Science & Society

Science Journalism: 'Revealers of the Rotten'?

Science journalism used to not have that 'science' qualifier.  It was journalism, like any other kind, but about science. Last decade, though, science journalism lost its way, as we have discussed many times before. Too many science journalists b ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Jul 30 2012 - 2:12am

Why Candidates Ignore Science: The Disconnect Between Research And Benefit

For as long as I can remember, academic scientists have said that applied research is great- for someone else.  But for themselves, they want to do basic research and be creative and not have to worry about any applied / societal benefit.(1) But another el ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Aug 2 2012 - 5:29pm

Jonah Lehrer Successful Science Writer

One of the pretty boys of science writing has fallen. Jonah Lehrer has finally been called out for distorting science. Many more are going to fall. Or wait. No, wait, what? Oh – I see – he misquoted some singer-song writer dude! Ohhhh – how tragic! And wi ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Dec 14 2016 - 3:52am

Trying To Inject Some Science Into Economics (Again)

Banks and brokerage houses employ a lot of physicists- it was a big fad of the last decade because the industry discovered that physicists knew how to make models and economists did not. But physicists don't understand economics and the behavior of pe ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 4 2012 - 12:30pm

PETA Declares War On The US Army Over Goats

PETA, People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals, doesn't always make sense.  They protest objectifying dead fish, for example, by objectifying live women.  Actually, they show more naked women than Playboy, their marketing campaigns are littered wit ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Aug 6 2012 - 6:10pm

Gibson Guitar Settles With Justice Department Over Lacey Act Violations

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that  Gibson Guitar Corp. entered into a criminal enforcement agreement resolving a criminal investigation into allegations that the company violated the Lacey Act by illegally purchasing and importing ebony wood fr ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 7 2012 - 8:30pm

Disability Discrimination: Another Denied A Transplant

Another disabled person denied a transplant because of his disability. Another  petition in hopes of changing the hospital's decision  (go sign it, please). After the last time, with  Mia Rivera  (click on her name to read the good news that her mothe ...

Blog Post - Kim Wombles - Aug 8 2012 - 8:47pm

Is Science Too Technology-Dependent? Are 'Artifactual' Findings Up?

Excuse my use of the personal pronoun in this short article, but I am writing to get input as much as I am to simply observe a phenomenon. I am increasingly drawn to the connection between bench science and the companies that provide them with their tools ...

Article - Greg Critser - Aug 9 2012 - 2:56pm

Mainstream Media Laments The Death Of Sexism

Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden recently set out to test the unwritten rule of the sea that, during maritime disasters, women and children are first in the lifeboats. What they found was that, factoring out a big disaster like the Titanic, sa ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Aug 9 2012 - 4:42pm

Stop Whining: The World Has More Wealth And More Freedom Than Ever

It's easy to get depressed reading the criticisms of self-loathing types who demand a zero-defects culture.  If some weirdo neuroscience PhD student shoots up a movie theater, well, that is reason for a whole bunch of people to want to run out and ban ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Aug 10 2012 - 5:00am