Yesterday, Creative Commons made two major announcements regarding their forays into the world of science via their weblog.

The first bit of news is that BioMed Central has adopted CC's attribution license for their submissions (Biomed Central using Creative Commons). See their licensing page: BioMed Central copyright and license agreement. BioMed Central rocks. They publish over 100 peer-reviewed scientific journals with a philosophy of "open access":

All the original research articles in journals published by BioMed Central are immediately and permanently available online without charge or any other barriers to access. This commitment is based on the view that open access to research is central to rapid and efficient progress in science and that subscription-based access to research is hindering rather than helping scientific communication.

The more important news is that Creative Commons is launching what may eventually be a sister organization that will focus on the sciences (Science Commons). Work will not be limited to copyright, but "will delve into both legal areas (patents, data) and subject matter (biomedicine) outside the scope of our current organization." All I can say is, "wicked cool." If you have talent and experience in these areas ... they're hiring: Job Announcement: Science Commons Executive Director.