November 19 - Last week, for the first time in four years, a competitor in NASA’s "space elevator" challenge qualified for one of the contest's cash prizes. Part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, the contest challenges participants to transmit power from a remote transmittor to a device that climbs a cable suspended one kilometer high. If successfully developed, applications of such a technology could include providing power to remote areas of military bases or operating unmanned aircraft for extended periods or even powering an elevator to the moon. Programs like the Centennial Challenges program encourage private companies and students to come up with creative solutions in aerospace research and technology.

November 9 - A new report from the national science academies of seven African countries estimates that the lives of nearly 4 million women, newborns, and children in sub-Saharan Africa could be saved every year if already well-established, affordable health interventions reached 90 percent of families. The report was released at the annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative in Accra, Ghana.

November 4 - Former NAS President Bruce Alberts, former NIH Director and IOM member Elias Zerhouni, and Nobel prize-winning chemist and NAS member Ahmed Zewail have been appointed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve as science envoys to Muslim majority countries. The envoys will travel to North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia "to fulfill President Obama’s mandate to foster scientific and technological collaboration," Clinton said, speaking at a forum in Morocco.‪

November 3 - Earlier last week Bill and Melinda Gates launched a new project through their foundation in order to emphasize the importance of government contributions to global health. The couple highlighted the previous success of U.S. government initiatives in combating malaria, reducing child mortality rates through immunization, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. These successes underscore how critical maintaining global health care funding is, despite the recent economic downturn.

October 20 - The U.S. Census Bureau has released alternative estimates of poverty for the 2008 calendar year. The Bureau’s calculations are based on recommendations in the 1995 National Research Council report, “Measuring Poverty: A New Approach.” Using the report’s revised definitions, the Census Bureau calculated a higher rate of poverty (15.8 percent) than the Bureau’s official annual estimate (13.2 percent).