Renowned evolutionary biologist Neil H. Shubin took office today as the president of the National Academy of Sciences. “I am so grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead the National Academy of Sciences at a time when the pace of scientific discovery is accelerating faster than ever,” said Shubin. “I look forward to building upon the Academy’s storied history, and to further its enduring mission to serve the nation.”
Photo by Chistopher Michel
To mark this year’s Asteroid Day, we spoke with Meenakshi Wadhwa, a cosmochemist who studies meteorites and astromaterials returned by missions like Apollo, Genesis, Hayabusa2, and OSIRIS-REx to reconstruct the earliest chapters of our Solar System’s history.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution convened scientific leaders, innovators, and emerging researchers to explore a central question: What discoveries will define the next 250 years?
Membership
Election to membership in the NAS recognizes excellence in research and is one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve.
MEMBERSHIP
Programs
Learn about our work on issues of national and worldwide concern, and explore science in new and engaging ways.
Scientific Meetings
Listen to leading scientists talk about the latest in research.
Public Engagement
Explore the intersection of science and art and engage with science in new and exciting ways.
Science & Society
Learn about our special initiatives on national and worldwide issues from human rights to arms control.
Awards
NAS awards have recognized the outstanding contributions of more than 1,000 individuals in the physical, biological, and social sciences.
Featured Awards
Publications
Explore our flagship journal PNAS, reports from the National Academies, and other NAS publications.
Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans the biological, physical, and social sciences. The journal is global in scope and submission is open to all researchers worldwide.
PNAS Nexus
PNAS Nexus is a gold open access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality original research from across the biological, medical, physical, social, and political sciences, and engineering and mathematics, promoting collaboration across diverse fields.
News
Access news, features, and postings about our members, programs, and special initiatives.





