Science Progress

http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/the-standing-of-science-in-america/ Quick, name a famous American living scientist! Chris Mooney writes that Americans are confident in the leaders of the scientific community. But are they interested in those leaders' policy recommendations?

http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/oversight-from-bench-to-bedside/ Stem cell based research and products are carefully managed at the federal, state, and university level. Efforts to change or strengthen these rules must demonstrate that even more regulation is actually necessary.

Bruce Ivins, the accused 2001 anthrax killer, really scares me. He doesn’t scare me mortally or physically (although if the FBI does indeed have their man, then he scared me pretty badly back in 2001 in Washington, D.C., when I was terrified to open the mailbox). ...

The President and Congress can’t craft sound energy policy when the EIA mis-predicts oil prices by a factor of two. http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/another-intelligence-fiasco/

President Bush appeared at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, after announcing he supports funding for limited stem cell research, Thursday, August 9, 2001...

The opening of the Beijing Olympics this Friday has provided another occasion for much public reflection on the ethics of sports doping. Already seven Russian track and field athletes have been suspended by the international authority for those events...

The processes of decision making in science policy requires public engagement, participation, and broad-based deliberations. Multicriteria Mapping is a way to ensure the reasoning behind choices made are transparent and well understood. http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/open-up/

With a concerted push by policymakers on research, development and deployment of solar technologies, solar renewable energy could dot our landscape. http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/here-comes-the-sun/

Like an unstable canoe that tips without warning, sudden climate changes can bring dramatic and unpredictable ecosystem transformations. If an abrupt change hit, would it doom our best efforts to save the planet? http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/08/the-tipping-points/

http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/07/contraception-is-the-new-abortion/ A proposed HHS rule would alter the meaning of the word “abortion.” If implemented, our best tools for preventing the need for abortion would suddenly be redefined as abortion.

Okay, so: Raise your hand if you can no longer keep track of all the political, legal, and scientific scandals that are dragging down the Environmental Protection Agency. (I thought so.) http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/07/last-shenanigans/

One Quarter of Stem Cell Lines Eligible for Federal Funding Fail Ethics Guidelines...

Medicines delivered in nanoparticle form, more potent than their ordinary counterparts, are on deck for regulatory approval. The agency has some catching up to do before it can determine the safety of these cutting-edge products...