This February students from Thomas Deacon Academy and Oundle School travelled to Chicago to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting. The annual AAAS conference is the largest science conference in the world, and attracts prestigious speakers such as Al Gore and Lawrence Krauss, to speak on a wide range of topics. This year’s conference was titled “Our Planet and its Life: Origins and Futures”.

The results of several important studies were announced at this year’s conference. Svante Pääbo, a German researcher, described the results of his team’s research into the Neanderthal genetic code. They have been able to read 60% of it, allowing comparison to modern human and ape DNA. This led to speculation that this human like species was able to communicate using a rudimentary language, since it contained at least one of the genes required for speech.

One of the pupils who attended the conference, Wesley Tam, said “I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It was a fantastic opportunity to listen to some of the greatest minds in science speak on subjects which they are truly passionate about, unconstrained by the expectations of the popular press. I am looking forward to attending next year’s conference in San Diego.”

Many of the students at the conference heard former Vice President Al Gore present an updated version of his well known lecture to an overflowing auditorium. He spoke on the continuing need legislation to cut carbon emissions, and for individuals to make meaningful changes to their lifestyles, emphasising the important role which scientists have in making these changes happen.

The AAAS, a non-profit organisation founded in 1848, seeks to “advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.” To further this aim, it publishes Science, a leading scientific journal, as well as promoting science education in the US and providing a platform for international scientific communication.