News by Subject Policy & Ethics

In a paper published in Science this week, Philip M. Fearnside of Brazil's National Institute for Research in Amazonia explains how the country's environmental licensing is under threat from proposed laws and constitutional amendments. These have jumped into the forefront as anti-environment politicians rush to exploit the opportunity offered by Brazil's current political turmoil. Legislators are eager to stimulate the country's economy, as by removing environmental and social restrictions on proposed development projects.

MPs have expressed an overwhelming willingness to use a proposed new service to swiftly link them with academics in relevant areas to help ensure policy is based on the latest evidence.

As gene therapy trials show promise to cure or ameliorate several diseases, it is time to explore ways to pay for the treatments, according to commentary in the journal Science. Noting the potential of gene therapy to be a one-time treatment for rare and serious diseases that otherwise cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in chronic care over a lifetime, the authors suggest several models for valuing, pricing and developing gene therapy.

Starting with their Grant Proposal, submitted and accepted by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Prof. Cameron Neylon and his team are to publish a series of outputs and outcomes resulting from their ongoing data sharing pilot project in the open access journal Research Ideas and Outcomes. Through eight diverse Data Management Plans, used as case studies, they are to eventually provide advice on refining the open data policy guidelines in development research.

A new explanation of how gypsum forms may change the way we process this important building material, as well as allow us to interpret past water availability on other planets such as Mars. The work is reported in Nature Communications.

The recent discovery of a molecule that rescues damaged blood vessels, yet preserves healthy vessels, could serve as a springboard for a new pharmaceutical therapy with fewer side effects for hypertension.

Building on the results of a survey circulated to US and Canadian universities to understand current approaches for defining technology transfer activities and recognizing them as part of faculty performance assessments, a task force of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has made recommendations for how universities might go about taking into account the value of technology transfer and concomitant social benefits as part of tenure and promotion considerations.