America’s next chapter in science and innovation is being written right now by Congress. That’s why our CEO submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies last week. Here’s what he had to say: Our message is clear: If the U.S. is to remain the global leader in science and technology, we must invest like it. The agencies under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction enable transformational research that powers our economy, secures our national defense, and saves lives: NSF research laid the groundwork for LASIK and MRI technologies, NASA science led to solar panels and digital cameras, and NIST pioneered the atomic clocks that ensure the GPS in your phone works with precision. These aren’t just investments in science, they’re investments in people, places, and possibility. In FY2023 alone, federal funding to NSF, NASA, and NIST supported more than 21,000 graduate students and 4,500 postdocs across the country in all 50 states, both red and blue. But we now face a crossroads. Other nations are rapidly boosting their R&D investments and working hard to attract global STEM talent — some even allocating hundreds of millions to recruit U.S.-based researchers. Meanwhile, our own position as a destination for science is slipping. We can’t afford to sit back. The decision before Congress isn’t just about funding lines in a budget. It’s about where the next great discovery will be made. Let’s choose to lead. (fb)

Scientists have created a device that acts like a one-way mirror for speeding up or slowing down light. The device uses microwave pulses and a magnetic field to control how fast light travels — advancing it in one way and delaying it in the other. Researchers say this could pave the way for innovations in microwave communication and neuromorphic computing. Read the paper in Physical Review Letters: https://go.aps.org/42Z2e9J (fb)