Here’s the charge, from Chris Mooney: Political conservatives in the U.S. today have overwhelming problems with science. They reject, in large numbers, mainstream and accepted knowledge on fundamental things about humans and the planet”“evolution, global warming, to name a few. I also recently posted about how systematically conservatives undermine science with respect to reproductive health. And this is…Continue Reading…
[UPDATE: In the comments, Kate Sheppard has responded to this post, saying that I (and William Connolley) have “grossly misconstrued” what she wrote in her Guardian article. Here is my explanation and apology to Kate.] In an article about the nuclear implications of this week’s East Coast earthquake, Kate Sheppard writes: We had a pretty good warning…Continue Reading…
We have an annual event in the U.S. that I think is kind of hokey but also well-meaning. After reading this dispatch from the recent Ecological Society of America conference, I thought maybe the idea could be broadened a bit, into something that allowed a local pastor to tag along with an ecologist or climate scientist…Continue Reading…
Via Dan Vergano at USA Today: Summer is the season for comic book heroes: Green Lantern, Captain America and of course, the late physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman doesn’t have a movie out for August, but this month brings the debut of the graphic novel Feynman by writer Jim Ottaviani and illustrator Leland Myrick. In classic comic book form, they chronicle the mind-blowing adventures…Continue Reading…
Question: What do earthquakes in Washington D.C. have to do with brain cancer and cell phones? You can find the answer in this excellent interview with a scientist at BoingBoing. Meanwhile, over at Stoat’s thread on this cell phone/brain cancer issue, here’s a great observation that has not yet been made in any of the discussions,…Continue Reading…
The Washington Post has a regular column called “The Fact Checker,” by Glenn Kessler, a longtime Post reporter. It’s a relatively new feature. Earlier this year, Kessler described the column’s origins and purpose: My colleague Michael Dobbs started the column during the 2008 [Presidential] campaign and now, in 2011, The Washington Post is reviving it as…Continue Reading…
Randy Olson, in response to this post, offers an unstinting and thought-provoking commentary on science communication. Olson is a marine biologist turned filmmaker. One of his movies is called Flock of Dodos, which might best characterize his view of the science community–with respect to their overall communication skills. Although critical of scientists, Olson also offers some constructive suggestions below. Have a read and let’s discuss….Continue Reading…
The huge annual gaggle of scientists starts gathering today in Washington D.C. There are a bunch of climate change-related sessions, some of which I’ll be attending and writing about at collide-a-scape. I’ll also link to ongoing press coverage of certain events and paper presentations.
A very interesting correlation between global warming and evolution–and not the one that may spring immediately to your mind.
A wildlife ecologist seeks to tame them.