Winners of 2013 AAAS Student Poster Competition Tuesday, April 30, 2013 The 2013 Student Poster Competition took place at the AAAS Annual Meeting In Boston February 14-18. The student winners' work displayed originality and understanding that set them apart from their peers. The AAAS Poster Sessions provide individuals with an opportunity to present their research, offering an excellent venue for extended informal discussion with meeting attendees. All posters are peer-reviewed, and accepted posters are listed in the AAAS Annual Meeting Poster Book. Abstracts appear on the Annual Meeting Abstract CD, within the Program Book. The other discoverers of DNA The other discoverers of DNA Scientia April 25, 2013 Sixty years ago, James Watson and Francis Crick formally announced they had discovered "the secret of life"— the double helix that forms DNA, the molecule containing the genetic instructions for all living organisms. Although Watson and Crick are credited with this discovery, their research stands on the shoulders of others who came before them. OSTP seeks nominations for presidential mentoring award OSTP seeks nominations for presidential mentoring award Capitol Connection April 8, 2013 The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are now accepting nominations for PAESMEM, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. OSTP/NSF seeks individuals and organizations that have demonstrated at least five years of excellence in mentoring students, trainees, and/or early career scientists and engineers from groups that are underrepresented in STEM. Marcia McNutt appointed new Editor-in-Chief of Science Marcia McNutt appointed new Editor-in-Chief of Science Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Marcia McNutt, most recently Director of the US Geological Survey, has been appointed the new, full-time Editor-in-Chief of Science. She will begin her tenure at Science on June 1. McNutt will take over the position from Bruce Alberts who decided to step down at the end of his five-year term. VIDEO: Cynthia Kenyon on aging and biology Video February 19, 2013 Discovery that a single-gene mutation could double the lifespan of the worm C. elegans sparked an intensive study of the molecular biology of aging. Kenyon was apart of the team that made this discovery. Her findings have since led to the discovery that an evolutionarily conserved hormone signaling system controls aging in other organisms as well, including mammals. She highlights her work and what the future holds as we seek to unlock the secrets of aging. Learn more abou this speaker VIDEO: 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting reception Video February 15, 2013 Find out what attendees are looking forward to at this year's meeting in Boston. Related Links: AAASMC's complete video coverage from the 2013 Annual Meeting in Boston VIDEO: 2013 Annual Meeting: The president's address Video February 15, 2013 AAAS President William Press, researcher in computer science, genomics, statistical methods, astrophysics, and international security, welcomes attendees to Boston. This year's AAAS Annual Meeting highlights the rich and complicated connections between basic and applied research, and how they bring about both practical benefits and the beauty of pure understanding. Read more about Press's keynote. National Medal of Science AAAS members awarded medal at White House ceremony Monday, February 4, 2013 Fifteen AAAS fellows and members were awarded the U.S's top prize for scientists, engineers, and inventors, the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation, at a White House ceremony on February 1. President Barack Obama handed out the medals to the nearly two dozen researchers and innovators honored in 2012. Twelve researchers received the National Medal of Science and eleven inventors received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. VIDEO: Coverage of the 2013 Annual Meeting in Boston Video February 12, 2013 Here is AAASMC's video coverage of the 179th AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. The program for 2013 highlights the rich and complicated connections between basic and applied research, and how they bring about both practical benefits and the beauty of pure understanding. beached whale A whale of a discovery in New Zealand Qualia November 26, 2012 For 150 years, all that was known of the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii) was gleaned from two skull fragments and a jaw bone. Then in December 2010, two individuals - a mother and her male calf - washed up on a New Zealand beach. Although initially misidentified as the more common Gray's beaked whale (M. grayi), DNA analysis revealed their true identity as the world's rarest and most enigmatic marine mammal.