This section focuses on the ethical, legal, social, and policy questions arising from research involving human and animal subjects.

In the above passage describing nature, the twofold purpose of God’s creation is expressed. The blessing for humanity of such beauty and diversity cannot help but be apparent. Nature also exists to be another source of praise for our omnipotent God. Sadly, this blessing is not always treated as such. The environment and its degradation caused by humankind is an issue constantly in the news. Hum...

Biostimulation is one of the most mature methods of bioremediation of hydrocarbons, yet recent advances in geophysics, stable isotope analyses, and molecular microbiology promise dramatic increases in the depth, breadth, and throughput of biostimulation strategies. Using a systems biology approach we can now understand not only what microbes are present, but their in situ activities to trace nu...

The Navy requires an understanding of how markers of stress relate to marine mammal health. This information will inform Navy environmental stewardship efforts and will guide decision making regarding Navy actions with the potential to affect the health of wild marine mammal populations. The research program reported here aids our understanding of how the stress response operates in marine mamm...

Civic hackathons have become a popular, experimental process through which to promote public access to open government data and enable innovative civic uses for the information. The International Space Apps Challenge, led by NASA, is a high-profile event, promoting the use of space-derived data with the aim of contributing solutions to 'grand challenges' such as environmental sustainability. Ce...

To the Editor—The Japan Council for Quality Health Care assesses Japanese hospitals according to various criteria and makes the results available on the Internet. One of the most significant criteria is this: "Are specific antimicrobial agents (carbapenems, vancomycin, etc.) administered under a proper stewardship program, such as a permission and notification system?" Because of this item, man...