TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Unique U.S.-Russian Relationship in Biological Science and Biotechnology: Recent Experience and Future Directions SN - DO - 10.17226/18277 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18277/the-unique-us-russian-relationship-in-biological-science-and-biotechnology PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences AB - In the fall of 2010, the U.S. National Academies (consisting of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine) and the Russian Academy of Sciences (in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences) initiated a joint study of U.S.-Russian bilateral engagement in the biological sciences and biotechnology (hereinafter collectively referred to as bioengagement). The U.S. Department of State and the Russian Academy of Sciences provided support for the study. The academies established a joint committee of 12 leading scientists from the two countries to assess bioengagement activities since 1996 and to provide recommendations as to collaborative efforts in the near future. The Unique U.S.-Russian Relationship in Biological Science and Biotechnology: Recent Experience and Future Directions summarizes the principal conclusions and recommendations of the study. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research SN - DO - 10.17226/12026 PY - 2008 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12026/the-role-of-theory-in-advancing-21st-century-biology-catalyzing PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences AB - Although its importance is not always recognized, theory is an integral part of all biological research. Biologists' theoretical and conceptual frameworks inform every step of their research, affecting what experiments they do, what techniques and technologies they develop and use, and how they interpret their data. By examining how theory can help biologists answer questions like "What are the engineering principles of life?" or "How do cells really work?" the report shows how theory synthesizes biological knowledge from the molecular level to the level of whole ecosystems. The book concludes that theory is already an inextricable thread running throughout the practice of biology; but that explicitly giving theory equal status with other components of biological research could help catalyze transformative research that will lead to creative, dynamic, and innovative advances in our understanding of life. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Safeguarding the Bioeconomy SN - DO - 10.17226/25525 PY - 2020 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25525/safeguarding-the-bioeconomy PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences AB - Research and innovation in the life sciences is driving rapid growth in agriculture, biomedical science, information science and computing, energy, and other sectors of the U.S. economy. This economic activity, conceptually referred to as the bioeconomy, presents many opportunities to create jobs, improve the quality of life, and continue to drive economic growth. While the United States has been a leader in advancements in the biological sciences, other countries are also actively investing in and expanding their capabilities in this area. Maintaining competitiveness in the bioeconomy is key to maintaining the economic health and security of the United States and other nations. Safeguarding the Bioeconomy evaluates preexisting and potential approaches for assessing the value of the bioeconomy and identifies intangible assets not sufficiently captured or that are missing from U.S. assessments. This study considers strategies for safeguarding and sustaining the economic activity driven by research and innovation in the life sciences. It also presents ideas for horizon scanning mechanisms to identify new technologies, markets, and data sources that have the potential to drive future development of the bioeconomy. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academy of Sciences TI - Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition DO - 10.17226/6024 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6024/science-and-creationism-a-view-from-the-national-academy-of PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Education AB - While the mechanisms of evolution are still under investigation, scientists universally accept that the cosmos, our planet, and life evolved and continue to evolve. Yet the teaching of evolution to schoolchildren is still contentious. In Science and Creationism, The National Academy of Sciences states unequivocally that creationism has no place in any science curriculum at any level. Briefly and clearly, this booklet explores the nature of science, reviews the evidence for the origin of the universe and earth, and explains the current scientific understanding of biological evolution. This edition includes new insights from astronomy and molecular biology. Attractive in presentation and authoritative in content, Science and Creationism will be useful to anyone concerned about America's scientific literacy: education policymakers, school boards and administrators, curriculum designers, librarians, teachers, parents, and students. ER - TY - BOOK A2 - Thomas Eisner A2 - Jerrold Meinwald TI - Chemical Ecology: The Chemistry of Biotic Interaction SN - DO - 10.17226/4979 PY - 1995 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4979/chemical-ecology-the-chemistry-of-biotic-interaction PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Math, Chemistry, and Physics KW - Biology and Life Sciences AB - Chemical signals among organisms form "a vast communicative interplay, fundamental to the fabric of life," in the words of one expert. Chemical ecology is the the discipline that seeks to understand these interactions-to use biology in the search for new substances of potential benefit to humankind. This book highlights selected research areas of medicinal and agricultural importance. Leading experts review the chemistry of: Insect defense and its applications to pest control. Phyletic dominance—the survival success of insects. Social regulation, with ant societies as a model of multicomponent signaling systems. Eavesdropping, alarm, and deceit—the array of strategies used by insects to find and lure prey. Reproduction—from the gamete attraction to courtship nd sexual selection. The chemistry of intracellular immunosuppression. Topics also include the appropriation of dietary factors for defense and communication; the use of chemical signals in the marine environment; the role of the olfactory system in chemical analysis; and the interaction of polydnaviruses, endoparasites, and the immune system of the host. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academy of Engineering AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Microbiomes of the Built Environment: A Research Agenda for Indoor Microbiology, Human Health, and Buildings SN - DO - 10.17226/23647 PY - 2017 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23647/microbiomes-of-the-built-environment-a-research-agenda-for-indoor PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Engineering and Technology AB - People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environments—such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materials—in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Science and Technology in Armenia: Toward a Knowledge-Based Economy SN - DO - 10.17226/11107 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11107/science-and-technology-in-armenia-toward-a-knowledge-based-economy PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Industry and Labor AB - An NRC ad hoc committee analyzed the current status and future development potential of Armenia's science and technology base, including human and infrastructural resources and research and educational capabilities. The committee identified those fields and institutions offering promising opportunities for contributing to economic and social development, and particularly institutions having unique and important capabilities, worthy of support from international financial institutions, private investment sources, and the Armenian and U.S. governments. The scope of the study included both pure and applied research as well as education in science-related fields. The committee's report addresses the existing capacity of state and private research institutions, higher education capabilities and trends, scientific funding sources, innovative investment models, relevant success stories, factors hindering development of the science sector, potential domestic Armenian customers for scientific results and products, and opportunities for regional scientific collaboration. An Armenian language version of the report is also available. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Developing Capacities for Teaching Responsible Science in the MENA Region: Refashioning Scientific Dialogue SN - DO - 10.17226/18356 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18356/developing-capacities-for-teaching-responsible-science-in-the-mena-region PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Education KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - Spurred on by new discoveries and rapid technological advances, the capacity for life science research is expanding across the globe—and with it comes concerns about the unintended impacts of research on the physical and biological environment, human well-being, or the deliberate misuse of knowledge, tools, and techniques to cause harm. This report describes efforts to address dual use issues by developing institutes around the world that will help life sciences faculty learn to teach about the responsible conduct of science. Based on the successful National Academies Summer Institute for Undergraduate Biology Education and on previous NRC reports on effective methods for teaching about dual use issues, the report's authoring committee designed a general framework for the faculty institutes and chose the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region to test a prototype faculty institute. In September 2012, the first Institute was held in Aqaba, Jordan, bringing together 28 participants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Yemen to engage with effective, evidence-based teaching methods, develop curricular materials for use in their own classrooms, and become community leaders on dual use and related topics. Developing Capacities for Teaching Responsible Science in the MENA Region: Refashioning Scientific Dialogue offers insights from the institute that will help in the design and implementation of future programs in the MENA region, and in other parts of the world. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council A2 - Bruce M. Altevogt A2 - Diana E. Pankevich A2 - Marilee K. Shelton-Davenport A2 - Jeffrey P. Kahn TI - Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity SN - DO - 10.17226/13257 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13257/chimpanzees-in-biomedical-and-behavioral-research-assessing-the-necessity PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Health and Medicine KW - Agriculture AB - For many years, experiments using chimpanzees have been instrumental in advancing scientific knowledge and have led to new medicines to prevent life-threatening and debilitating diseases. However, recent advances in alternate research tools have rendered chimpanzees largely unnecessary as research subjects. The Institute of Medicine, in collaboration with the National Research Council, conducted an in-depth analysis of the scientific necessity for chimpanzees in NIH-funded biomedical and behavioral research. The committee concludes that while the chimpanzee has been a valuable animal model in the past, most current biomedical research use of chimpanzees is not necessary, though noted that it is impossible to predict whether research on emerging or new diseases may necessitate chimpanzees in the future. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Science Needs for Microbial Forensics: Developing Initial International Research Priorities SN - DO - 10.17226/18737 PY - 2014 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18737/science-needs-for-microbial-forensics-developing-initial-international-research-priorities PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Behavioral and Social Sciences KW - Health and Medicine AB - Microbial forensics is a scientific discipline dedicated to analyzing evidence from a bioterrorism act, biocrime, or inadvertent microorganism or toxin release for attribution purposes. This emerging discipline seeks to offer investigators the tools and techniques to support efforts to identify the source of a biological threat agent and attribute a biothreat act to a particular person or group. Microbial forensics is still in the early stages of development and faces substantial scientific challenges to continue to build capacity. The unlawful use of biological agents poses substantial dangers to individuals, public health, the environment, the economies of nations, and global peace. It also is likely that scientific, political, and media-based controversy will surround any investigation of the alleged use of a biological agent, and can be expected to affect significantly the role that scientific information or evidence can play. For these reasons, building awareness of and capacity in microbial forensics can assist in our understanding of what may have occurred during a biothreat event, and international collaborations that engage the broader scientific and policy-making communities are likely to strengthen our microbial forensics capabilities. One goal would be to create a shared technical understanding of the possibilities - and limitations - of the scientific bases for microbial forensics analysis. Science Needs for Microbial Forensics: Developing Initial International Research Priorities, based partly on a workshop held in Zabgreb, Croatia in 2013, identifies scientific needs that must be addressed to improve the capabilities of microbial forensics to investigate infectious disease outbreaks and provide evidence of sufficient quality to support legal proceedings and the development of government policies. This report discusses issues of sampling, validation, data sharing, reference collection, research priorities, global disease monitoring, and training and education to promote international collaboration and further advance the field. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences SN - DO - 10.17226/12958 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12958/challenges-and-opportunities-for-education-about-dual-use-issues-in-the-life-sciences PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Biology and Life Sciences KW - Education KW - Policy for Science and Technology KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - The Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences workshop was held to engage the life sciences community on the particular security issues related to research with dual use potential. More than 60 participants from almost 30 countries took part and included practicing life scientists, bioethics and biosecurity practitioners, and experts in the design of educational programs. The workshop sought to identify a baseline about (1) the extent to which dual use issues are currently being included in postsecondary education (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the life sciences; (2) in what contexts that education is occurring (e.g., in formal coursework, informal settings, as stand-alone subjects or part of more general training, and in what fields); and (3) what online educational materials addressing research in the life sciences with dual use potential already exist. ER -