Science Progress Archives
Articles
05-07-08 | It’s Just Like That, Except Different
By W. Patrick McCrayAdvocates and critics of nanoscience research often compare the technology to the creation of genetically-modified organisms, yet the more apt analogy is to the space program. But there are limits to the analogies used in shaping emerging technology policy.
05-06-08 | The Staggering Cyclone Nargis Catastrophe
By Chris MooneyDeath tolls continue to rise, a product of poverty, poor infrastructure, and a negligent government. Better forecasting for the North Indian region would be a start for protecting citizens from future cyclones. Democracy in Burma probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
05-05-08 | A Brief History of Genetic Testing
By Ricki LewisBefore you send off that swab of DNA to learn your fate, even in light of the recent passage of the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act, consider the legacy of genetic screening and testing.
05-02-08 | Safe Vaccines and Healthy Children
By Andrew Plemmons Pratt, interviewerVaccine safety has grabbed headlines in recent months, as some parents, fearing alleged links to autism, exempt their children from vaccinations. Multiple studies have demonstrated there is no such link, but there is more to understand about how vaccines keep kids safe, and how public health ensure the safety of vaccines.
04-30-08 | Enormously Pathetic Agency
By Chris MooneyThere has been a near-complete breakdown at our central environmental regulatory agency under the Bush administration.
04-25-08 | Reflections on DNA Day
By Michael Stebbins, Ph.DReflecting on the meaning and implications of DNA Day underscores the need for a national science curriculum.
04-25-08 | What’s Human Dignity Got to Do With Bioethics?
By Sirine ShebayaReport to the president fails on both academic and public policy levels to shine a meaningful light on human dignity and bioethics.
04-24-08 | Neuroethics 101
By Michael RugnettaNew technologies enable scientists to understand, alter, and enhance our brains. These raise a host of policy-relevant questions about privacy, social and political coercion, access to technology and therapy.
04-24-08 | They (Might) Know What You’re Thinking
By Michael PeroskiNeuroscientists boast that fMRI technology could allow for mind-reading machines. The technology raises numerous legal issues. But the big question is, will it work?
04-23-08 | Hearts and Minds
By Chris MooneyThe successful rightwing documentary demonstrates that science needs a loud, accessible, entertaining, mass media response to creationist nonsense.
04-22-08 | It’s All In the Genes (Or Is It?)
By Andrew Plemmons Pratt, interviewerVarious companies now offer direct-to-consumer genetic counseling. Public concern about genetic discrimination is on the rise. The Senate may soon vote on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. But there are many uncertainties to consider as genetic medicine gets increasingly personal.
04-21-08 | Engaging the Scientific Community With the Public
By Rick Borchelt and Kathy HudsonPublic engagement is not about getting the policy you want; it’s about getting the public input you need to craft sustainable policy that enjoys public confidence.
04-18-08 | What Money Can Buy
By Jonathan Pfeiffer, interviewerDavid Goldston wants to ask the big questions about federal science policy. Can the research establishment become unsustainably large? Are scientists always an asset to Congress? And what are the problems with current methods of creating science policy?
04-16-08 | So Far, Yet So Close
By Chris MooneyThe chief lessons learned from ScienceDebate2008: ignore naysayers, and never give up.
04-15-08 | Quality and Ingenuity Are Intertwined
By Jim Turner and Maryann FeldmanAmericans invented quality assurance procedures, those prosaic yet indispensable steps that insure ever-incremental innovation. It’s time we upgraded government for the 21st Century, relying on the insights of Joseph Juran.
04-11-08 | Manufactroversy
By Leah CeccarelliContemporary rhetorical tactics designed to confuse politicians and the public about scientific issues are as old as antiquity. The methods are just as disingenuous 2,500 years after their invention.
04-10-08 | Marketing Ideas
By K.A. Wallace ©2008The “markets” for scholarly works are changing, and scholars in the humanities and social sciences – and the institutions where they work – need to both take control of how their works are published and distributed and become much more actively involved in setting the terms for the digital publishing world.
04-09-08 | Abortion and the Slippery Slope
By Pablo Rodriguez, MD, Wayne C. Shields, Jennifer AulwesThe case of the mysterious disappearing search term is about so much more than one scientific database; it’s about how we talk about reproductive health.
04-09-08 | The Readiness Is All
By Chris MooneyWe desperately need to adapt our coastal infrastructure to climate change.
04-08-08 | Restoring the Waters
By Sarah BatesProgressive thinking takes a new turn in western water management, as states across the region, in cooperation with federal agencies, act to fix damaged rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
04-03-08 | Unraveling Our Own Code
By Andrew Plemmons Pratt, interviewerRapid advances in genetic research are revealing mind-boggling amounts of information about how our DNA shapes who we are and how we get sick. The work will shape the future of medicine, but we still have a lot to learn.
04-02-08 | Just Coasting
By Chris MooneyWhen are Americans finally going to get accurate, timely information–not to mention action–from their government about global warming risks to the Gulf Coast and elsewhere? Part I of a two-part column series.
03-26-08 | Broadband Done Right
By Nancy ScolaVirginia rolls out high-speed Internet programs to boost jobs, health care, education, and commerce. It’s a model that works.
03-19-08 | The Halfway House Between Science and Secrets
By Jonathan Pfeiffer, interviewerA recent National Research Council report recognizes that the 9/11 attacks provoked counter-productive security measures that stifle access to fruitful scientific research. Security expert Bruce Schneier talks with Science Progress about the science that makes us smarter and the security that makes us safer.
03-19-08 | Enablers
By Chris MooneyBy constantly criticizing and responding to anti-science forces, are we only strengthening and propping them up?
03-13-08 | A Shot In the Rear
By Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.Recent investigations into performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports has driven debate over the substances in the public square. But when making decisions about steroids, one size does not fit all, and there’s more to consider than just “did he or didn’t he?”
03-11-08 | 21st Century Government: The Next Big Thing
By Jim Turner and Maryann FeldmanApplying the tools of 21st century technology and innovation to the science of governing offers a wealth of opportunities to promote the common good.
03-11-08 | Net Neutrality 101
By Science Progress / CAPTomorrow’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on net neutrality and free speech on the Internet brings the controversial issue back into congressional crosshairs. To help make sense of the issue, Science Progress and the Center for American Progress have put together this net neutrality 101, a beginner’s guide to understanding the debate that could alter the very future of the Internet.
03-07-08 | What Are They Smoking?
By Michael Stebbins, Ph.D.In Congress there is astonishingly shortsighted opposition to the obvious need for the Food and Drug Administration to police the tobacco industry.
03-06-08 | Biofuel Warfare
By Chris MooneyThe latest scientific research suggests that current biofuel production might not reduce carbon emissions significantly, or at all. It’s clear now that the issue is “wickedly complicated.” Are we wise enough to handle it?
03-03-08 | Offsets We Can Trust
By Andrew Plemmons Pratt, interviewerProvisions in the Lieberman-Warner bill would allow companies to meet some of their emissions targets by purchasing “offset” credits from reductions in emissions not covered under cap-and-trade. But current offsets markets are unregulated and unreliable. Hayes explains how to regulate offsets that will enable verifiable emissions cuts.
03-03-08 | Science Progress Supports Science Debate 2008
By Science ProgressMembers of the Science Progress advisory board and editorial staff express their support for the Science Debate 2008 initiative and encourage the presidential candidates of both major political parties to devote one nationally televised debate specifically to issues related to science, technology, and innovation.
03-03-08 | Maintaining U.S. Scientific Leadership
By Richard O. LempertPreserving the U.S. competitive edge in science requires many things to happen, but most immediately we must maintain English as the lingua franca of science, and open the doors to all who want to study science in our country.
02-29-08 | No Time for New Technology
By Sameer YousufWhile patent reform legislation sits in Congress, the biggest hurdle to protecting intellectual property may simply be the lack of satisfied, qualified examiners at the U.S. Patent Office, says a new GAO report.
02-22-08 | Bridging the “Valley of Death”
By Mark MeierThe U.S. government has poured money into this experimental new vaccine alongside private investors. The effort just might carry the vaccine all the way to the marketplace.
02-20-08 | Fishy Government
By Chris MooneyA strong judicial rebuke to the Bush administration’s indefensible behavior on mercury pollution may mark the end of an embarrassing era during which the toxin poured into our ecosystems.
02-14-08 | More Tests, Please
By Henry Kelly, PhDThe techniques of computer gaming could reform our classrooms and our education system and test 21st century skills.
02-13-08 | The Path to Better Biofuels
By Andrew Plemmons PrattThe latest research on biofuel production suggests that previous studies failed to fully account for the role uncultivated lands play in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. But with this new guidance, says Alex Farrell in an interview with Science Progress, we see that while not all biofuels are created equal, growing them the right way can help stop global warming, keep food prices down, and preserve our forests.
02-11-08 | Wikipedia and the New Curriculum
By David ParryStudents and teachers alike must understand how systems of knowledge creation and archivization are changing. Encyclopedias are no longer static collections of facts and figures; they are living entities. Just check the entry on Global Warming.
02-08-08 | Develop Good Biofuels
By Kit Batten and Jake CaldwellTwo new studies highlight the need for tight environmental standards for biofuels to help us solve global warming.
02-07-08 | Interview: David Deamer Explains Synthetic Life
By Andrew Plemmons PrattRecently, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute announced the creation of the first synthetic genome. Deamer, a chemist at UC Santa Cruz, downplays concerns about the dangers of the research and explains that synthetic biology can teach us about the origins of life.
02-06-08 | We Are Not a Networked Nation
By Mark LloydRather than pretending there are more broadband links across our country, as the administration does in its latest report, we should instead get down to the business of creating a networked nation.
02-06-08 | Science on the Campaign Trail (Or, the Lack Thereof)
By Chris MooneyHow are Americans supposed to figure out the candidates’ stances on matters of science and technology policy? Answer: They won’t unless they strongly care to know in the first place—and even then, they can’t learn much of anything directly from the candidates themselves.
02-04-08 | Truth and Reconciliation
By Jeff StrykerIn her latest book, Davis tackles the convoluted history of cancer research, revealing the extent to which governmental anti-cancer efforts were spearheaded by leaders from the very industries producing cancer-causing materials and products.
01-29-08 | Bush Asks Congress to Double Science Spending
By Ed PaisleyProgressives can get behind the president if he supports in words and deeds his calls for a doubling of federal spending on critical basic research, writes Ed Paisley.
01-29-08 | The Flashing Light on America’s Dashboard
By Tom KalilThe decline in basic scientific research in the United States is verifiable, writes Tom Kalil, but easily reversible with the right set of policies in place.
01-28-08 | A Few Words from the President on Science and Technology
By Science ProgressTonight, President Bush offers the final State of the Union address of his presidency. Saying that science has gotten short shrift during the Bush years is nothing new. Science Progress takes a look at some of the key terms in science and tech policy that have, and have not, appeared in the previous six State of the Union addresses.
01-28-08 | Public Science
By Gavin BakerFree public archiving of Institute-funded research will accelerate scientific communication, control costs in higher education, and more effectively share information.
01-25-08 | Wireless Spectrum Auction 101
By Science ProgressYesterday, the Federal Communications Commission began auctioning off licenses to a portion of the 700 MHz band of the radio frequency spectrum. The decisions of companies that win those national licenses will determine the shape of wireless communications in the United States for years to come. Science Progress offers this short guide to the issues involved.
01-24-08 | One Culture, Two Culture, Three Culture, Four…
By Chris MooneyWe need more popular intersections of scientific thinking with the other lenses through which we see the world.
01-23-08 | Science and the 2009 Budget
By John IronsPresident Bush’s last budget is unlikely to expand dedicated and critical federal spending on science. It’s a problem that must be overcome.
01-18-08 | Ubiquity Requires Redundancy
By Mark LloydNational security and public safety require a coherent national strategy for investing in a range of telecommunications technologies.
01-17-08 | Flying the Right Mission
By Drew BadenSending humans to the Moon and Mars won’t answer any pressing scientific questions. That’s why NASA should focus its resources on Earth and space science that will teach us more about the home planet and the mysterious “dark energy” driving galaxies apart.
01-09-08 | Science, Delayed
By Chris MooneyThe quest to restore dedicated science advice for Congress through a reborn Office of Technology Assessment has proven more difficult than one might have supposed.
01-08-08 | Catching Crumbling Infrastructure
By Reece RushingThe Minneapolis bridge collapse underscores the need to modernize infrastructure monitoring.
01-03-08 | Reopening the IPO Window
By Joseph W. BartlettWithout greater access to public markets, startup entrepreneurs trying to commercialize cutting-edge science and technology will founder.
12-19-07 | Right To Consent?
By Jeff StrykerAn interview with Allen M. Hornblum, author of Sentenced to Science: One Black Man’s Story of Imprisonment in America, on the history and ethics of practices largely hidden from public view.
12-17-07 | Future Choices
By Jessica AronsIt is estimated that approximately half a million frozen embryos are currently being stored by fertility clinics in the United States. Patients who have not used all the embryos they have created have several options from which to choose in deciding what to do with the embryos. An excerpt from the new report, Future Choices: Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Law, from the Center for American Progress.
12-13-07 | Synthetic Life: Should We Do It?
By David W. DeamerCreating life in the laboratory is an inevitable scientific milestone, which means we need to discuss safety issues and other repercussions now.
12-12-07 | Science + 1
By Chris MooneyThe latest scientific workforce debate underscores the importance of science graduates learning about something other than science.
12-10-07 | Excerpt: Unnatural History
By Robert Aronowitz, M.D.An excerpt from a new history of breast cancer, a disease that has entered the bodies of so many American women and the concerns of nearly all the rest, mostly as a result of how we have detected, labeled, and responded to the disease.
12-10-07 | Freedom From Fear
By Robert Aronowitz, M.D.The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer rose dramatically in the 20th century, increasing fear of breast cancer and leading more and more women to choose prophylactic mastectomies. But much of this increase represents overdiagnosis. Americans must recognize the overselling of cancer fear, and must question current practices that are based on the often-illusory goal of reasserting some control over fear.
12-05-07 | We Are the Web
By Peter SwirePolicymakers need to give consumers the choice to protect their privacy or allow e-commerce companies to profile their web travels.
12-03-07 | Inside a Stem Cell Lab
By Kathryn HinschWhile pundits and bloggers argue over the political implications of recent breakthroughs in stem cell science, Kathryn Hinsch visits one of the first privately funded stem cell labs and learns that research must continue on all fronts: embryonic, IPS, placental, and adult.
11-30-07 | Maine’s Tradition of Innovation
By Hannah PingreeMaine voters recently voted to support targeted investment in the state’s technology sector through the Maine Technology Initiative. Technology investments have yielded significant gains for the state economy since the 19th century.
11-29-07 | The Stuff of Democracy
By Jay SchulkinIn his most recent book, The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker argues that language is one of many mental organs that shape our participation in a just and free society.
11-28-07 | Quick Study
By Chris MooneyHumans should be extremely cautious about meddling any further with the Earth’s atmosphere. But we should study the possibility nevertheless, in case someone else tries it—or in case we don’t have a choice.
11-28-07 | A National Innovation Agenda
By Thomas Kalil, John S. IronsThe Center for American Progress today releases the first pieces of Progressive Growth, its Economic Plan for the Next Administration, which includes a chapter on expanding growth and opportunity through science and technology.
11-28-07 | Capturing the Energy Opportunity
By John Podesta, Todd Stern, Kit BattenThe Center for American Progress today releases the first pieces of Progressive Growth, its Economic Plan for the Next Administration, which includes a chapter on new energy solutions.
11-26-07 | Stem Celebration
By Jonathan MorenoThe announcement that researchers can reprogram skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells is a triumph, but the discovery has implications beyond the creation of pluripotent cells.
11-26-07 | Supporting Venture Innovation
By Joseph W. BartlettEntrepreneurial, venture capital-backed innovation industries require a deft public policy hand to find the financing they need to help boost economic prosperity.
11-20-07 | Carrying Humanity to Mars
By Paul Root WolpeProviding medical care over tens of millions of miles is fraught with complications central to the success of any manned mission to Mars.
11-19-07 | The Human Life Amendment Redux
By Lisa IkemotoA new proposal to grant embryos legal rights could disrupt more than just access to abortion: it threatens women’s rights and demonizes medical technology.
11-14-07 | Out of Balance
By Chris MooneyHow U.S. media coverage of global warming finally moved past “he said, she said, we’re clueless.”
11-13-07 | Reporting the Story
By Ruth Levy GuyerJournalists who cover scientific and medical “breakthroughs” need to do a better job explaining the complexities of medical research and scientific inquiry.
11-07-07 | Regulation or Free Markets?
By Jeff StrykerSperm banking is largely unregulated, raising controversial genetic, medical, and ethical questions. Yet the remedies are equally contentious.
11-06-07 | A Tale of Two Bills
By Stuart Benjamin and Arti RaiThe America COMPETES Act is open-ended legislation, paving the way for future innovation to flourish. In contrast, life sciences and information technology firms are lobbying to shape pending patent reform that will benefit their particular industry. Where are the groups thinking about innovation in the public interest?
11-05-07 | The $18 Billion Question
By Jacob LeibenluftWhile President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration” will send the U.S. back to the Moon and on to Mars, NASA has many competing responsibilities, and the next administration may have its own vision.
10-31-07 | Fire Fight
By Chris MooneyHow should we think about the relationship between global warming and an increased risk of wildfires to the United States?
10-30-07 | Garden State Deceptions
By Faye ArmitageNew Jersey boasts about its embryonic stem cell research ambitions, but most of the grant money is going toward adult stem cell research. What gives?
10-29-07 | Learning From Mom
By Alan MuneyMedical information is only useful when it can travel from provider to provider. That’s Mom’s role today, but the federal government could save everyone money and ensure better care by insisting on interoperable records.
10-26-07 | The Heat is On
By Michael Stebbins, Ph.D.Why are we really upset by the editing of Center for Disease Control Director Gerberding’s written testimony to Congress on the health effects of climate change?
10-25-07 | Redacted Testimony of CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding
By Science ProgressTestimony of Director Gerberding prepared for a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday on the impact of climate change on public health. The portions excised by the White House are highlighted in red.
10-24-07 | Contraception Matters
By Wayne C. Shields and Rivka GordonThere are problems galore lurking behind the baffling appointment of an anti-contraception activist to the Office of Population Affairs.
10-23-07 | The State of the Scientific Estate
By Dan GuttmanWWII contracting out of scientific inquiry in the interest of national security was the springboard for mid-20th century reform of American government that yielded great successes but has lost its moorings. It’s time to re-envision the role of private contractors in the public service.
10-17-07 | Watch That Message
By Chris MooneyScientific integrity and scientific innovation aren’t necessarily—or always—the same thing. There are important distinctions that must be made if we are to marry sound scientific research with sound science and technology policymaking.
10-16-07 | Sex, Lies, and Embryos
By Jessica AronsHow a little-known law in Louisiana that regulates the use of frozen embryos created by assisted reproduction challenges common sense and the Constitution.
10-16-07 | Dual Use Dangers
By Jonathan B. TuckerBiotechnology offers great benefits for humankind but could also lead to unimaginable horrors. Scientists and policymakers around the world urgently need to address these dual-use risks.
10-12-07 | The IPCC and Gore: Another Nobel for Science
By Jonathan MorenoJoseph Romm, climate advocate, on security through environmental peace, climate as a moral issue, and the bravery of scientists.
10-09-07 | The Ridiculously Redundant Warhead
By Joseph CirincioneThe arguments for a new nuclear warhead contradict technical truths and threaten national security interests. Congress is correct to question the proposal.
10-09-07 | Science and Technology Is the Answer
By Robert D. AtkinsonMore private- and public-sector investment, collaboration and talent creation are essential for broadly shared future economic prosperity.
10-09-07 | Marrying Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy
By Richard O. LempertThe American public’s limited interest in science news and troubling grasp of basic scientific knowledge would seem to threaten sound and ethical policymaking whenever policy turns on science. But go beyond the immediate polling data and there are reasons not to despair.
10-04-07 | On the Offense for Science and Technology Education
By Marc PearlFifty years after Sputnik’s launch, America must once again be spurred to focus on prioritizing policy initiatives in funding science and technology education in the pursuit of inspired scientific inquiry and a high standard of excellence.
10-04-07 | Diversity Should Power Science
By Scott PageScientific inquiry proceeds most fruitfully when sufficient funding is spread across a complexity of disciplines to a diversity of researchers.
10-04-07 | Brain Tech is Here
By Zack LynchEmerging tools to treat the brain and the nervous system have the potential to transform nearly every aspect of our lives. It’s time for public policy to catch up to the science.
10-04-07 | New Paradigm for Science Communication
By Chris MooneyScientific facts no longer speak for themselves. In the age of the Internet, facts need to be framed for diverse audiences spread across fragmented media outlets.
10-04-07 | Sputnik, Cold War Nostalgia, and 9/11
By Susan LindeeThe U.S. reaction to Sputnik and to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington couldn’t be more different. That’s very unfortunate.
10-04-07 | A New Scientific Resolve
By Vinton CerfThe shock of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launch 50 years ago today reminds us at Science Progress that the United States can deploy its scientific prowess swiftly to meet sudden challenges. A new resolve is needed again today, this time from the entire global community, not just the United States, to meet very different but equally dire threats to humanity.
10-04-07 | Science Progress, the Phrase and the Title
By Jonathan MorenoOur new publication embraces the best of American scientific and political thought.
Blog Entries
05-13-08 | How Much Science Could $135.4 Billion Buy?
President Bush’s latest request for Iraq war funding totals approximately $135.4 billion. What if we spent that money on domestic scientific research and development? Boosting R&D by the numbers.05-12-08 | More Money, Sure. What About Better Science Advice?
“The future is likely to be very similar to the past, regardless of who the President is,” said Dr. John Marburger, the President’s science advisor at the AAAS S&T Policy Forum last Thursday. He was talking about funding, but let’s hope things are very different for scientific integrity under the next administration.05-09-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from May 12 to May 16.05-09-08 | Revisiting the RFS, Part 3: Biofuels and Food Prices
Part 3 of coverage of Tuesday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard, with the perspectives of witnesses on biofuel production and rising food prices.05-09-08 | Revisiting the RFS, Part 2: Land Use and Gas Prices
Part 2 of a break down of Tuesday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standards, with a look at what witnesses had to say about the economic and environmental concerns.05-08-08 | Revisiting the RFS, Part 1: It’s Good, Now Here’s How to Improve It
Tuesday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing pitted environmentalists, corn producers, oil refiners, grocery manufacturers, and renewable fuel advocates against one another in a contentious debate over the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Science Progress tries to make sense of it all. First up, what’s right with the RFS and ways to make it better.05-07-08 | Alternative Cellulosic Biomass By the Numbers
While cellulosic ethanol is not a silver bullet for solving the country’s need for sustainable transportation fuel, there is a sufficient supply of biofuel feedstocks that do not compete with food crops.05-07-08 | Is There a Liberal “War on Equality”?
In a Washington Post column, former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson takes on claims that the administration has engaged in a “war on science.” He asserts that, “for the most part, these accusations are a political ploy.” Considering his qualifying phrase it seems that some of them are not ploys. Disappointingly, Gerson does not tell us which ones. Instead, he makes a careless historical argument to support his claim claim that liberalism threatens human equality.05-06-08 | Lack of Basic Healthcare Kills 10 Million Children Annually
The Associated Press reports that over 200 million children worldwide do not have access to basic health care. As a result, about 10 million children, most from the developing world, die each year from treatable illnesses.05-06-08 | Gene Therapy: Vision Restored
Last week, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania researchers announced that they had used a genetically engineered virus to introduce a gene into the retinas of young adults with a form of congenital blindness that has no treatment, Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).05-05-08 | Scientists to Congress: Boost Research Funding With Wartime Supplemental Bill
Thousands of scientists, engineers, corporate executives, and college presidents across the country have mobilized in an effort to convince Congress to set aside a small piece of this year’s wartime supplemental funding bill to boost science research funding.05-02-08 | Measles on the Rise?
One wonders how much of a public health crisis we need before we rethink our vaccine exemption policies—particularly given that misconceptions floating around about a connection between vaccines and autism are driving more parents to opt against MMR.05-02-08 | “Father of Pharmacogenomics” Cautiously Optimistic About the Future of Genetics
Dr. Arno Motulsky, who is now 87, essentially launched the field of pharmacogenomics, which studies how an individual’s genetic makeup affects his or her response to medication, in 1957. The New York Times Science section recently featured an interview with Dr. Motulsky, who has a hopeful but cautionary attitude about the future of genetic medicine.05-02-08 | GINA Passes House and is Ready for Signing
The Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (H.R. 493) moved another step closer to becoming law yesterday. Although the House passed the bill last year, a reconciled version had go through again, as the Senate added an amendment when it passed the bill last week.05-02-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from May 5 to May 9.05-02-08 | Does Europe Hold a Solution to the EPA’s Chemical Policy Problem?
The Environmental Protection Agency continued its fall from grace at a Senate hearing earlier this week that investigated political meddling with the Agency’s toxic chemical policies. But in the midst of a rain of criticism, there were suggestions of future policy that could better allow the EPA to protect citizens from hazardous materials.05-01-08 | FDA Believes Blood Thinner Contamination Deliberate
On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on a contaminant in blood thinner heparin that caused 81 deaths. Federal regulators now believe the contamination was deliberate, identifying a Chinese subsidiary of Scientific Protein Laboratories. It is no longer realistic to expect the FDA to make informed decisions if it does not have the resources to undertake foreign inspections.04-30-08 | Reauthorizing the NNI: Do We Know What We Need to Know?
The environmental, health, and safety (EHS) implications of nanotechnology and potential regulation were the only points of contention at an otherwise congratulatory Senate hearing held to discuss the reauthorization of the $1.5 billion National Nanotechnology Initiative last Thursday.04-30-08 | Conflicts of Interest Under Scrutiny
Attention in the news to conflicts of interest within the medical profession seems to be on the rise. This is an issue that deserves serious scrutiny, particularly given how permissive the attitude of the medical community has been so far.04-29-08 | Evolution and God Not Mutually Exclusive
The Science Times section in the NYT today has a short profile on Francisco J. Ayala, author of Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion. Dr. Ayala is an evolutionary biologist and geneticist at the University of California, Irvine. He spends much of his time lecturing on evolution and its compatibility with belief in God.04-28-08 | More Unregulated Toxins In Everyday Products
The latest news on industry obfuscation of scientific research and government complicity is that the Food and Drug Administration relied on studies funded by trade groups in decisions on an unsafe compound in common plastic products.04-25-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from April 28 to May 2.04-24-08 | Biofuels vs. Fuel: Don’t Get Lost in the Maze
Biofuel production has come under blistering attack as food prices around the world escalate, but we can’t make the right steps forward without looking at the full interplay of agricultural forces.04-24-08 | GINA Passes!
The Senate just passed the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (H.R. 493) by a vote of 95-0 after two hours of debate consisting of mostly well-deserved self-congratulations. Senator Enzi (R-WY), a cosponsor of the bill, raised a very good point, saying about GINA that “If the publicity doesn’t go out on it, the people don’t know about it….we are interested in people knowing what this bill does that will help them and that will encourage them to use the genome.”04-24-08 | UCS Survey: Hundreds of EPA Scientists Experienced Political Interference
The Associated Press quickly picked up on a report released yesterday by the Union of Concerned Scientists revealing that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists who responded to an online survey indicated that they experienced political interference with their work at some point in the last five years.04-23-08 | Clustering Around a National Innovation Foundation
The U.S has no national innovation policy. To respond to the changing landscape of a global innovation economy, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Brooking Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program released a report yesterday proposing the creation of a National Innovation Foundation.04-22-08 | Senate May Consider GINA As Early As Tomorrow
The Senate is closing in on a deal for the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (HR 493), and a vote might come as early as Wednesday. According to Congress Daily, Senate Majority Leader Reid will “hotline” the bill to determine if any Senator objects to the legislation.04-22-08 | Misunderstanding Science
Art Caplan adds to the string of excoriating reviews of Ben Stein’s Expelled in his most recent MSNBC column. He points out that if the creationist agenda of the film’s creators aims to attack the biological sciences, then other countries will gladly accept the torch as leaders in research.04-21-08 | Outsourcing Science Could Pay Big Dividends For the U.S. Economy
Are the growing ranks of well-educated and increasingly well-financed scientists in other countries bad for U.S competitiveness and ultimately the economy? In a “post-scientific” society, not necessarily.04-18-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Apr. 21 to Apr. 25.04-17-08 | Clarifying “Broader Impacts” for NSF Grants
The National Science Foundation issued a “Dear Colleague” letter earlier this month to education grant applicants about the sometimes-misunderstood “broader impacts” criteria used to evaluate grant proposals.04-16-08 | If You Didn’t Write the Article, Why Are You Listed as an Author?
From the Chronicle comes news of a study showing some academic scientists may be adding their names as authors to papers authored by corporations. The study—published in the Journal of the American Medical Association—suggest the practice maybe all too common in medical journals.04-16-08 | AAAS Panel Addresses Science and Policy of Stem Cells and Reproductive Technologies
Reporting on the work of the Hinxton Group, experts explained the state of the science and criticized policies that aim to avoid all ethical disagreement by banning research.04-15-08 | Senate Holds Hearing on Drugs In the Water
Two years ago, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy formed a task force to develop a plan to research the issue of pharmaceutical products in drinking water. Monday, an Associated Press report revealed that the group failed to carry out its responsibilities. In a Senate hearing today legislators put pressure on the EPA to take initiative on the issue.04-14-08 | Streamlining and Codifying the R&D Tax Credit
“In a weak economy, we should be doing everything we can to spur on innovation and the type of family-wage jobs that increased research and development will create,” said Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA) when he introduced legislation that would streamline the R&D tax credit and make it permanent.04-14-08 | Brain Enhancement Makes its Way into the Workplace
From an online survey of Nature readers comes data suggesting that a significant number of scientists and engineers use drugs for the non-medical purpose of increasing productivity and brain power.04-14-08 | Science and Technology Policy Events This Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Apr. 14 to Apr. 18.04-11-08 | Peacocks and Security
What can fiddler crabs and peacocks teach us about defeating Al Qaeda? Plenty, argues Raphael Sagarin, associate director for Ocean and Coastal Policy at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, and editor of the new book, Natural Security: A Darwinian Approach to a Dangerous World.04-11-08 | Science Debate: The Seeds of a Successful Conversation
The organizers of Science Debate 2008 consider the impact of their campaign to convince the major party candidates to talk about science and technology in a national forum in the current issue of Science.04-10-08 | Chronicle: New Rule Allows Foriegn Students to Stay in the U.S. Longer After Graduation
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has quietly extended the amount of time foreign students in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics are allowed to remain in the U.S. without a work visa after their graduation.04-08-08 | Science and Faith Should Not Collide in Pennsylvania
This coming Sunday night, two of the three remaining major party presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, will talk about faith issues as they participate in a Compassion Forum at Messiah College. But the issues they’ll discuss—including poverty, the environment, AIDS and Darfur—encompass more than faith. Many are intrinsically linked to science.04-08-08 | NIH Open Access Policy for Grant Recipients Begins Today
The 2008 appropriations package included a provision requiring that any published articles emerging from research supported by the National Institutes of Health must be deposited in the PubMed Central database, where they will be available through open access, within 12 months of publication in a peer-reviewed journal.04-07-08 | New Bill to Bring Benefits of Broadband to Rural America
House Representative Tom Allen (D-ME) today introduced H.R. 5682, the Rural America Communication Expansion (RACE) for the Future Act, a push to bring broadband and its economic and social benefits to rural areas across the country.04-07-08 | NSF Report Shows Strong Science and Engineering Job Market
After three months of declining job numbers and an economy in recession, the National Science Foundation released a series of reports last week indicating a growing supply of scientists and engineers, along with a strong science and engineering job market to take them in.04-04-08 | Science and Technology Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Apr. 7 to Apr. 11.04-04-08 | Drug Resistance on Steroids: Microbes That Eat Antibiotics
New research appearing in this week’s edition of Science focuses on a wide variety of bacteria that have not simply evolved resistance to antibiotics, but can in fact survive entirely on a diet of compounds intended to kill them.04-04-08 | Federal Science Bungle of the Week: Ignoring Warnings About Formaldehyde In FEMA Trailers
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held the first of what could be more hearings on the CDC’s failure to protect public health when it released a scientifically flawed report on formaldehyde levels in post-Katrina FEMA trailers, understating the health risk of extended exposure to the gas. 04-03-08 | Judge Says “No” to New Patent Office Rules
On Tuesday, a Virginia district court rejected new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rules intended to rein in the current patent application backlog. The ruling comes as a relief to companies involved in technically complex industries, especially biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms.04-03-08 | Human-animal Embryo Research: The Basics
The Times Online offers a useful question-and-answer primer on the latest research news.04-02-08 | Better Advice for Congress on Carbon Capture
After last week’s industry-led field hearing in North Dakota on carbon capture and sequestration, a Monday briefing on CCS hosted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was a breath of fresh air, with representatives from the scientific community and the UK.04-02-08 | British Scientists Announce First Animal-Human Hybrid Embryos
Scientists at Newcastle University in the UK have announced the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos intended to provide stem cells for research. The intersection of embryonic stem cell and hybrid research could renew bioethical debates on this side of the pond.04-01-08 | Ag Policy Crucial for Next-Generation Biofuels
Conference committee appointees are hashing through Senate and House versions of the 2007 Farm Bill, and there’s a significant risk that the legislation they pass on to the President will continue the misguided agricultural subsidies that thwart the development of advanced cellulosic biofuels.03-31-08 | The Dish: Sampling Science and Technology News - Mar. 31, 2008
The Bush administration appeals court ruling on mercury pollution; the EPA faces congressional subpoena in wrangle over emissions regulations; Greenwire profiles CDC whistleblower; Tech companies call for increased H-1B visa cap; Al Gore launches new climate awareness campaign.03-28-08 | Congress Deserves Better Info on Carbon Capture Technology
The Senate Subcommittee on Energy Oversight held a field hearing in Bismarck, North Dakota on Wednesday on carbon capture and sequestration technology. Two panels presented the current and projected future development of CCS technology, the outlook ranging from very cautious optimism to an almost cynical pessimism. But the lack of an objective scientific voice among those testifying was conspicuous.03-28-08 | Running the Numbers On R&D Earmarks
Colleges and universities received close to $2.25 billion from Congressional earmarks this year according to a new study released this week by The Chronicle of Higher Education. A large chunk, $1.6 billion, will go towards scientific research at some 500 institutions.03-28-08 | Science and Technology Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 31 to Apr. 6.03-26-08 | New Report: STEM Education Needs Repair, and the Steps To Do It
Education Week released a report today on the state of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in U.S. schools. 03-25-08 | Broadband, Coming to a Rural Community Near You
The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency today announced a $267 million loan to Open Range Communications to bring portable, wireless broadband connectivity to rural areas in 17 states.03-25-08 | Britain Gets Creative About Innovation
British politician Gordon Brown has always been keen on creating innovation in his nation’s economy, convinced that U.K. universities and businesses together can create new technologies and services that will boost economic growth. Now that he’s prime minister of the United Kingdom, he’s moving swiftly to act on those inclinations—with possible lessons for the United States.03-25-08 | More Fuel for Debate: Biofuel Production Lowers the Cost of Oil
Worldwide biofuel production is increasing so rapidly, according to a new analysis from Merrill Lynch, while other fuel sources cannot keep up with demand, that without the rising production, oil prices would be higher than they already are. The Wall Street Journal reported on the analysis yesterday, which adds yet another variable to the already complex debate over biofuel policy.03-24-08 | Good Technology for the Classroom
Faculty and staff in colleges and universities have a growing number of technologies at their disposal, but they have to understand how to use them to enrich education, and institutions must be willing to invest in useful solutions.03-24-08 | The Dish: Sampling the Blogs
A quick look at some of the policy-related posts in the science and technology blogosphere: suggestions for best practices in science blogging; the need for more hurricane research; vaccines and public fears; and new research centers to study parallel computing.03-21-08 | Science and Technology Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 24 to Mar. 28.03-21-08 | The Ethics of Enhancing Brain Power
In a briefing yesterday for Capitol Hill staffers, neuroscientist Martha Farah explained that new technologies that enhance the power of the brain also raise questions about safety, economic fairness, privacy, and personal freedom.03-19-08 | FCC 700 mhz Auction Ends, Fun Begins
The FCC 700 mhz auction ended yesterday, raking in record $19.6 billion for Federal coffers. While the successful sale of the C-block triggers an “open” network provision, questions linger about the unsold D-block license and the future of a national emergency response network.03-18-08 | Latest Economic Analyses of Lieberman Warner Don’t Account for Future Innovation
Two new studies on the potential economic effects of the Lieberman Warner bill appeared late last week. Both are only based on the potential of current technologies, and both of them will prove to be totally wrong.03-18-08 | The Dish: Sampling the Blogs
A quick look at some of the policy-related posts in the science and technology blogosphere: synthetic biology, the lack of science coverage on cable news networks, drug-resistant antibiotics, and rethinking the drug development process.03-17-08 | Bioscience Think Tank Leaders Outline Industry Financing Problems
Last week’s stories about the future of grants for the younger generation of NIH investigators is just one piece of the larger puzzle over the state of funding biotech research. The Scientist offers a useful summary of the major stumbling blocks in pharmaceutical development and how they relate to financing questions in the drug industry, in university labs, at the NIH, and at start-up companies.03-14-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 17 to Mar. 21.03-14-08 | The Dish: Friday Blog Roundup
A quick look at some of the policy-related stories making the rounds on the science and technology blogs.03-14-08 | The United Kingdom, an “Innovation Nation”
Last summer, the United Kingdom Government created the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The new Department has an ambitious goal, outlined in a new report: to turn the United Kingdom into an “Innovation Nation” that is the world’s most attractive country for innovative businesses.03-14-08 | A Computer Program That Sees What You See
Scientists at the University of California-Berkeley have developed a “visual decoder” which employes a computational algorithm to identify what someone saw just by examining their brain activity. The success of the study represents an advance in the scientific understanding of how the brain processes images, but could also have potential ramifications for mind-reading technology.03-13-08 | Be a Nerd Or Work for a Nerd: Bill Gates Testifies on House Science and Tech Committee 50th Anniversary
Microsoft Corporation Chairman Bill Gates advised Congress to reform both the United States education system and immigration policies during a hearing yesterday honoring the 50th anniversary of the House Committee on Science and Technology. 03-12-08 | New Report Argues That “Broken Pipeline” At NIH Is Leaking Young Investigators
After steady increases from 1998 to 2003 that doubled the budget for the National Institutes of Health, five years of stagnant funding have reduced purchasing power at the NIH by 13 percent, according to a report released yesterday by a consortium of research universities.03-12-08 | Subcommittee Questions Funding Cuts for Two NIST Programs
The President’s plan to slash two highly successful National Institute of Standards and Technology programs drew the ire of Subcommittee members during a hearing on NIST’s FY 2009 budget request yesterday. 03-11-08 | Bill Gates Testifies on Innovation
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will appear before the House Science and Technology Committee tomorrow in what will be the first of a series of hearing on challenges to our nation’s innovation agenda. A look at recent findings, including the National Science Foundation’s biennial report on the state of science and engineering research and education, shows that there is cause for concern.03-11-08 | EPA Employees Would Like to Have Their Science Recognized
The Washington Post reports that unions at the Environmental Protection Agency have broken with management over Administrator Stephen Johnson’s disregard for scientific integrity. The news comes only a two weeks after Johnson published the official explanation for the agency’s refusal to allow California’s emissions reduction standards, despite the fact that the ruling ignored the “unanimous recommendation of the EPA’s legal and technical staffs.”03-11-08 | Embryonic Stem Cells As Anti-cancer Labs
Amid the premature hype about induced pluripotent stem cells (hyped by everyone but the scientists who did the work themselves), the unique characteristics of embryonic stem cells as platforms for learning about human disease can too easily be lost. An important new study should help correct this oversight.03-10-08 | The Coupled Economics of Food and Biofuels
In his most recent column, Chris Mooney traced the complexities of the the current debate over biofuels. One major concern is that increased demand for biofuels leads farmers to plant more feedstocks for ethanol and devote less land to growing food. The New York Times tackled the issue of food crops yesterday, offering a substantial cover story on the growing gap between global grain production and soaring grain demand.03-07-08 | Heartland Blog Roundup
The Heartland Institute gathered a group of skeptics of global warming in New York City during Mar. 2 through Mar. 4. The conference speakers criticized the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore, the two winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.03-07-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 10 to Mar. 14.03-07-08 | Computer Science Can Shape Policy, But There May Be Fewer Computer Scientists In the Pipeline
Collaborations between computer scientists and life science researchers facilitate new ways of doing science that could inform sound policy decisions. But current numbers indicate that the far fewer U.S. students are enrolling in computer science programs than they were at the beginning of the decade.03-06-08 | Two DOE Undersecretaries Snub House S&T Subcommittee Hearing
Controversy marred a Wednesday hearing on the Department of Energy’s FY2009 budget request for research and development when two DOE undersecretaries invited to testify decided at the last minute to skip the event.03-06-08 | Solar Thermal Power in the News
As The New York Times reviews the rising popularity of solar thermal power plants, Congress hears from an Arizona Public Service Company spokesperson about Solana, the world’s largest solar thermal plant to be built in Arizona. The output of ten planned solar thermal plants in Arizona, California, and Nevada could equal the output of three nuclear reactors, but they could be built in two years instead of ten or more.03-05-08 | National Research Council Recommends Science-Security Policies
Scientists and security experts gathered yesterday on Capitol Hill to present a National Research Council report, “Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World.” The report, which was mandated by Congress, suggests ways of balancing the goals of security and economic vitality in the context of science policy. At the top of the list is a recommendation to create a new, high-level Science and Security Commission.03-04-08 | House Subcommittee to Discuss Energy R&D Budget for 2009
The House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will hold a hearing tomorrow to discuss President Bush’s Department of Energy research and development budget proposal for fiscal year 2009. The Center for American Progress has taken a closer look at the numbers and has offered a set of recommendations for the DOE and future Federal spending on alternative and renewable energy research.02-29-08 | The Dish: Sampling Science and Technology News - Feb. 29, 2008
NIH advisers call for an overhaul of the peer-review process; Craig Venter wants carbon dioxide to drive a new generation of fuels within 18 months; CDC advisers call for universal flu vaccinations for children over six.02-29-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Mar. 3 to Mar. 7.02-28-08 | Company Claims Cell Reprogramming Without Viruses
A company in Irvine, California reported that it has developed a “non-viral” method of reprogramming human adult cells to behave like stem cells. Other scientists are showing caution after the announcement, but the company is keeping the research under wraps until it “finalizes an agreement with a corporate partner.”02-28-08 | Witnesses Call For Revamped Federal Food Safety Regulations
A hearing reviewed a recent scandal over beef safety and raised questions about the ability of the Department of Agriculture to keep food-borne pathogens out of the food supply.02-27-08 | Storing Plant Seeds, Sequencing Plant Genomes
Two stories this week describe two different approaches to plant genetic resources. Tuesday, researchers from Washington University and Iowa State university announced a completed draft of the corn genome. The same day, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which will store seeds from around the world in the event of catastrophic loss, opened on a remote Norwegian island.02-26-08 | House Committee Hears Testimony on NSF FY2009 Budget
Members of the House Committee on Science and Technology met the President’s FY2009 budget request for the National Science Foundation with general praise during today’s hearing.02-26-08 | Protection From Genetic Discrimination Is Almost Here
Genetic nondiscrimination legislation has been around since 1995 and has been introduced in both chambers of every Congress since then. It’s time to pass the bill and protect patients.02-25-08 | More Money for Research? We All Need Good Reasons
Communicating the importance and public good of scientific research is a responsibility of scientists and policy makers alike. To do so, we must draw clear connections between the policy issues that attract public attention and the technological innovation that underscores them.02-22-08 | The Dish: Sampling Science and Technology News - Feb. 22, 2008
Good news for large-scale solar power generation arrived yesterday with bad news for photovoltaic technology; we need names for the next administration’s science advisors; and Google launches a pilot program for electronic medical records.02-22-08 | Science and Tech Policy Events Next Week
A roundup of some of the science and technology policy events happening around Washington D.C. from Feb. 25 to Feb. 29.02-21-08 | Recent Energy Initiatives in California
The LA Times has several recent stories on the latest Los Angeles green energy initiatives and contention over a proposed cap-and-trade system for California emissions.02-21-08 | The Dish: Sampling Today’s News - February 21, 2008
Texas A&M settles for $1 million in a lab safety investigation; the Supreme Court rules in favor of medical device makers; how does the CDC pick the right flu vaccine?02-20-08 | Internet Freedom Bill Sparks New Debate on Net Neutrality
Edward Markey (D-MA) and Chip Pickering (R-MS) introduced the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008″ bill last week, the most recent legislative foray into the “net neutrality” debate. A look at the competing interests.02-20-08 | Jeffrey Sachs Encourages Consilience
Jeffrey Sachs helped launch a new student-led journal of sustainable development, Consilience, on Monday by detailing a vision of goal-driven innovations that cross the public-private line. He advocated an “organizational ecology” approach to addressing global challenges.