Congressional Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will join Mayor Edwin Lee on August 16 at the kick off of the inaugural Bay Area Science Festival, which will bring together an unprecedented brain trust of the region’s scientific and educational partners to produce what is expected to be one of the largest science-based events ever held in the United States.

UC scientists explain radiation risks from everyday background radiation, medical imaging and nuclear power plant accidents in the aftermath of meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

A consortium of scientists is reporting that genetic secrets of multiple sclerosis may be buried in 50 “hot spots” in the human genome, a finding that will guide future efforts to assess an individual’s risk of susceptibility and may help develop new drugs for treating this complex disease.