Journal Science unveils new ‘Science Population App’ for iPad users

ntttttttttttt

A new interactive, multimedia-enhanced iPad application from the journal Science features award-winning journalism and peer-reviewed research on global population growth and its impacts on education, health, quality-of-life, economics and natural resources.

With the planet’s population clicking past 7 billion this year and projected to reach 9.3 billion by 2050, the new Science Population App pulls together authoritative content from the journal, plus additional videos, podcasts and interactive graphics in a package that iPad users can explore when, where and how they need it.

Researchers expect almost all of the population growth over the next four decades to be concentrated in the world’s poorest countries, raising urgent questions such as how best to prevent food shortages. Yet, in other regions, populations of working-age people are expected to shrink, resulting in economic pressures. Science iPad App users can tap on a graphic “film strip,” then swipe viewing panes sideways, up or down to interact with five media-rich sections of content on population-related issues. Readers can explore, for example, the long-running debate on whether family planning programs help reduce high fertility rates, the accuracy of current population prediction models, and whether more people may sometimes trigger positive economic shifts.

Science Publisher Beth Rosner, director of Publishing and Membership Services at the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), said the new App represents another important step toward making high-quality scientific information accessible to an increasingly diverse global audience.

“By making this Science Population content available through the Apple App Store, we hope to introduce an even broader international community to science generally,” said Rosner. “Whether our readers are scientists and engineers, or high-school students and teachers, we want to play a role in promoting public interest in the scientific enterprise. We also hope of course that some App users will decide to support the AAAS mission by becoming members.”

Science previously rolled out a free iPhone application, Science Mobile, to make selected news content available to the public, and the journal’s Web sites are constantly undergoing enhancements to improve each visitor’s experience, said Stewart Wills, Science Editorial Director, Web & New Media.

“Like many web publishers, we’re seeing steady increases in the percentage of users who access our content on mobile devices,” Wills said. “The new Science Population App is a natural evolution of what we’re doing on the web. It’s an exciting opportunity to extend the scientific discussion on a vital topic.”

Ian King, director of marketing for AAAS and Science said: “A primary objective of the new Science Population App was to provide useful content through platforms that are both convenient and exciting for them. The iPad technology lets us leverage outstanding Science content to create a meaningful experience for our readers.”

The new App is available for $4.99 via the Apple iTunes Store online.