Science & Society

Dr. James Hamblin at The Atlantic takes a skeptical look at the recent demonizing of gluten and grain and sugars and renewed calls for something resembling a paleo diet. I have been beating the gluten-free horse for a while, of course, to much derision and scorn from people who were not Celiacs but insisted gluten was bad for everyone anyway. Gluten-free foods have blossomed into a giant business since then. That's good for Celiacs. As I have often noted, the old days of having to buy things mail-order, and of suspect quality, are long gone, but I knew that with all that money being spent…

The Obama administration finally managed to replace a stagnant economy and unemployment as the top worry of Americans in the latest Associated Press—NORC Center for Public Affairs results. The problem for his legacy is that it was replaced by the Obamacare fiasco.  The new results do fine one surprising trend, that may benefit the US over the long term; the public's policy priorities and feelings about the role of government to solve major problems has become more jaded and they are looking more toward institutions other than government to show leadership. This nationally…

A few years ago, politicians introduced us to a new metric for performance; estimates about what might have happened became real numbers that were shown as proof of success. Instead of touting actual economic benefits from tax spending, we were treated to the economic losses the spending avoided. No one knew if the numbers were real because they hadn't happened, they were only estimated by the same political groups interested in promoting their success. It was dizzying, and it worked in the mainstream media, and so it was only a matter of time before other agenda-based groups adopted the…

Predictions for 2014: No firm direct detection of dark matter, a better understanding of the Higgs boson, an announcement that Fermilab will live with a muon and neutrino related program, and a surprising and troubling reception for Neil DeGrasse Tysons Cosmos.  Those are my predictions for 2014.  Various collaborations are working very hard to detect dark matter and it seems we have tantalizing clues that something is there to find.  2014 will see more clues but not a discovery.  As we work on the Higgs we will understand it better.  I predict it will be well…

The federal government's proposal to discontinue protection for the gray wolf across the United States could have the unintended consequence of endangering other species, insist academics who don't actually live in places where wolves are running wild, threatening animals and people. They instead argue that it is a slippery slope - if the government can delist an animal because a habitat is unsuitable because a threat exists on the land, then that is the exact opposite of the service's mandate to impose regulations that reduce threats against imperiled species. They argue that the U…

Stem cell-based gene therapy holds promise for the treatment of devastating genetic skin diseases, but the long-term clinical outcomes of this approach have been unclear. In a recent study, researchers evaluated a patient with a genetic skin disorder known as epidermolysis bullosa (EB) nearly seven years after he had undergone a gene therapy procedure as part of a clinical trial. The study revealed that a small number of skin stem cells transplanted into the patient's legs were sufficient to restore normal skin function, without causing any adverse side effects.  "These findings pave…

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/04/4464809/california-cap-and-trade-will.html http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/29/4449306/cap-and-trade-has-lessons-for… http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capitol/carbon_tax_job_killer_everywhere_… http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/california-assembly-…

http://www.sciencecodex.com/study_shows_islamist_extremists_emphasize_se... http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/07/08/2594625/pakistan-shuns-physi…

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_the_monsanto_protection_act/http://southeastfarmpress.com/government/ag-appropriations-bill-delayed… The House of Representatives has provided a respite for activist groups by delaying the FY13 House Agriculture Appropriations bill, part of which had a provision that would have handed even more power into the hands of somewhat arbitrary and frequently unknowledgable judges. The “Farmer Assurance Provision” (Section 733) would have eliminated the rights of federal courts to halt the sale and planting of genetically engineered crops that haven't been…

The biggest surprise I got after starting Science 2.0 and getting to know scientists in a number of fields was that the private sector did no basic research. This was a surprise to [ insert link text here ] me, since at previous companies we did a whole lot of basic research and a little company called Bell Labs was kind of famous for it.   Of course, the whole assertion was silly, no matter how many times I heard it.  And I did hear it a lot, so much that it became like a mantra, and with it was the implied belief that corporate science was mercenary and 'for sale' while…