The largest public scientific meeting of its kind in the world gets under way this morning as the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual gathering convenes in San Francisco, California.
The five-day event brings together some of the world's leading scientists who will hold meetings, give lectures and bring science to the people.
The event will draw an expected 10,000 attendees who will take part in a meeting with the theme "Science and Technology for Sustainable Well-Being".
The week will include 200 scientific sessions for the general public and also plenary sessions where major issues such as climate change and the possibility of human colonisation of Mars will come under discussion.
There will be sessions on efforts to revive extinct languages, to bring back lost memories from infancy, and talks on how drugs cause lasting changes to the brain.
Scientists watching for the appearance of killer asteroids will discuss the risk of impacts to life on earth, and there will be talks on how species are dying off at a greater rate than ever before in some marine environments.
The Irish Times will provide daily coverage as part of the newspaper's commitment to help promote a greater public understanding of science and its impact on our everyday lives.
Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society.
