Featured Articles

There Is A War Between Science And Religion

There Is A War Between Science And Religion

Dec 23 2018 | comment(s)

As the West becomes more and more secular, and the discoveries of evolutionary biology and cosmology shrink the boundaries of faith, the claims that science and religion are compatible grow louder. If you’re a believer who doesn’t want to seem anti-science, what can you do? You must argue that your faith – or any faith – is perfectly compatible with science.

10 Positive Ecology Stories You May Have Missed In 2018

10 Positive Ecology Stories You May Have Missed In 2018

Dec 22 2018 | comment(s)

Let’s be honest – environment news isn’t always the jolliest, and 2018 was no exception. From climate change, to recycling, to energy policy, at times it has felt like we’ve been lurching from one crisis to the next.

So here are ten upbeat environmental stories from this year that prove it’s not all doom and gloom.

Essential Oils Yield Microbials To Preserve Wine

Essential Oils Yield Microbials To Preserve Wine

Dec 21 2018 | comment(s)

Researchers have studied the effectiveness of new antimicrobial systems based on the use of essential oils extracted from plants such as thyme or cinnamon to improve the preservation of foods and found them suitable - with no smell or taste.

As the developed world becomes wealthier, people are more demanding about the processes used in the foods they eat, even if it means contradictions. Some distrust the science that goes into preservation, like additives. while insisting they are concerned about rampant food waste - which is most often spoilage.
Wind Energy Isn't Just Killing Birds, It's Making Them Change Their Tunes

Wind Energy Isn't Just Killing Birds, It's Making Them Change Their Tunes

Dec 21 2018 | comment(s)

Wind turbines are a leading source of green energy which could supply 12% of the world’s energy by 2020. But their use is often criticised for its impact on wildlife, particularly birds. Larger birds can collide with turbines and some have even learned to avoid flying near them.

50 Years Ago Today, Apollo 8 Soared Into Space - And Cicero Cheered

50 Years Ago Today, Apollo 8 Soared Into Space - And Cicero Cheered

Dec 21 2018 | comment(s)

Half a century of Christmases ago, the NASA space mission Apollo 8 became the first manned craft to leave low Earth orbit, atop the unprecedentedly powerful Saturn V rocket, and head out to circumnavigate another celestial body, making 11 orbits of the moon before its return. The mission is often cast in a supporting role – a sort of warm up for the first moon landing. Yet for me, the voyage of Borman, Lovell and Anders six months before Neil Armstrong’s “small step for a man” will always be the great leap for humankind.

Squeezing More Out Of Your Data

Squeezing More Out Of Your Data

Dec 21 2018 | comment(s)

I don't remember who said it, but there's a quote I like a lot: "If you torture them long enough, the data will confess to anything". What the author meant is of course that the manipulation of experimental data and the a posteriori use of hand-picked methods, approximations, and other ad-hoc choices allows you to demonstrate anything with them, from one hypothesis to the opposite one. Statistics, in other words, is a subtle science, which must be handled with care. It is a powerful tool in the hands of people with an agenda. 
The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law List Is Announced

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law List Is Announced

Dec 20 2018 | comment(s)

In July, 2016, to stave off a patchwork of state rules on food labels, and an effort by Democrats to put warning labels on genetically modified foods a few years prior, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a national mandatory standard for food science under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law.

For government purposes, the definition of a bioengineered food is much different than science. Government defines a bioengineered food that contains "detectable genetic material" created through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) techniques and for which the modification and not through conventional breeding or found in nature.
President Trump Has Ended Hemp Prohibition

President Trump Has Ended Hemp Prohibition

Dec 20 2018 | comment(s)

By signing the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, colloquially called the Farm Bill, President Donald Trump removed industrial hemp from the controlled substances list. For the first time in over 80 years, farmers can grow and sell industrial hemp.
Conventional, Organic, When It Comes To Pesticides The American Food Supply Is Safe Again This Year

Conventional, Organic, When It Comes To Pesticides The American Food Supply Is Safe Again This Year

Dec 20 2018 | comment(s)

Despite another year of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hyperventilating weeks after a foodborne illness occurs (devastating lettuce farmers while showing how they little they know when exaggerating what they do know), the more evidence-based bodies at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture made 2018 safe to go into the pantry again.

Because few people are all that panicked about lettuce, but everyone wants to know about pesticides.
The Astronomy Of Christmas

The Astronomy Of Christmas

Dec 20 2018 | comment(s)

From the Neolithic to present times, the amount of sunlight we see in a day has had a profound impact on human culture. We are fast approaching the winter solstice for the Northern hemisphere, which takes place on December 21. This is the longest night of the year – once celebrated as “Yule” by the pagan people of Northern Europe before it became Christmas.

Christmas Versus Calories – How To Focus More On Celebration And Less On Food

Christmas Versus Calories – How To Focus More On Celebration And Less On Food

Dec 20 2018 | comment(s)

Christmas and the holidays are a time to relax and celebrate with family and friends. But the festive season can also be a time of unwanted weight gain that won’t budge once the holidays are over.

Research (mostly from the United States) has found adults typically gain 400 to 900 grams over the holidays.

No-one wants to miss out on the celebrations. But knowing more about the kilojoule content of your favourite Christmas treats can help you make conscious decisions about which foods and drinks to have and enjoy, and what portion sizes to choose.

With Fluoride Decision, Canadians Are Moving Back Toward Mainstream Science And Medicine

With Fluoride Decision, Canadians Are Moving Back Toward Mainstream Science And Medicine

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

In 2013, the Windsor city council voted 8-3 to remove fluoride from water. This was not the work of right-wing John Birch Society members, who were against fluoride in the 1950s because it was government interference in water, this was the result of left-wing anti-science activists. A few have wrapped themselves in the flag of personal choice about consumption, but most are honest in claiming they link negative health effects to fluoridation.
Statistic Of The Year: 90.5 Percent Of Plastic Has Never Been Recycled

Statistic Of The Year: 90.5 Percent Of Plastic Has Never Been Recycled

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year.

On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 percent, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. Okay – but why is that such a big deal?

Predictions! For 2019 In Science and Technology.

Predictions! For 2019 In Science and Technology.

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

Predicting the future is an inherently risky business.  However, based on available data there are a few things we can say will or likely will happen in 2019. Ranging from astronomy to physics and technology here are my three predictions.  These are based on available and linked information and my learned analysis.

Could A Vaccine Help Stop The Fentanyl Crisis?

Could A Vaccine Help Stop The Fentanyl Crisis?

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of five years of death certificates (2011-2016) found that among drug overdose deaths 29 percent were due to fentanyl by 2016, a huge leap from 4 percent in 2011, when oxycodone was most dangerous at 13 percent.
Research Flow for Technical and Engineering Students

Research Flow for Technical and Engineering Students

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

The following outlines the steps of a proposed research flow for technical engineering students:

I. Situational analysis – this includes needs assessment and rationale of the project study.

II. Statement of the Problem - this specifies the problem that emerged in the situational analysis.

III.Benchmarking – this includes literature search and actual accounts/observations of similar problems and their solutions. Solutions include specifications.

IV. Proposed Solution – This is an innovative solution that may arise from benchmarking or from the researcher’s theories.

V. Design and Implementation/Fabrication – this refers to the detailed plan of the proposed solution.
Genetically Different

Genetically Different

Dec 18 2018 | comment(s)

Whenever we talk about people and how they behave on a certain environment there seems to be a general consensus in the way it should be. Society summarizes the sum of individuals, and bring with it a single framework from which every person can work from there to face reality. Some of those products are education, laws and morality just to name a few.

As we can see there has been certain level of success by acknowledging the social construct. Why hasn’t it been completely successful? There’s an underlying assumption we have complete control over the way we think.

"She Is Batshit Crazy" - What Bruce Blumberg And Other Anti-Science Activists Say About Zen Honeycutt

Dec 17 2018 | comment(s)

Two weeks ago, CNN shocked some in the science community by having Vani Hari, who styles herself as "The Food Babe"(1), tell us that the bacterial problem on romaine lettuce was caused by modern medicine.  It was no great surprise to most of us, if there is a hyperbolic claim about science CNN is an always reliable platform to create a story or at least tweet about it.
Campi Flegrei Is Not Ready To Collapse - Thousands Of Years Into The Future Most Likely - Also Not Quite A Supervolcano

Campi Flegrei Is Not Ready To Collapse - Thousands Of Years Into The Future Most Likely - Also Not Quite A Supervolcano

Dec 17 2018 | comment(s)

There are many sensationalist stories today about this research. But they were looking at the past history of this volcano. Not the present. It is not ready to collapse right now and is closely monitored. Likely to be centuries to millennia before a collapse if one is possible at all - it may have ended that phase too. A normal eruption would be devastating for local people and it is closely monitored. It probably did not make the Neanderthals extinct but the 2–4C global temperature reduction for a couple of years might have helped modern humans to get an edge over the Neanderthals at a critical time in the past.

Example stories to debunk:

Asia’s Technology-Driven Futures

Asia’s Technology-Driven Futures

Dec 16 2018 | comment(s)

KAIST International Forum on Asia’s Futures, Session 2
Seoul, December 13, 2018

I thank our conference hosts for the kind invitation to participate in this panel, and for the opportunity to assemble these thoughts on Asia’s Technology-Driven Futures.

Let’s outline a context for these futures, before diving into the three questions posed to the panel.

There is a global environmental crisis. For Asia, the most pressing consequences are water shortages in China and elsewhere, due to less Himalayan snow runoff, and coming mass migrations due to rising seas, stronger storms, and inundation of coastal areas.