Guest Thinkers — August 16, 2010

BIOSCIENCE MAGAZINE ON FRAMING: Editorial Urges Focus Beyond Just Science Literacy

In an editorial in the latest issue of BIOSCIENCE magazine, editor Timothy M. Beardsley discusses the importance of framing when it comes to communication strategy, and highlights some of the points I raised in a recent presentation at the annual meetings of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS.) The discussions at the meeting and the editorial are another sign that organizations within the scientific community are getting serious about complementary forms of public engagement that go beyond the traditional focus on popular science and science literacy.

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Neuropsych

25 years since Columbine: We’re closer to decoding mass-shooter psychology

Public mass shooters almost always have worldviews shaped by the "3 Rs": rage, resentment, and revenge.

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Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Is there anything wrong with trauma dumping?”

When does "oversharing" become an issue?

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Leadership

Adam Grant on how to identify and develop high-potential leaders

The ability to toggle between abstract and concrete thinking is a key differentiator of high-potential leaders.

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Business

Want true success? Be more philosophical about “good” and “bad” failure.

Bob Dylan gave us the paradoxical gem "there's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all." He had a point.

Starts With A Bang

The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrong

Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?

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Guest Thinkers

TEN YEARS AFTER DOLLY: Less Than a Third of Americans Believe Cloning Animals is Morally Acceptable; Only a Third of Americans Are Clear About the Differences Between Therapeutic and Reproductive Cloning; Less Than a Majority Support Therapeutic Cloning

Today marks the ten year anniversary of the birth of the cloned sheep Dolly, and the anniversary comes as Congress debates various bills impacting funding for embryonic stem cell research […]