President Obama highlights research and innovation in the State of the Union, Alzheimer's in developing countries, and a Facebook campaign tries to help the average person better understand the plight of Alzheimer's sufferers (read more).

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• A January 28, 2014 Scientific American article highlighted the research and innovation themes in President Obama's State of the Union speech. According to the article, "Speaking before Congress, he devoted roughly a fifth of his  speech to topics including climate change, renewable energy and investing in science and education opportunities. His prepared remarks came in at a word count of 6,778 words. He addressed the impact of the budget cuts to research head on: “Federally-funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones,” he said. “That’s why Congress should undo the damage done by last year’s cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery. There are entire industries to be built based on vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that’s stronger than steel,” he said."
• A January 28, 2014 Slate article reported on the growing issue of Alzheimer's in developing countries. According to the article, "This isn’t just a China story. After years of being thought of as a disease of the wealthy, Alzheimer's is increasingly proliferating in middle- and lower-income countries. A 2008 study in the Lancet found that rates of dementia “in urban Latin America (approaching 10%) resemble those in high-income countries.” According to the London-based Alzheimer’s Disease International, “Already 62% of people with dementia live in developing countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71%."
• A January 28, 2014 Sioux City Journal opinion piece by Jan Youngberg, an Alzheimer's Association ambassador, advocated for making Alzheimer's a national priority. According to Youngberg, "We need to raise our awareness of this devastating disease. Please write your congressmen. Make them aware that research and funding for this disease needs to be a national priority. It may be too late for the present baby boomer generation, but let's erase this disease for the next."