Bias
“Much of modern developmental biology has a bias for grand visions of form and structure.” — PZ Myers
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Buddhism and the Brain
March 09, 2011
Many of Buddhism’s core tenets significantly overlap with findings from modern neurology and neuroscience. So how did Buddhism come close to getting the brain right?
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On Overconfidence
January 07, 2011
Humans are overconfident creatures, which boosts our persistence, ambition, and drive—but can also lead to disasters. We can make such false beliefs work to our benefit.
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The Second-Place Sex
November 19, 2010
Why chess may be an ideal laboratory for investigating gender gaps in science and beyond.
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What Really Causes Autism?
October 20, 2010
Scientists are finally beginning to make headway understanding the real causes of autism. Yet millions remain unconvinced by the evidence. Why?
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Blogging out of Balance
September 22, 2010
Several independent assessments have reached identical conclusions: In the science blogosphere, men significantly outnumber women. Is this evidence of discrimination?
bias, communication, competition, identity, public perception
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Sexy, But Biased
August 18, 2010
When scientists, scholarly reviewers, and the media focus only on the most sensational results of research studies, the resulting distortions can harm scientific progress and the public.
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Search Me
December 11, 2009
Amid a roll-out of a number of new features, Google’s biggest change went largely unnoticed, even though it could further fragment our shared pool of knowledge.
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Works in Progress
December 03, 2009
Whether it is climate change or life on Mars, revealing the hairy—and human—underbelly of how science is done means controversy for the public at large.
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Industrial-Strength Bias
November 18, 2009
The pharmaceutical industry spends millions of dollars developing drugs and millions more swaying the opinions of physicians and the public. Can this imperfect system be reformed?
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Rethinking Addiction
September 23, 2009
What makes someone an addict? The clinical definition of drug “dependence” is flexible, but may still mislabel individual choices as disorders.
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Richard Dawkins Seeks Converts
September 22, 2009
In his new book, Richard Dawkins sets out to convince the unconvinced that evolution is true. Will he succeed?
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Not Just for Fence-Sitters
September 22, 2009
Dawkins’ new book, The Greatest Show on Earth, demonstrates the power of storytelling in communicating evolution’s biological evidence.
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Acupuncture: Real or Sham?
September 02, 2009
Controls for acupuncture studies are improving. Their results are not. How are peer reviewers reacting?
bias, data, efficiency, proof, research
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Milk’s Murky Origins
August 12, 2009
Why do only some adults drink milk? The answer is more complicated than you might think.
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Knowing How to Pick a Fight
August 04, 2009
Paul Ehrlich believes in provocation and speculation, forcing us to consider: If not for the provocateurs, would we pay attention?
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Cash for Eggs
July 22, 2009
There should be no question about researchers paying for egg donations.
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Scientific Flip-Flop
June 18, 2009
Five experts debate the roots of GM opposition, the role of big agribusiness, and whether we’ve achieved real scientific consensus.
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Bad Memories
June 13, 2009
Eyewitness testimony is both fallible and irreplaceable. How can we know when to trust it?
bias, crime, law, neuroscience
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Knowledge, in Real Time
March 20, 2009
A new picture of science — and possibly future innovation — comes into focus with the mapping of scientists’ online research behavior.
bias, consensus, innovation, networks, research, visualization
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Voodoo That Scientists Do
February 24, 2009
When findings are debated online, as with a yet to be released paper that calls out the field of social neuroscience, who wins?
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The Meaning of Life
September 04, 2007
Last week, biologist J. Craig Venter crossed a momentous threshold—creating a living organism with no ancestor. In 2007, Carl Zimmer gave Seed this provocative look at the difficulties inherent in defining "life."
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I Can’t Believe It’s Science (for July 9, 2007)
July 10, 2007
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I Can’t Believe it’s Science (for June 4, 2007)
June 04, 2007
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Dirty Little Secret
May 21, 2007
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PZ Myers on Richard Dawkins
October 22, 2006
Richard Dawkins hasn't stopped his tirade against religion and its "dangerous nonsense"—he's fighting smarter. Has Darwin's rottweiler been house-trained?
Now on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
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Ideas
I Tried Almost Everything Else
John Rinn, snowboarder, skateboarder, and “genomic origamist,” on why we should dumpster-dive in our genomes and the inspiration of a middle-distance runner.
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Ideas
Going, Going, Gone
The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
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Ideas
Earth-like Planets Aren’t Rare
Renowned planetary scientist James Kasting on the odds of finding another Earth-like planet and the power of science fiction.
