“Are we making fewer discoveries than in the past? Can war make us cleverer? The answers lie in scientometrics, the field of research that puts scientists under the microscope.”
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“To put it bluntly, the bean counters are out of their depth.” David Rieff says insistence on strict accountability in foreign aid programs means losing hearts and minds in Afghanistan.
America’s ability to sap its intellectuals, from Twain to King, of their true revolutionary fervor reaches an apex with Jack London. The beloved author lived a dark and revolutionary life.
Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower differed in their view of the military. Kennedy advocated American dominance; Eisenhower, a more limited force. In which direction are we headed?
New polls from Gallup show that commuting adversely affects physical and emotional health. Those with longer commutes suffer back and neck pain and worry more than non-commuters.
“Mathematicians are facing a stark choice—embrace monstrous infinite entities or admit the basic rules of arithmetic are broken.” The New Scientist on mathematic’s new uncertainty.
Judge Richard Posner supports a value-added tax as part of an overall tax reform plan to encourage entrepreneurial development and avoid increasing the debt burden on the future.
Do you have sex like a Finn or a Bangladeshi? Researchers have surveyed “sociosexuality”—the scientific euphemism for promiscuity—in 48 countries. Where do you rank?
“A team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor.” The procedure reduces health risks.
The idea that knowledge produces fact while imagination produces fiction is wrong, says a professor of logic at Oxford. Imagination is crucial to fundamental cognitive abilities.
What would you do to give your child a head-start in life? If you’re one of the millions of so-called “helicopter parents” we discussed previously in our series, the answer […]
A few stories from over the weekend that raise decades-old questions about the connection between media and violence as well as the role that media play in the construction of […]
One paper in the special issue proposes strategies for catalyzing greater collaboration on climate change communication among the “four cultures.” The August issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and […]
Tomorrow morning at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, I will be addressing the annual conference of the University Research Magazine Association. I have pasted the text of my prepared remarks […]
Credit: NY Daily NewsOver the weekend, Politico ran a lengthy feature by Josh Gerstein in which he asks various experts to assess how environmental groups have reacted to the Obama […]
You have to like the U.S. chances in advancing to the semi-finals of the World Cup. That’s right, the semi-finals. If the U.S. beats Ghana on Saturday–and they should be […]
Held in over 30 countries, the World Wide Views on Global Warming initiative represents the state-of-the-art in new approaches to public engagement, the subject of several recent reports and meetings. […]
Changing the conversation about climate change: Graduate students from American and George Mason Universities prepare interview tent on the National Mall. WASHINGTON, DC — How do Americans respond when they […]
The announcement of this award is an important step towards greater recognition of the need for public engagement on the part of scientists and their institutions. AAAS should be commended […]
In reaction to our BMC Public Health study published this month that examined the potential to re-frame climate change in terms of health, reader Stephanie Parent had this astute observation, […]
In the wake of last week’s defeat of cap and trade, the predictable narrative offered by bloggers and commentators has been to blame the failure on industry, skeptics, and Republicans. […]
Big Think, the YouTube for intellectuals, is devoting the next 30 days to highlighting the most dangerous among ideas. Here’s how the editors describe the theme: Throughout the month of […]
In 2007, I called attention to a Point of Inquiry interview with philosopher Paul Kurtz in which he expressed concern over the direction of the New Atheist movement while asserting […]
A Federal inter-agency report released today reviews eleven key categories of diseases and other health consequences that are occurring or will occur due to climate change. The report, A Human […]
Sculptor Marilene Oliver uses MRI, PET, and CT scanning to create her works. Last week I traveled to the Canadian Rockies to participate in a unique workshop organized by the […]
Chiwetel Ejiofor as geologist Adrian Helmsley in last year’s blockbuster 2012 is one of the many emerging “hero” images of scientists in popular film and television.In graduate school, I published […]
Next week the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will be hosting the annual conference of the University Research Magazine Association (URMA). The association is comprised of editors and staffers at magazines […]
At a briefing on Capitol Hill yesterday, Stanford University communication professor Jon Krosnick presented the best analysis to date estimating the impact of “ClimateGate” on public perceptions of climate change […]
I have an article at Slate magazine today that ties together and elaborates on some of the themes explored at this blog over the past several weeks. Below is the […]
Last week I did an extended Q & A interview with Grist magazine about strategies for connecting climate change to the ongoing health care debate. Below is just one of […]