Membership is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist.
Sixty new members and 15 foreign associates from nine countries were elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, according to an announcement by the Academy. The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation signed by Abraham Lincoln. The Academy acts as an official adviser to the federal government in any matter of science or technology. Jeffrey Palmer is considered by many to be the world leader in evolutionary genomics, and he has made landmark discoveries in areas as diverse as plant phylogeny and intron evolution. Palmer has influenced the fields of plant phylogeny and molecular evolution by training many of the leading practitioners in these areas.