The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "National Academy of Sciences" ...
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"Missoula shaken baby conviction relied on science, expert"
Three-month old Gabriel sustained and eventually died from severe neurological injuries from what investigators determined was "shaken baby syndrome." Gabriel's father, Robert J. Wilkes, was not the initial suspect. However, through the testimony of a child abuse expert from Minnesota and convincing circumstantial evidence, he was eventually found guilty.
Tags: child abuse; shaken baby; pediatrics; Rick Kaplan; National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse; American Academy of Pediatrics
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Radon in Schools: A Lesson to Learn
Radon, according to the National Academy of Sciences, is America's second leading cause of lung cancer. Average radon levels in Ohio are almost three times the national average. Only 11% of Ohio's schools had ever been tested for radon. Several Ohio schools were tested for radon but did not fix their radon problems.
Tags: radon; National Academy of Sciences; lung cancer; radon-related cancer; Columbus public schools; Columbus Health Department
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Science Casts Doubt on FBI Bullet Evidence
This story investigated the validity of a forensics technique, comparative lead bullet analysis, that has been used by the FBI crime laboratory since the late 1960's. FBI scientists determine the trace metal profile of a lead slug and then compare bullet profiles. They found there was not a solid scientific backing for this technique and that new research indicates that the conclusions the FBI examiners drew about relationships between were, at best, unwarranted. There was never evidence to conclude that the fact that two bullets share similar trace element profiles means they are in some way connected, and there is now evidence against that conclusion. This is important because the technique is commonly used in murder cases where traditional ballistics cannot be used and, often where there is little evidence.
Tags: forensics; FBI; crime lab; lead bullet analysis; FBI scientists; lead slug; FBI examiners; American Chemical Society; National Academy of Sciences; bullet lead; fingerprint analysis; Iowa State University; National Research Council; Middlesex County Superior Court; crime scene; FBI testimony; National Research Council; rifling-mark analysis
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NAS Study Shows Messy Reality Tied To Balancing Security, Openness
Before a National Academy of Sciences' study of non-lethal weapons science and technology was published Nov. 4, its classification review became a yearlong tug of war between NAS and a Defense Department office, revealing just how difficult and contentious decisions about releasing government information can be after Sept. 11.
Tags: IRE FOI AWARD CATEGORY; National Academy of Sciences; Defense Department; Sunshine Project; Federal Advisory Committee Act; security
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Rescuing the River
A Journal News investigative series reports on the Environmental Protection Agency's $460-million plan "to perform the largest environmental dredging project in the nation's history on a 40-mile section of the Upper Hudson River." The river was contaminated with PCBs, deadly chemicals that have been dumped in the water by General Electric for decades. The toxins destroyed fishing and tainted a Mohawk reservation. The stories question the cost and effectiveness of the dredging plan, which "might not remove PCBs from the river but it would destroy marshes...." The investigation documents the GE high-dollar lobbying and advertising efforts in favor of the argument that "the river will clean itself."
Tags: environment; FOI requests; rivers; Congress; legislature; Sen. Hillary Clinton; hazardous waste; Hudson River Superfund; National Academy of Sciences; lobbyists; public health; contamination; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Another Victory for Medical Marijuana
Rolling Stone reports that a new government report cautiously endorses pot as a painkiller - and it not only embarrasses drug czar Barry McCaffrey but also may help to undermine the $17 billion War on Drugs. The study, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," was conducted by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine.
Tags: Marijuana; legalization
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No title (id: 13061)
Many nonprofits look and act like normal companies-running businesses, making money. U.S. News & World Report looks at why they are not paying Uncle Sam. Included is a list of executive salaries paid and a graph showing the dramatic growth in revenues and assets of non-profits in the last 15 years. Organizations investigated include National Geographics Explorers Hall, the PGA Tour, Alta Bates Medical Center, the Humane Society, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Securities Dealers, and Underwriters Laboratories. (Oct. 2, 1995)
Tags: Pound Cohen Loeb CAR Tax Exempt Income Tax IRS 990 Charities 10 pgs.
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Is the Modern World Giving Us Cancer?
Health magazine looks at the claims of "maverick scientist" Devra Lee Davis, who for more than 15 years has argued that environmental pollutants are causing an increase in some cancers, particularly in people over age 55.
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Toxic Testing
"In 1953, the U.S. Army secretly sprayed thousands of Americans -- including children at a school in the Twin Cities -- with toxic chemicals. (This report) reveals that the Army lied about the aerosol releases in Minneapolis, which were actually part of the Cold War biologial warfare program. Gilbert interviews former students and finds that many had serious medical problems, including high rates of cancer, multiple miscarriages, and children with birth defects."
Tags: VIDEOCLIP TAPE TRANSCRIPT Department of Energy; radiation biological warfare Pentagon Department of Defense Clinton School Children of the Fifties Foundation National Academy of Sciences "Clouds of Secrecy" cadmium smokescreen