ScienceInsider

by Erik Stokstad

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Tom Vilsack, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, talked on Friday about the role of research and technology in President Barack Obama’s goal to increase agricultural aid to the developing world. They plan to both transfer U.S. biotechnology and build capacity in other nations.

The U.N. Environment Programme released a report calling for a “far more sophisticated approach” in the development of biofuels. Countries should consider overall impacts on energy, climate, water, and food—and downstream impacts like eutrophication and ocean acidification.

On Friday, The New Yorker’s headache intensified over an article written by Jared Diamond of the University of California, Los Angeles. Plaintiffs in Papua New Guinea, who claim they were defamed, upped their request for damages from $10 million to $45 million.

Is NASA research a bargain or a boondoggle? Tune in to a hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 PM EDT for “The Case for Space: Examining the Value Science and Space” at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Costs and benefits will also be discussed earlier on Wednesday when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee examines how greenhouse gas emissions allowances might affect energy prices. Witnesses will include Denny Ellerman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Gilbert Metcalf of Tufts University.