicians are stretched thin, patient health often suffers, too. With COVID-19 cases resurging, clinicians continue to grapple with burnout. Six health system leaders shared how they’re intervening to protect clinicians’ well-being during the pandemic and beyond.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - September 2021

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Biden Names 20 National Academies Members to PCAST

President Biden announced the members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), 20 of which are also members of NAS, NAE, and NAM. PCAST is the sole body of external advisers that makes science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the president and the White House.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - October 2021

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Science and Engineering Education Needs to Be Prioritized Through Fifth Grade, Says New Report

State policymakers should prioritize science and engineering education from preschool through fifth grade, and ensure it is taught comprehensively, frequently, and consistently.




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Report Identifies New Approach for Some NASA Missions to Prevent Contaminating Mars with Earth-Based Microbes

Some of NASA’s robotic missions to Mars could be subject to less stringent bioburden requirements, which are designed to prevent the unintentional transport of Earth-based microbes, without interfering with searches for indigenous life on the planet.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - November 2021

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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HHS’s Medical Countermeasures Enterprise Should Be Re-envisioned Post-COVID-19

Using lessons learned from COVID-19, a new report outlines recommendations to strengthen the U.S. Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) to better protect the nation from future threats, and ensure it can deliver the vaccines, medicines, and personal protective equipment needed during a public health emergency.




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Reports & Events Monthly Calendar - December 2021

“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




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Ceremonial Presentations of Nobel Prizes to be Held at U.S. National Academy of Sciences Locations in Washington and Irvine – Dec. 6 and 8

During Nobel Week 2021, ceremonial presentations of Nobel Prize medals and diplomas to 2021 laureates who are based in the United States will take place at the National Academy of Sciences.




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U.S. Nobel Prize Laureates Receive Medals at NAS Ceremonies

The National Academy of Sciences is hosting celebrations for the winners of 2021 Nobel Prizes who are based in the United States, joining in ceremonies and events being held around the world this week to celebrate laureates unable to travel to Stockholm this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.