BioScience articles from April 2004

BioScience archives from April 2004

Science living dangerously.(Editorial)
April 1, 2004... Relations between many senior scientists and the Bush administration have gone from sad to scary. In February, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a statement charging the administration with misrepresenting scientific knowledge and...

Can we use science to know our ends?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... In "Bioethics: Are Our Priorities Right?" (BioScience 53: 1207-1216), Paul Ehrlich exhorts us to "do everything possible to encourage discussion and debate of the ethical issues facing society." I am heeding his call by challenging a crucial...

The ethical issues.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... Paul Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University, presented many persuasive arguments and raised many important issues in his article "Bioethics: Are Our Priorities Right?" (BioScience 53: 1207-1216). His passionate...

The Nanjing declaration on management of reactive nitrogen.(Viewpoint)
April 1, 2004... High levels of reactive nitrogen compounds--nitrates, ammonia, and nitrogen oxides, for example--have become a threat to the environment on many scales. Indications are that the problem will become worse, especially in rapidly developing parts...

Only 30: a portrait of the endangered species act as a young law.
April 1, 2004... On 27 December 1973, President Richard Nixon publicly reduced his energy use by flying to California on a scheduled commercial airline flight. The following day, from his home in San Clemente, Nixon signed several pieces of legislation into...

Inquiry in K-12 classrooms: graduate students and teachers team up.(Eye on Education)
April 1, 2004... This is the fifth year of the National Science Foundation's innovative partnership program, Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education, more commonly known as the GK-12 program. When Rita Colwell launched the program in 1999, soon after...

US visa delays: keeping scientists from where they want to be?(Washington Watch)
April 1, 2004... US agencies tasked with approving visas for visiting scientists have struggled in recent years to achieve Secretary of State Colin Powell's vision of "secure borders and open doors." One result is that new regulations and added layers of...

Marine fish population collapses: consequences for recovery and extinction risk.
April 1, 2004... Rapid declines threaten the persistence of many marine fish. Data from more than 230 populations reveal a median reduction of 83% in breeding population size from known historic levels. Few populations recover rapidly; most exhibit little of no...

Spatial extrapolation: the science of predicting ecological patterns and processes.
April 1, 2004... Ecologists are often asked to contribute to solutions for broadscale problems. The extent of mast ecological research is relatively limited, however, necessitating extrapolation to broader scales or to new locations. Spatial extrapolation in...

The global decline of nonmarine mollusks.
April 1, 2004... Invertebrate species represent more than 99% of animal diversity; however, they receive much less publicity and attract disproportionately minor research effort relative to vertebrates. Nonmarine mollusks (i.e., terrestrial and freshwater) are...

Responsible biology.(Plenary)
April 1, 2004... Responsible conduct in science is more than simply a matter of following everyday ethical imperatives not misreporting what actually happened in the lab, dealing honestly with colleagues, and so forth. Scientific responsibility arises because...

Detecting denning polar bears with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery.(Biologist's Toolbox)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Polar bears give birth in snow dens in midwinter and remain in dens until early spring. The survival and development of cubs is dependent on a stable environment within the maternal den. To mitigate potential disruption of polar bear denning by...

Ten suggestions to strengthen the science of ecology.(Roundtable)
April 1, 2004... There are few well-documented, general ecological principles that can be applied to pressing environmental issues. When they discuss them at all, ecologists often disagree about the relative importance of different aspects of the science's...

Wanted for conservation research: behavioral ecologists with a broader perspective.(Forum)
April 1, 2004... Behavioral ecologists have advocated a greater role for behavioral research in conservation, and the contribution of behavioral study to conservation has increased dramatically. However, a review of the literature in the fields of behavioral...

Ultraselfish symbionts.
April 1, 2004... Sex Wars: Genes, Bacteria, and Biased Sex Ratios. Michael E. N. Majerus. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2003. 280 pp., illus. $45.00 (ISBN 0691009813 cloth). To paraphrase Robert Ricklefs, it is remarkable how many populations...

A longing look at the Great Plains.
April 1, 2004... Great Wildlife of the Great Plains. Paul A. Johnsgard. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, 2003. 309 pp., illus. $29.95 (ISBN 0700612246 cloth). The Great Plains are changing as the nation changes. City folks are buying up the scenic...

From fiber to feedstock to fossil fuel replacement.
April 1, 2004... Biorenewable Resources: Engineering New Products from Agriculture. Robert C. Brown. Iowa State Press, Ames, 2003.286 pp., illus. $74.99 (ISBN 0813822637 paper). Recent years have seen a remarkable growth of interest in the use of...

New titles.(Books)
April 1, 2004... Biology Today: An Issues Approach, 3rd ed. Eli C. Minkoff and Pamela J. Baker. Taylor and Francis Group, New York, 2004. 752 pp., illus. $72.95 (ISBN 0815341571 paper). Botanical Latin, 4th ed. William T. Stearn. Timber Press, Portland,...

AIBS presents awards at 2004 annual meeting.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... At its annual meeting, AIBS presents a number of awards, including the Distinguished Scientist Award, Outstanding Service Award, Education Award, President's Citation Award, and Media Awards. Recipients of this year's awards are profiled below....

Distinguished Scientist Award.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... Since 1972, the AIBS Distinguished Scientist Award (previously called the Distinguished Service Award) has been presented annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to the biological sciences, particularly in the field of...

Outstanding Service Award.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... The Outstanding Service Award, given annually to individuals or organizations in recognition of noteworthy service to the biological sciences, was presented to Rita Colwell, chairman of Canon US Life Sciences and former director of the National...

Education Award.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... The AIBS Education Award, presented annually to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to education in the biological sciences, went to John R. Jungck, of Beloit college. John Jungck has specialized in science...

President's Citation Award.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... The AIBS President's Citation Award, which Recognizes meritorious accomplishments by individuals or groups in the biological sciences, went to Tyrone Hayes, a dynamic young faculty member in the Department of Integrative Biology at the...

Media Awards.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... The AIBS Media Awards, established in 1995, recognize outstanding reporting on biology to a general audience. The award is limited to non-technical journalism in the print and broadcast media. The Print Media Award went to Sarah Staples for...

Participation high in Congressional Visits Day.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... Ten representatives of AIBS member societies and organizations participated in this year's Congressional Visits Day (CVD) 3-4 March 2004. Organized by the Science-Engineering-Technology Working Group (SETWG), CVD is an annual event bringing...

Recent public policy reports online at www.aibs.org.(AIBS news)
April 1, 2004... AIBS Public Policy Report for 2 March 2004 * GAO details recommendations for improving the foreign scientist visa process at House Science Committee hearing * Intelligent design controversy result faces in Ohio * Oklahoma...

Calendar of meetings.(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... April March 30-April 3 19th Annual Symposium of the United States Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology, "Transdisciplinary Challenges in Landscape Ecology" Las Vegas, NV; Web site: www.usiale.org/...

Survival of the sexless.(BioBriefs)
April 1, 2004... Rotifers are among nature's more bizarre-looking creatures. These microscopic, multicellular "wheel bearers" have a crown of rapidly beating cilia above their retractable heads. As the cilia thrash in succession, drawing food into the animal's...