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Given that Aedes aegypti , the main mosquito vector of Zika virus, has been an intense focus of public health attention in the Americas, most recently in Florida, it seems apt that next week, 7000 entomologists from around the world will converge on Orlando, Florida, for the 25th International Congress of Entomology (ICE), where, among other activities, 175 discipline thought-leaders will join policy-makers and other experts to address “Improving the Human Condition through Insect Science.” The ICE summit's goals are to define the major global insect-related challenges—from arthropod-borne diseases to the protection of beneficial species—and plan collaborative efforts to meet these challenges through research and technology. These “grand challenges” aren't new. What's new, however, is an explicit effort to address one of the greatest challenges: effective engagement with the public about the value of insect science.

INTERNATIONAL GENETICS CONGRESS MEETINGBEIJING-- Some 2000 scientists gathered here from 10 to 15 August for the Eighteenth International Congress of Genetics, which was sponsored by the International Genetics Federation. Among the topics discussed were a new gene that may provide insights into stem cell division and recent progress in understanding plant development.

BERLIN-- Mathematicians officially anointed four new superstars when the 1998 Fields Medals were presented here last week at the opening ceremonies of the International Congress of Mathematicians. There is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, and the Fields Medal, awarded every 4 years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), has become the discipline9s highest honor. Unlike Nobels, Fields Medals are traditionally awarded only to mathematicians no older than 40 and are intended as much to encourage future work as to recognize past achievement.

ArchaeologyThe Near East, birthplace of farming, animal domestication, cities, empires, and writing, exerts a powerful pull on archaeologists. The region is also the birthplace of modern archaeology itself, which began in the 19th century amid the mounds of Mesopotamia. Yet at the Eighth International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, the field's first gathering since the Arab Spring unleashed unrest from Morocco to Oman, researchers were worried about the future of archaeology's flagship subdiscipline. More than 120 foreign teams were abruptly shut out of Syria, Egypt is taking a xenophobic turn, parts of Iraq remain prone to violence, and Iran remains virtually sealed off. Even peaceful countries are more difficult for foreign archaeologists to access. Although about 600 scientists crowded the halls to listen to nearly 500 presentations, there was a note of quiet desperation in the air.

MATHEMATICSOn Tuesday, the International Congress of Mathematicians awarded the closest equivalent to a Nobel Prize in math to three young stars ([see sidebar][1]). But the name on everybody's lips was that of the mathematician who had refused his Fields Medal: Grigory Perelman. ([Read more][2].) [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/313/5790/1027b [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/313/5790/1027a

At the International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, efforts to explore the scientific literature have shifted away from peer review and into other areas, such as bias and authorship. With a dearth of available data and funding, large systematic studies of how peer review works and doesn9t aren9t easy to get off the ground.

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY MEETINGBOCA RATON, FLORIDA-- From 27 July to 1 August, animals with a backbone drew the attention of morphologists, evolutionary biologists, and other researchers. A new analysis of the family tree of the Thorius genus of salamanders reported at the meeting suggests that a few species have reacquired traits that their earliest ancestors had lost.

BASIC AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY MEETINGMONTREAL, CANADA-- More than 7000 researchers gathered here from 18 to 23 July for the International Congress of Immunology and the Annual Conference of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies. Some of the most provocative news concerned dendritic cells.

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGYKYOTO, JAPAN-- Organizers of the 14th International Congress of Developmental Biology arranged for a special fireworks display to accent Kyoto's temples, shrines, and hot springs. But the 1400 biologists who gathered here already had plenty to get excited about, from a new look at limb development and new insights into the phenomenon of segmentation to a heroic effort to define the regulatory network controlling early sea urchin development.

[Figure][1] CREDIT: KYODO/LANDOV The International Mathematical Union (IMU) doled out seven prizes on 19 August in opening ceremonies at its quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Hyderabad, India. Four mathematicians received the prestigious Fields Medal, considered

AIDS THERAPYNEW DELHI-- Although potent cocktails of anti-HIV drugs can knock the virus back to undetectable levels in patients' blood, HIV continues to lurk in "reservoirs"--cells that harbor the virus where antivirals cannot get at it. Now, new studies by a team at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases indicate that a natural immune system regulatory molecule called interleukin-2, if given to patients along with combination therapy, can flush HIV from at least one reservoir out into the open. The finding, reported at the International Congress of Immunology here earlier this month, raises hope that it may one day be possible to rid people of HIV entirely.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS-- According to three studies presented here last week at the Fifth International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, either suggesting or excluding reviewers can significantly increase a manuscript9s chances of being accepted.

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY MEETINGBOCA RATON, FLORIDA-- From 27 July to 1 August, animals with a backbone drew the attention of morphologists, evolutionary biologists, and other researchers. Researchers who analyzed 80-million-year-old fossil dinosaur eggs reported at the meeting that therizinosauroid dinosaurs emerged from their eggs strong-legged, ready to fend for themselves and find food.

7TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY MEETINGBOCA RATON, FLORIDA-- From 27 July to 1 August, animals with a backbone drew the attention of morphologists, evolutionary biologists, and other researchers. At the meeting, a herpetologist showed that a surprisingly stretchy stomach is the key to successful cannibalism among snakes.

BASIC AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY MEETINGMONTREAL, CANADA-- More than 7000 researchers gathered here from 18 to 23 July for the International Congress of Immunology and the Annual Conference of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies. It was clear that 20 years after falling out of favor, regulatory T cells have made a stunning comeback.

BASIC AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY MEETINGMONTREAL, CANADA-- More than 7000 researchers gathered here from 18 to 23 July for the International Congress of Immunology and the Annual Conference of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies. A new genetic tool and some recent studies suggest that scientists are making progress at nailing down some elusive genes, including those that affect more than one disease.

BEIJING-- Some 2000 scientists gathered here from 10 to 15 August for the Eighteenth International Congress of Genetics, which was sponsored by the International Genetics Federation. Among the topics discussed were a new gene that may provide insights into stem cell division and recent progress in understanding plant development.