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More Nominees for Science Roles

US President Joe Biden has announced additional nominees to fill science leadership roles in his administration, Science reports.

Among the dozen new nominees are Asmeret Berhe, Rick Spinrad, and Monica Medina. Berhe, a professor of soil biogeochemistry at the University of California, Merced, has been nominated to be the director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy. As Science notes, that $7 billion research office is the main funder of physical sciences in the US. UC Berkeley's John Harte, who was Berhe's doctoral advisor, tells it that her selection is "totally understandable and makes perfect sense" and that she would bring a "fresh vision" to the office.

Meanwhile, Spinrad, an oceanography professor at Oregon State University, has been tapped to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Monica Medina, an adjunct professor Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and CEO of Our Daily Planet, has been selected to oversee science and climate at the State Department.

The Scan

Genes Linked to White-Tailed Jackrabbits' Winter Coat Color Change

Climate change, the researchers noted in Science, may lead to camouflage mismatch and increase predation of white-tailed jackrabbits.

Adenine Base Editor Targets SCID Mutation in New Study

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, report in Cell that adenine base editing was able to produce functional T lymphocytes in a model of severe combined immune deficiency.

Researchers Find Gene Affecting Alkaline Sensitivity in Plants

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science have found a locus affecting alkaline-salinity sensitivity, which could aid in efforts to improve crop productivity, as they report in Science.

International Team Proposes Checklist for Returning Genomic Research Results

Researchers in the European Journal of Human Genetics present a checklist to guide the return of genomic research results to study participants.