The Full Potential of University Research

A Model for Cultivating New Technologies and Innovation Ecosystems

A pilot initiative from the federal government could accelerate the great potential of breakthrough innovations arising from academic research.

By Krisztina “Z” Holly

    LIFE SCIENCES stem cell researcher

    Vision Renewed

    A new study points to the possibility that retina cells can be derived from embryonic stem cells, but new regulatory procedures need to be in place to oversee the research going forward.

    By Michael Rugnetta and Laura Goodman

    BIOETHICS scientists

    Clinical Trials and the Common Good

    The true measure of a clinical trial’s worth is not whether it provides dying patients access to unproven medications, but rather, whether it produces a bountiful yield of knowledge that empowers future healthcare providers.

    Jonathan Kimmelman and Alex John London

    BIOETHICS A German stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Friedrich Wöhler, with an image of a urea molecule.

    The First Scientist to “Play God” Was Not Craig Venter

    Critics of synthetic biology who fear that scientists are overstepping boundaries should have raised their objections in the 19th century.

    By Jonathan D. Moreno

    OCEANS oysters covered by netting

    Shell Survivors

    Pollution in coastal waters around the country has damaged shellfish habitats for decades, but promising restoration programs can preserve the tiny bivalves that are crucial to healthy waters along our shorelines.

    By Phil Cruver

    GENOMICS Portion of diagram illustrating the synthetic genome of Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0.

    Synthetic Biology Grows Up

    The emerging technology is cause for celebration but risks overreaction that could inhibit innovation.

    By Jonathan D. Moreno

    INNOVATION Dr. Wernher von Braun explains the Saturn Launch System to President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as NASA Deputy Administrator Robert Seamans looks on.

    Re-Thinking Innovation

    For the networks of scholars who study innovation to fully understand the process, they must examine innovation in a networked world.

    By W. Patrick McCray

    SCIENCE EDUCATION empty old lecture hall with chalkboards

    We Invest in Research, But What About Teaching?

    The structural incentives of the academy are in general stacked in favor of research and against high-quality science teaching.

    By Vikram Savkar

    » Read earlier features in the issues archive

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