Why what you think you know about agricultural biotechnology may be wrong.
A ruling barring NIH funds from use in embryonic stem cell research will hurt American research efforts and send cutting-edge biotechnology jobs to Asia.
The misguided human embryonic stem cell research ruling by a U.S. court would discontinue amazing gains made over the past 12 years in regenerative medicine.
On August 24th the Department of Energy Announced that a consortium of 90 organizations anchored at Penn State University will receive $129 million of to support energy efficiency innovation.
A poorly argued decision upends critical embryonic stem cell research funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Scientists conclude that recent glacial calving of a giant ice island off the Greenland ice shelf is a clear symptom of a warming world.
A new test can detect with great accuracy the development of Alzheimer's years before symptoms occur. Jonathan Moreno muses on the ethical and political implications of this new medical milestone.
The FDA's myopic focus on early-stage testing and lack of emphasis on phase four human clinical trials has led to many safety-related drug recalls in recent years, meriting a reexamination of our regulatory system.
Paul Greenberg, author of the new book Four Fish: the Future of the Last Wild Food, discusses humanity's changing relationship with the oceans in this podcast interview and book review.
In their new book Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway document how the cast of characters peddling pseudo-science had been stunningly consistent over the years, from secondhand smoke skeptics to “Star Wars” missile defense proponents to modern climate science deniers.
The Food and Drug Administration approves the first clinical trial for embryonic stem cell treatment in patients with recent spinal cord injuries—creating a much needed regulatory pathway.
The massive environmental damage requires a systematic approach to the analysis of public policy priorities and the costs BP must bear over the long term.
The federal government should partner with venture capitalists to help our nation’s innovative small businesses build the equity capital they need to grow and prosper in the United States.
The idea of informed consent has grown up, and it’s time to rethink the reasoning behind the consent system for tissue donation, writes Jonathan Moreno.
Public policy makers need to manage the risks and rewards of this promising new life sciences industry, particularly with an eye on the global context.
Ethics concerns arise about testing company 23andMe’s genetic data-gathering efforts prior to the publication of a key research paper by the company.
A pilot initiative from the federal government could accelerate the great potential of breakthrough innovations arising from academic research.
A new study points to the possibility that retina cells can be derived from embryonic stem cells, but new regulatory procedures need to be in place to oversee the research going forward.
The true measure of a clinical trial’s worth is not whether it provides dying patients access to unproven medications, but rather, whether it produces a bountiful yield of knowledge that empowers future healthcare providers.
Critics of synthetic biology who fear that scientists are overstepping boundaries should have raised their objections in the 19th century.
Pollution in coastal waters around the country has damaged shellfish habitats for decades, but promising restoration programs can preserve the tiny bivalves that are crucial to healthy waters along our shorelines.
The emerging technology is cause for celebration but risks overreaction that could inhibit innovation.
For the networks of scholars who study innovation to fully understand the process, they must examine innovation in a networked world.
After almost three years on the project, our faithful managing editor Andrew Pratt has moved on to join Teach for America. We wish him the best. My name is Sean Pool, and I’ll be filling in as interim managing editor for the website. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to this summer.
Science Progress editor and Chief Jonathan Moreno has documented both small steps forward and potentially devastating setbacks in stem cell research, as Monday’s misguided injunction on NIH funding for research using existing embryonic stem cell lines followed just weeks after the FDA approved the first ever human clinical trial for a stem cell therapy. We’ve also spent some time this summer digging into fisheries, oceans, and climate science policy with a book review and podcast with the author of Four Fish, a guest post by the authors of Merchants of Doubt, and a piece by Brad Johnson on the need for a unified federal science response in the wake of the BP oil disaster. On the innovation front we had venture capitalists Thomas Gephart and Dan Loague explain the importance of equity financing to start-ups as they take their prototypes into full-fledged commercialization, and what the government can do to help. As well, Krisztina “Z” Holly talked about how to unlock innovation by harnessing the cutting-edge research taking place in our university system.
Please note that the “blog” portion of the site will remain on hiatus for the rest of August and possibly through September. But we will continue to bring you a handful of feature articles each week, as well as twitter and RSS feeds and an email newsletter (for those who subscribe).
We hope you enjoy the new and streamlined Science Progress.