Roundup 1/20: Broad Mandate, Slim Odds Edition

The John Templeton Foundation has revamped the way it gives out money to promote dialogue on science and religion.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is pouring $65 million into a genomics research collaboration involving two Mexican medical institutes and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts (left). The 3-year project will catalog mutations in seven types of cancer, look for type-2 diabetes genes in Latin Americans, and train Mexican scientists. 

Universities, patient groups, and drug companies have unveiled a slick new report and Web site showcasing how the National Institutes of Health is spending its $10.4 billion in Recovery Act money.

Morocco is hoping that a solar-power mega-project will provide 40% of its energy needs by 2020.

(Photo courtesy of the Broad Institute.)