Science & Society

Poor Countries Rejoice: They Are Wealthy Enough For 'Diseases Of Affluence'

Long ago, obesity and high blood pressure were signs of being a wealthy elite. But the world has progressed and now even the poorest countries can eat enough to be fat. As recently as 1980 those health risks were more prevalent in countries with a higher ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 9 2013 - 2:39pm

Eliminate Capping And Crime Rates Look A Lot Different, Say Sociologists

Violent crime is undercounted or overcounted, depending on who you ask. Some statistics count gun violence twice, for example, as a criminal getting shot and a police officer doing the shooting. On the other side, in a paper published in the Canadian Jour ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 10 2013 - 4:34pm

Make Better GMOs- Or Else!

In the great debate over genetically modified organisms- GMOs- few institutional nods have been sought so keenly as that of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A “no” from the influential organization’s food policy committee would strike a blow at Big ...

Article - Greg Critser - Apr 15 2013 - 3:40pm

The Quote Of The Week- G.H.Hardy, Second-Rate Minds

"It is a melancholy experience for a professional mathematician to find himself writing about mathematics. The function of a mathematician is to do something, to prove new theorems, to add to mathematics, and not to talk about what he or other mathem ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Apr 18 2013 - 5:22am

The Politics Of Pharmaceuticals: Post-Election Government Impact On The Industry

Pharmaceuticals don't have a discovery problem, or a financing one, they have a political one that impedes everything else. Politics have a greater direct effect on the pharmaceutical industry than anything else in the US, and correspondingly drug co ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 20 2013 - 12:00pm

Are We Still Alone?- Humanity's Quest For A Friend

It becomes increasingly tedious that this question invariably elevates pure speculation to the verge of almost claiming actual science, simply because we can't imagine it otherwise.  Arguments are advanced about large numbers, large numbers of stars, ...

Article - Gerhard Adam - Jun 20 2013 - 12:52am

Widening The Net- The Capture Of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Widening The Net- The Capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Whenever there is a high profile criminal act like the Boston Marathon Attack, we usually hear from the media that "the net is closing" on a suspect.  In this age of rapid communication, surely ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Apr 20 2013 - 5:01pm

Diagnostic Errors More Costly Than Treatment Mistakes

At least when it comes to an analysis of malpractice lawsuits, diagnostic errors- not surgical mistakes or medication overdoses- accounted for the largest fraction of claims, the most severe patient harm, and the highest total of penalty payouts. Diagnosi ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 22 2013 - 9:18pm

Businessman Jim McCormick Guilty

Businessman Jim McCormick Guilty Fake Bomb Detector Vendor Convicted For Fraud- Assets Seized For some years now, scientists, science writers, bloggers and others have been writing about the bogus bomb detector scam perpetrated by Jim McCormick.  Now, at ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Apr 24 2013 - 9:32am

Why The White House Lacks Gender Parity? Moms Working Long Hours More Likely To Leave Male-Dominated Jobs

Mothers are more likely than fathers or childless people to leave jobs that require long hours- unless the occupations are female-dominated, according to sociologists. More than one-third of men and nearly one-fifth of women work more than 50 hours a week ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 24 2013 - 10:22am