Biology and Life Sciences

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
commentary
Origin Story: How Did the Coronavirus Emerge?
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jun 2, 2021
The National Interest
President Joe Biden has called for the U.S. intelligence community to redouble efforts to determine the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In conducting this investigation, it might be useful to avoid only focusing on a binary choice. That is, either the virus escaped from the laboratory or from a spillover from an infected animal to a human.
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Vaccination
commentary
The Pivotal Role of Remote Working in the Journey to Jab the Nation
Michael Whitmore
May 13, 2021
Workplace Insight
Pulling the UK COVID-19 vaccination program together was an immense logistical and technical effort. Had it not been for the working practices mandated by the lockdown, it would have been even more difficult. What changed over the pandemic to allow this to happen?
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Bioethics
commentary
Who Gets Care When Hospitals Are Overwhelmed? Clear Policies Are Often Lacking
Lori Frank @LoriBethFrank, Thomas W. Concannon @tconcannon
Jan 21, 2021
The RAND Blog
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge to new highs, states, health systems, and the public continue to need clarity on health care resource allocation policy. A RAND checklist provides clear and consistent criteria for structuring such difficult decisions.
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Biotechnology
blog
'Internet of Bodies,' COVID-19 as a Preexisting Condition, Preventive Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 6, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the potential risks and benefits of the 'Internet of Bodies,' what might happen if the ACA is struck down and COVID-19 is considered a preexisting condition, a drop in the use of preventive care, and more.
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Biotechnology
article
The Internet of Bodies Will Change Everything, for Better or Worse
Oct 29, 2020
The rise of devices that connect the human body to the web is accelerating rapidly. This Internet of Bodies could revolutionize health care and improve our quality of life. But without appropriate guardrails, it could also jeopardize our most intimate personal information and introduce several ethical concerns.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Voting in a Pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, Defunding the Police: RAND Weekly Recap
Aug 28, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on Americans' views about voting in the age of COVID-19, what makes the U.S. Postal Service so essential, why some in law enforcement may be open to “defunding the police,” and more.
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Emerging Technologies
article
Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?
Aug 27, 2020
Brain-computer interfaces give humans the ability to directly control machines with their minds. Before this emerging technology matures, it's important for developers to weigh the opportunities against the risks.
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Biomedical Research
commentary
Biosecurity Is the Lesson We Need to Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, James Giordano
May 11, 2020
The National Interest
Biological outbreaks have been a fear among experts for decades and human activities present windows of vulnerability. To address this, America needs to have a new approach to biosafety and biosecurity that addresses the full range of biological threats that humankind and the global environment will face in the future.
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Bioethics
commentary
Biology, in the Language of the People
Timothy Marler, Dona Odell
Feb 21, 2019
Annals of Biostatistics & Biometric Applications
As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Experts should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.
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Bioethics
commentary
Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jan 10, 2019
United Press International
Mainstream interest in genome editing is now surging. If this research is to go forward, the science should be well understood by those conducting the research. Best practices and the highest scientific standards should be employed to limit risks and prevent unintended consequences.
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Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
commentary
Can Open Science Help to Make Research More Accessible?
Anna Knack, Elta Smith, Catherine A. Lichten, Sarah Parks, Salil Gunashekar
Oct 13, 2017
Observatory for a Connected Society app
The leading principle of open science is that anyone, whether they are part of the research community or the public, should be able to access scientific knowledge. Free circulation of knowledge, the sharing of research results, and transparency of methodology are core tenets of the scientific method.
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The Elderly
commentary
An Uneven Future: An Ageing Population Needs Innovation, but Not at the Expense of Equal Care
Camilla d'Angelo
Oct 5, 2017
Health Service Journal
Expected increases in life expectancy together with increasingly complex physical and mental illness will continue to exert huge pressures on health systems. How should the UK prepare for the challenges ahead?
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Biotechnology
commentary
Can the Bioweapons Convention Survive Crispr?
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jul 29, 2016
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Crispr is a biotechnology that's making genetic editing easier, cheaper, and far more accessible, but it has also been called a major security threat. Do such advances in biotechnology make the bioweapons convention obsolete?
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Public Health Preparedness
commentary
How to Handle the Infectious Diseases Threat
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jun 3, 2016
CNN
The reactive approach to emerging infectious disease should be augmented with an anticipatory model that accounts for the dramatic changes occurring through globalization, greater interactions between human and zoonotic populations, and changes to the environment and climate patterns.
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Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
commentary
A New Model for Open Innovation: The Structural Genomics Consortium
Sophie Castle-Clarke
Mar 25, 2014
EuroScientist
Open innovation is often suggested as a solution to enhance productivity in under-performing areas of research. Now, the strengths and weaknesses of a new open innovation model in drug discovery have been evaluated.
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blog
Dr. Gill Samuels CBE Joins RAND Europe Council of Advisors
Jan 31, 2014
Dr. Gill Samuels CBE joined the RAND Europe Council of Advisors during its meeting in January. She is a physiologist and neuropharmacologist by training and was Director of Cardiovascular Biology at Pfizer, contributing to the discovery and development of a number of medicines.
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Geriatrics
blog
RAND Summer Institute July 7–10, 2014
Oct 21, 2013
Applications are being accepted now through March 21 for the 21st annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), a pair of conferences on aging that will be held next July 7–10 at the RAND Corporation headquarters in Santa Monica.
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Antimicrobial Resistance
commentary
Who Killed Mrs X? The Global Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
Jonathan Grant, Jirka Taylor
Sep 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Antimicrobial drugs are no longer working as they once did. The bugs that they are supposed to attack are becoming increasingly resistant. Microbes follow the same rules of evolution as we do. Through reproduction and natural selection the fittest survive.
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Biomedical Research
blog
AcademyHealth Presents Ateev Mehrotra with Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award
Jun 26, 2013
RAND congratulates physician researcher Ateev Mehrotra on receiving AcademyHealth's 2013 Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award. The award recognizes early-career health services researchers who “show exceptional promise for future contributions.”
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Health Care Costs
commentary
What Will Change Most About Our Routine Physicals Over the Next Decade?
Arthur L. Kellermann
Aug 31, 2012
Zócalo Public Square
Don't forget—an American's odds of living a long and healthy life still depend more on his zip code than his genetic code. That won't change until we make healthcare more affordable, writes Dr. Arthur Kellermann.
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commentary
Perceptions of Food That Are an Ocean Apart
Felicia Wu
May 12, 2004
The Financial Times
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
The Weapons of Mass Creation
Caroline S. Wagner
Feb 13, 2003
Los Angeles Times
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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Biology and Life Sciences

Origin Story: How Did the Coronavirus Emerge?

The Pivotal Role of Remote Working in the Journey to Jab the Nation

Who Gets Care When Hospitals Are Overwhelmed? Clear Policies Are Often Lacking

'Internet of Bodies,' COVID-19 as a Preexisting Condition, Preventive Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

The Internet of Bodies Will Change Everything, for Better or Worse

Voting in a Pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, Defunding the Police: RAND Weekly Recap

Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?

Biosecurity Is the Lesson We Need to Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic

Biology, in the Language of the People

Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology

Can Open Science Help to Make Research More Accessible?

An Uneven Future: An Ageing Population Needs Innovation, but Not at the Expense of Equal Care

Can the Bioweapons Convention Survive Crispr?

How to Handle the Infectious Diseases Threat

A New Model for Open Innovation: The Structural Genomics Consortium

Dr. Gill Samuels CBE Joins RAND Europe Council of Advisors

RAND Summer Institute July 7–10, 2014

Who Killed Mrs X? The Global Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance

AcademyHealth Presents Ateev Mehrotra with Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award

What Will Change Most About Our Routine Physicals Over the Next Decade?

Perceptions of Food That Are an Ocean Apart

The Weapons of Mass Creation

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