Science & Society

Darwin took decades to publish while Newton practically wrote his Principia so as not to have to bother answering questions from other physicists. Throughout science history the attitudes and methods of scientists have varied as dramatically as the personalities. With the rise of government-controlled science over the last five decades, the need to publish in order to get grants has spiked dramatically - and that has meant a more closed-vest approach.  Official publication is where the money is at. Yet this decade has seen a rise in technology designed to foster sharing.  Science 2.…

Dan Reus of the creative instigator/outfit Openly Disruptive ("the future will be what we make it") tossed me this note: I thought you might like to see the mention of you and Project Calliope in a recent post by our local alternative news weekly: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/rftmusic/2011/08/dan_reus_outerspace_music_kickstarter.php  I love a good narrative, and it was neat seeing a different perspective on when Dan&I met to talk picosatellites.  What we share, I think, is a recognition that, just like DIY hacking lets you mod how a technological device works, hacking or…

The advances in genetics and genomics have given rise to a flourishing personal genomics industry. All you need is a credit card and you can order a DNA kit on the internet. Once it arrives, all you have to do is rub a swab over your cheeck and send it back. A little later, voila, genetic information is sent to you, indicating your risk for a certain disease, or telling you whether your child is really yours, or something else. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? The merits of progress one might say. Nevertheless, the ease with which this information can be misused is causing some to feel rather…

... and we teach it wrong.  That's the conclusion of a NYT op ed, titled 'why science majors change their minds (it's just so darn hard)'.  Aimee Stem (here at Science2.0) argues that it's in part a diversity issue, that we're focusing our effort on the wrong age group.  I'd argue that the core is how we teach. Make no mistake, science is hard.  So is finance, and come to think of it, history wasn't a cake-walk either.  English majors have to read and write copious amounts of text.  Law school difficulty was made famous in 'the Paper Chase'.  Put simply, any…

In a recent article in the NY Times, Christopher Drew discussed one of the primary ways we as a nation lose our scientists and engineers. His point was it's not only about attracting middle and high school students to these fields, which has long been the focus of many outreach efforts, but keeping the science, math and engineering majors in colleges and universities once they get there. Many of the outreach efforts have been to attract minority students to science and math programs in K-12, through hands-on experiments, making math fun, informal science programs at museums and other venues…

Throughout the history of politics, the discourse has been rancorous. If your parents did not tell you never to discuss religion or politics in polite company, you learned that lesson on your own. 'Blame the media' thinking was popular even in the 1700s. A University of Missouri analysis of recent political blogs - i.e., basically meaningless, but fun to talk about - indicates politics are getting nastier due to digital media.  Why?  The digital world has made it easier for polarized interest groups (which is basically every interest group) to reach other people who are similarly…

I know that there are plenty of liberals and progressives that are scientific whacko's and embrace many anti-scientific sentiments.  I'm certainly not about to defend them, but .... Something this stupid simply can't be ignored.  Enjoy. The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor&Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-26-2011/weathering-fights---science---what-s-it-up-to- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/jon-stewart-climategate-debunkin-media-mcrib_n_1034792.html

Quick, have you heard of Professor Curie?  How about Marie Curie? If you're reading this article, you may have known who I meant with the first one, but how many of you instinctively thought of Pierre Curie, co-discoverer of Polonium and Radium, when I used the term 'professor'?  You all knew the name Marie Curie but to the bulk of the world, one of the most iconic scientists of the 20th century is known instead as "Madame Curie". Being referred to as "Professor and Madame Curie" by Dr. H.R. Tornebladh, president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences as they were presented the…

Young people always think the previous generations were more conservative, repressed, etc.  Two years ago one young dummy in journalism even referred to 'the more conservative 1970s', which is meaningless to anyone with any knowledge of cultural history. As David Crosby of the pop band "Crosby, Stills And Nash" replied when he was asked the one thing people did not know about the 1960s that he knew; "they happened in the '70s." Thus you will be forgiven if the think the 1930s were some post-Victorian repressed era because it was 70 years ago or it was during the Depression. Nothing is…

This week, we're running a breast cancer awareness week at my college--spearheaded by my students, friends, and me--to benefit the Hope Fund at Hendrick Hospital in Abilene, Texas, to provide free mammograms to women in need. Another professor and friend, Terra Bartee, with Jacky and Alicia Andreatta, is spearheading the main campus efforts, which benefit the American Cancer Society. Yesterday, we were both at the Abilene campus together with dozens of student volunteers, working hard to raise awareness. We've got lots of fun planned. We have informational tables, fundraising tables, two…