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Advancing Science through Conversations: Bridging the Gap between Blogs and the Academy
A postdoc by day and a scientific activist by night, Nick Anthis isn't letting his research in protein structure and function get in the way of defending scientific and social progress.
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Category: Nobel Prize
Three Americans, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak, win the prize for the discovery of telomeres and telomerase.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 11:21 AM • 8 Comments •
Category: Featured Blogger
Members of the Obama Administration have mentioned using science for diplomatic purposes on various occasions, most notably when President Barack Obama himself included this idea in his address at Cairo University in June. Today, SEEDMAGAZINE.COM published an article by Harvard's...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:30 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: stem cells
Not much has changed from the draft guidelines... which is both a good and a bad thing.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:47 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: science policy
The recent cabinet reshuffling does not bode well for science, but at least Paul Drayson is open to discussion.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 5:44 AM • 2 Comments •
Category: elections
Frank Swain and Martin Robbins have an excellent write-up on the European Parliament elections based on a survey they conducted.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:03 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: Obama Administration
Earlier today, President Barack Obama delivered a major speech on science policy to the National Academy of Sciences. Read more about it in my previous post. Now, though, Andy Revkin of Dot Earth is trying to annotate the speech with...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 11:28 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: Obama Administration
Obama pledged that under his leadership, the US will devote more than three percent of GDP to research and development, the largest commitment to science in US history.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:01 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: stem cells
The new guidelines are much more reasonable than those of the Bush Administration, but are still overly restrictive.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:15 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: science policy
Via Chris Mooney, who has long been a major proponent of bringing back the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)--particularly in his seminal work The Republican War on Science--comes a link to a petition that you can sign to show your...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:57 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: health policy
You see, this is why you want to fill your administration with smart, qualified, thoughtful, and innovative people--especially in the sciences. From The Times A major investment in fighting tropical infections and chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes in...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:02 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: science policy
It would only take about one seven-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:28 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: stem cells
Today was a great day for science in the Executive Branch. Firstly, President Barack Obama (finally!) lifted George W. Bush's August 2001 restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research in an executive order entitled "Removing Barriers to...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:06 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: science policy
Paul Drayson came across as out of touch and blinded by fanatical entrepreneurialism.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:46 PM • 7 Comments •
Category: Bush Administration
An insidious legacy
Posted by Nick Anthis at 4:15 PM • 9 Comments •
Category: Barack Obama
Yesterday, the Obama campaign released a letter of endorsement signed by 61 Nobel Laureates (click here for a nicer looking pdf). Michael Stebbins of Scientists and Engineers for America points out that "this is the largest number of Nobel Laureates...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 11:30 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: NIH
Earlier today, Elias Zerhouni--who has been the director of the NIH since 2002--announced that he will resign at the end of this October. According to the NIH press release, he is stepping down "to pursue writing projects and explore other...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:07 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: Barack Obama
Although lacking detail in some areas, his answers are on target and are indicative of sound scientific advising.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:20 PM • 3 Comments •
Category: science policy
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), which is responsible for higher education in the UK, is seeking feedback to help it develop its new science strategy. The DIUS has put together a website for this purpose: interactive.dius.gov.uk/scienceandsociety/. There,...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:05 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: stem cells
The consequences of national policies not conducive to human embryonic stem cell research might be more dire than originally indicated.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 3:55 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: stem cells
Surprise, surprise!
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:05 PM • 18 Comments •
Category: philosophy of science
Is there a certain suite of legislation that needs to be passed now in order to provide a greater assurance of scientific good in the near future?
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:20 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: Congress
It's an important step forward, but the only true long-term solution is universal health care.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:45 AM • 10 Comments •
Category: John McCain
Welcome to Crankville, Senator.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 3:24 PM • 8 Comments •
Category: Election 2008
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine sign on.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:25 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: scientific activism
SEA launches a useful new resource tracking elected officials' and candidates' positions and actions on science and science-related issues.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:40 PM • 3 Comments •
Category: Election 2008
From evolution to stem cells, from declining NIH grant success rates to accelerating global warming, the next president is going to face a broad range of issues directly related to science.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:05 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: Texas
To create the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorize $3 billion in funding for cancer research
Posted by Nick Anthis at 9:57 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: academia
Too many bureaucrats and businessmen.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:40 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: open access
Following the House, which passed its version in July.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 9:01 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: animal rights
...and then publish a scientific paper!
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:15 AM • 10 Comments •
Category: open access
The next step is the Senate.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:58 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: funding of science
Regarding grant success rates, budget constraints, the Roadmap, biodefense, young investigators, and open access
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:29 AM • 4 Comments •
Category: elections
Over at A Blog Around the Clock, Bora has posted an interview he conducted by email with Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on science and science-related issues. The fact that John Edwards participated is a good indication that the 2008...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:48 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: stem cells
President Bush vetoes S. 5 and offers an awful alternative.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:02 PM • 4 Comments •
Category: political interference
This should be interesting....
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:56 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: stem cells
Yes, that's TOMORROW!!!
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:16 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: funding of science
Since we had an interesting discussion here back in September about the rapid decline in success rates of NIH R01 grants, I should point readers over to Effect Measure for some informed commentary on a recent article in Science (subscription...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:43 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: elections
As the sun sets on the conservative movement in America, 2006 marks a new beginning for the Democrats, and hopefully for American science.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:39 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: Congress
There's a hot congressional race going on right now deep in the heart of Texas in District 17, which stretches from just north of Houston to just south of Fort Worth and includes my alma mater, Texas A&M University. The...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:39 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: scientific activism
The formation Scientists and Engineers for America comes at a pivitol moment, when science-friendly candidates stand to make major gains in the midterm elections.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:35 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: funding of science
Since I reported yesterday on a letter in Science describing the current decline in funding of NIH (National Institutes of Health) R01 grants, several others have chimed in as well. PZ Myers of Pharyngula gave the post a mention,...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 11:16 AM • 5 Comments •
Category: funding of science
Success rates of NIH R01 grants are in rapid decline, due to a combination of more applications submitted, fewer grants awarded, and less total funds allocated.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:55 AM • 15 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
Category: blogosphere
Student Pugwash USA (SPUSA), an organization that encourages the inclusion of social responsibility considerations in our scientific dialogue, has started a new blog called MindFull. The blog has already tackled a variety of issues from "ethical stem cells" to defense...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:36 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: stem cells
Wealthy billionaires, including many Republicans, are picking up the tab for US embryonic stem cell research in the face of restrictive Bush Administration policies. Is this a permanent solution, and does this mean that the Republican Party is now an ally of science? Not likely.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 4:07 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: stem cells
As debate begins today on HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, this post from the archives describes how some states have had to find their own solutions for supporting embryonic stem cell research in the face of a...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:45 AM • 4 Comments •
Category: stem cells
On the 29th of June, the Senate finally announced an upcoming vote on HR 810, a bill which would overturn President Bush's current prohibitions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The progress of the bill still faces many hurdles, and a recent article in the journal Science did little to publicize them and in fact contained several problematic and even inaccurate statements.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:00 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Bush Administration
I mentioned earlier this week on my old blog that White House Science Adviser John Marburger would be answering questions from the public via Newsweek, and his answers have now been posted. My reactions are mixed, although he was more...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 12:39 PM • 4 Comments •
PZ Myers 11.08.2009
PZ Myers 11.08.2009
Tim Lambert 11.08.2009
Orac 11.08.2009
Orac 11.06.2009
