NIH appears to shut down public comments on science peer-review rule change ahead of schedule - Scientific American
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October 14, 20262 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmThe proposed change to how the National Institutes of Health handles grant applications has been criticized by scientists as reducing transparencyBy Adam Kovac edited by Claire Cameron Shutterstock/DCStockPhotographyJoin Our Community of Science Lovers! Members of the public who tried to submit their views on a proposed change to the National Institutes of Health’s grant funding system say they found themselves locked out after the system shut down ahead of schedule. The proposed change has been criticized as potentially reducing transparency. It seeks to revise how grant application scores—averaged measures of a research project's predicted outcomes—are communicated to both funding applicants and NIH program officers. Under the change, applications would be sorted into three broad categories of merit, while their overall score, as determined by a panel of experts, would remain a secret. Some researchers have said this could open up the grant approval process to undue political influence. On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing.
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Drowned 5,000-year-old forests off Mozambique now shelter reef fish, no coral needed - Yahoo
Forests that stood on Mozambique's coast thousands of years ago now lie beneath shallow seas, and they have become fish-filled "peat reefs" with marine life comparable to coral reefs, researchers report in Scientific Reports. A team from the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS) Ocean Observatory, led by Mario Lebrato, documented the submerged peat in the Bazaruto Archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean. BCSS, founded in 2017, describes itself as Africa's first permanent ocean observatory. Working with universities and institutions in the U. K., U. S. and Canada, the team believes it has carried out the first ecological study of peat reefs anywhere in the tropics. Old forests, new seafloorRadiocarbon dating shows the peat formed between about 300 and 5,000 years ago, and chemical analysis indicates it came mostly from coastal land plants and trees. Some samples contain up to 40% organic carbon by dry weight. Lebrato said the coastline has very little natural hard seabed, mostly shifting sand. As rising seas expose the old peat layers, they create rare solid habitat where marine life can settle, hide and feed.
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