When the crusade against evolution emerged, scientists and educators and the skeptic movement rose to the battle. When the crusade against vaccines was in full throttle, scientists and the skeptic movement confronted the fear-mongering campaign, (while the media fed it). When the crusade against climate science got ugly, scientists fought back and when political action on climate change stalled, greens…Continue Reading…
I’m looking forward to seeing the video and transcript of Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s keynote speech at this year’s AutismOne/Generation Rescue conference. This is the annual confab of the anti-vaccine movement, where all the diehards gather to share their latest pseudoscience, quack therapies and conspiracy theories. Last year’s keynote address was given by actress Jenny McCarthy….Continue Reading…
For years, Portland has ranked as one of America’s greenest cities. While its eco-minded culture has been famously lampooned in Portlandia, the city’s environmentally friendly reputation is well earned, as (Seattle-based) Grist notes: Portland’s public transit system is held up as a model for the country. Per capita carbon emissions are down 26 percent since 1990. Portland consistently tops…Continue Reading…
Mark Bittman, the popular food writer for the New York Times, has written a column that is almost beyond parody for its unintentional irony. The only way to fully appreciate his lack of self-awareness is to stop and marvel at numerous passages. Let’s start at the top: Things are bad enough in the food world…Continue Reading…
I’m not on the pandemic beat, but some of the best science journalists are, and they are busy these days. Today, David Quammen, author of the recently published and critically acclaimed book, Spillover: Animal infections and the next human pandemic, has an op-ed in the New York Times. It begins: Terrible new forms of infectious…Continue Reading…
There are a couple of ways to interpret the story about a revoked ordinance in San Francisco that, as Reuters reports, would have been the first in the United States to require [cell phone] retailers to warn consumers about potentially dangerous radiation levels. Before it was reversed it was known as–get ready for it–the “right…Continue Reading…
In a Slate piece several months ago, I explored the pro-nuke argument from an environmental perspective. Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan made the case succinctly: If your concern is climate change, and you believe that slowing or preventing it is your fundamental priority, then nuclear power should be high up on the list for energy-production. He was responding to…Continue Reading…
Guest post by Ramez Naam. Keith Kloor has graciously given me the opportunity to guest post here again. So let me cut to the chase: I support GMOs. And we should label them. We should label them because that is the very best thing we can do for public acceptance of agricultural biotech. And…Continue Reading…
I was goofing around on Twitter today: I’m pretty sure all da GMOs, flame retardants & WiFi electromagnetic radiation cancel out my wind turbine syndrome. — keith kloor (@keithkloor) April 18, 2013 If you’re unfamiliar with that last reference, I refer you to my recent Slate piece:
Since I’m always on the lookout for helpful advice on how to talk to my friends about GMOs, this tweet caught my eye: Via @foodmythbusters: 7 Things To Tell Your Friends About GMO’s bit.ly/XHYD8G — Danielle Nierenberg (@DaniNierenberg) March 7, 2013 In her bio at the Worldwatch Institute, Nierenberg is listed as “an expert on…Continue Reading…