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Less Paper, More Waiting

Sep 21, 2009

An unintended consequence of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 is slowing down public health research, says an article at Science Progress. The Act intended "to reduce the burden to citizens associated with government data collections" but added an extra layer of Office of Management and Budget review to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This then, slows down the pace of research. The authors say there is a simple solution: an exemption for the CDC, similar to the ones that the NIH and the Veterans Administration received, in the next re-authorization of the bill.

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The Scan

Genome Sequences Reveal Range Mutations in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers in Nature Genetics detect somatic mutation variation across iPSCs generated from blood or skin fibroblast cell sources, along with selection for BCOR gene mutations.

Researchers Reprogram Plant Roots With Synthetic Genetic Circuit Strategy

Root gene expression was altered with the help of genetic circuits built around a series of synthetic transcriptional regulators in the Nicotiana benthamiana plant in a Science paper.

Infectious Disease Tracking Study Compares Genome Sequencing Approaches

Researchers in BMC Genomics see advantages for capture-based Illumina sequencing and amplicon-based sequencing on the Nanopore instrument, depending on the situation or samples available.

LINE-1 Linked to Premature Aging Conditions

Researchers report in Science Translational Medicine that the accumulation of LINE-1 RNA contributes to premature aging conditions and that symptoms can be improved by targeting them.