Pnas Science Sessions

Roger Beachy discusses the role of genetically modified crops in feeding the world's growing population.

Zvonimir Dogic discusses how viruses can be coaxed into forming self-assembling, polymer membranes.

Won-Yong Song and Jiyoung Park discuss the urgent problem of arsenic-tainted rice in Southeast Asia, and genetically engineered rice plants that would be safe to consume and could help remediate arsenic-contaminated groundwater.

Liza Moscovice discusses what her study on baboon behavior reveals about the evolution of cooperation in humans.

Robina Shaheen and Mark Thiemens discuss an oxygen isotope signature that reveals how carbonates on Mars form in the absence of life.

Cheryl Lyn Walker discusses the role of a cellular protein, called ATM, in offsetting oxidative damage.

Benjamin tenOever discusses his team's prize winning discovery that could be the key to developing a universal influenza A vaccine.

NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins discusses "personalized medicine," a novel approach in which doctors diagnose and treat patients using detailed information about each individual.

Susan Stipp discusses her PNAS research article that reveals whether the ash cloud from the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano posed a threat to aircraft, and if the widespread airport closures in Europe were warranted.

Jim Jensen, Executive Director of the Office of Congressional and Government Affairs, a branch of the National Research Council, discusses how scientific research shapes public policy.

Kei Koizumi, Assistant Director for Federal Research and Development at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, discusses some aspects of the President's 2012 research budget.

Nate Lewis dicusses the design principles and applications of electronic artificial noses.

Peter Schiller discusses a device that could one day restore sight to the blind by directly stimulating the visual cortex.

PNAS Editor-in-Chief Randy Schekman discusses the journal's new option to publish online-only research articles.

Rutledge Ellis-Behnke discusses his research in nano-healing, a technology that halts bleeding and helps the brain and body to recover from injury and disease.

David Hillis explains how phylogenetics can be used to solve criminal cases involving the intentional transmission of HIV via unprotected sex.

Paul Ekman, the scientist whose research inspired the Fox television drama "Lie to Me," explains that almost everyone can learn to read the facial microexpressions that reveal concealed emotions, but that the technique is no "Pinocchio's nose."

Neil Shubin researches the evolutionary origin of anatomical features. Dr. Shubin's most recent discovery, Tiktaalik roseae, has been dubbed the "missing link" between fish and land animals. Dr. Shubin discusses Tiktaalik and the evolutionary shift from life in water to life on land.

Marcel Salathé researches disease transmission and prevention, at the Penn State University Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. To investigate how flu-like diseases spread through schools, Dr. Salathé used wireless sensors to measure the number of close-proximity, person-to-person interactions during a typical day at a local high school.

Charles J. Weschler studies the chemistry of indoor pollutants, including airborne particles, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic gases such as ozone. Listen as Dr. Weschler discusses the consequences of indoor pollution at home and in the workplace.