U.S. Travel Ban Raises Concerns for Scientists, Restricts Collaboration Efforts

Policy and Advocacy News

After Outcry, Puerto Rico’s Legislature Spares Statistical Agency

July 3, 2018 | Science

The Puerto Rican legislature backed away from changing the independent status of the Puerto Rican Institute of Statistics (PRIS) amid criticism.

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Europe’s Biggest Research Fund Cracks Down on “Ethics Dumping”

E.U. funding officials announced new regulations to crack down on “ethics dumping,” research deemed unethical in Europe being conduct elsewhere.  The rules are intended to provide clear guidelines for ethics reviewers and researchers to identify unethical research practices in grant applications.

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Scientists Warn of the Repercussions of the Supreme Court’s Travel Ban Ruling

The U.S. travel ban restricts visiting scholars and potential students from entering and leaving the U.S. Scientists fear this will discourage scientists from studying in the U.S. and prevent current international students from visiting their families abroad. Frustrated by the ruling, SfN member and University of California San Francisco professor Kavef Ashrafi says the ban is disheartening for scientists interested in learning from and contributing to scientific progress in the U.S.

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Canada Could Come to the Fore in Cannabis Research

Canadian scientists plan to increase research into the effects of cannabis when marijuana becomes legal this fall. Funding agencies also see the need for additional cannabis research but drug scheduling regulations continue to deter scientists from studying it.

• Learn about Neuroscience Funding at SfN.org

Opinion

(Dis)trust in Science

This piece discusses declining public confidence in experts including scientists. It argues that experts are more likely to predict the truth probabilistically because they have more relevant information. However, the internet has tricked probabilistic thinking by making information accessible to all.

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Articles of Interest

Owls See the World Much Like We Do

New research indicates that owls see motion similar to humans by grouping objects together moving in the same direction.

• Read more about visual systems at BrainFacts.org

Electrical Brain Stimulation May Help Reduce Violent Crime in Future

A recent study found that stimulating the prefrontal cortex decreases intentions to commit crimes and heightens moral awareness, suggesting a potential way to reduce future crime.

• Learn about transcranial magnetic stimulation at BrainFacts.org