Public Perception
-
If it’s Inspiring, Can it Be Wrong?
January 19, 2011
After attending last week’s ScienceOnline conference in North Carolina, Dave Munger asks whether relying on titillating tactics is a boon or bane for promoting science to the public.
-
On Closing the Culture Gap
November 30, 2010
Climate change, biodiversity loss, nuclear conflict—all are caused by human activity. We need a way to reorganize and refocus the sciences and humanities with a “Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior.”
culture, global reset, physical science, population, public perception, social science
-
Good Placebos Gone Bad
November 03, 2010
Placebos are supposed to be inert controls, designed to prove a drug’s efficacy. Consequently, placebo composition is rarely documented in drug trials. Is this dangerous?
-
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?
-
G is for Goldilocks
October 01, 2010
Gliese 581g is the most promising habitable world astronomers have found so far. But the chances of finding life there are vanishingly slim.
-
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
-
The State of the Scientist
July 08, 2010
The identity of the modern scientist is, in every possible sense, a work in progress.
-
Science and/or Faith
July 06, 2010
Should a "scientific" meeting attempt to address questions of faith? If so, what's the best way to do it?
-
Slippery Cellularities
June 21, 2010
Synthetic biology can mean reconstructing organisms, redesigning biology, or recreating life—and each of these uses has different implications.
-
The Cost of Scientific Misconduct
April 14, 2010
Scientists are facing increasing temptations to publish questionable results. Ethicists are exploring the roots of misconduct, and researchers wonder what can be done about the problem.
-
Truth and Inconsequence
April 09, 2010
A leaked video of wartime atrocities sparks a media firestorm and raises questions about the accuracy and validity of new media.
-
Embracing the Anthropocene
March 19, 2010
The Earth has entered a new geological period in which human influence dominates the state of the planet, compounding uncertainty about the future.
-
Extinction’s Tipping Points
March 12, 2010
How the extinction of the dinosaurs, Arctic methane leaks, and nuclear weaponry reveal the precarious thresholds of life on Earth.
-
A Sober Assessment
March 03, 2010
Alcohol is an important part of life in many cultures throughout the world, but there are many misperceptions about this common social lubricant.
-
Stranger than Fiction
February 25, 2010
There's no shortage of movies that play fast and loose with the laws of nature. One scientist is on a mission to fix these flaws, but will it really improve scientific literacy?
-
Getting Snowed
February 12, 2010
As major storms cover the northeast, the classic canard of conflating climate with weather takes on ridiculous new forms. But is it better to fight or ignore them?
-
The Age of Impossible Numbers
February 11, 2010
In Running the Numbers, photographer Chris Jordan attempts to convey the vastness of modern consumption with clever visualizations.
-
The Matthew Effect
February 09, 2010
When it comes to scientific publishing and fame, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. How can we break this feedback loop?
-
Star Crossed
February 05, 2010
With the announcement of the new budget, the Constellation program’s loss is many other agencies' gain. Meanwhile, Iran sends some critters into orbit.
-
When Science Asks, “What If?”
January 18, 2010
The visions of tomorrow inspire the actions we take today. Science fiction is as much a reflection of society's deep fascination with science as it is an agent of change for its future course.
-
The Exquisite Corpse of Science
December 10, 2009
Drawings from science communicator Tim Jones' worldwide art mosaic that asks scientists, journalists, students, and others what science means to them.
-
Surreal Science
December 10, 2009
Tiles in a worldwide sci-art mosaic explore what science means to writers, scientists, school children, and others.
-
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?
-
Sad Sacks
November 06, 2009
As a UK adviser is fired over politically unpalatable advice and an English teacher is suspended over an article about animal sexuality, the fate of facts is on the line.
-
A Man on the Edge
November 03, 2009
A new biography explores Jacques Cousteau’s strange and colorful life but struggles to uncover why he has been so quickly forgotten.
Now on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
-
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.
-
Ideas
Going, Going, Gone
The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
-
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.
