cmooney | December 10, 2008Apparently it's going to be Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory director Steve Chu. I heartily applaud the pick. It's especially noteworthy that Chu has been a big proponent of action on global warming and clean energy.
Here's Chu endorsing ScienceDebate2008:
cmooney | December 10, 2008I have no idea why NSF hasn't issued a press release, but here are the data (PDF).
Since 2002, total science and engineering doctorates granted in the U.S. have increased from 24,608 to 31,801 (in 2007). That's five straight years of increases.
You can look at all the data yourself, but the life sciences and engineering are doing particularly well. And yes, there's a growth in non-U.S. citizen doctorate winners, but it's part of a trend of growth in all categories.
In short, we're training and producing more minted scientists than ever in this country. That's a very good thing--although it…
sheril | December 10, 2008This time, it's personal.
There is no question fisheries are in serious trouble and Bush is hoping to loosen rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that govern the environmental review process surrounding catch limits. The proposed 11th hour changes would weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Act (a bill I was intimately involved with in 2006).
Stay vigilant folks. Oceans--not special interest groups--need protection.
cmooney | December 9, 2008
My latest Science Progress column is about the recent killing of science coverage at CNN, and the broader media business context in which this is happening.
The upshot: If we want science journalism, especially in these awful economic times, we have to fight for it and be willing to spend to support it.
You can read the full column here.
cmooney | December 9, 2008When our lame outgoing president suggested teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in science classes back in (I think) 2005, I like many was outraged. But Bush's recent comments in one of his outgoing legacy saving interviews put the issue in a somewhat different light:
MCFADDEN: Is it literally true, the Bible?
BUSH: You know. Probably not ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament, for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is "God sent a son."
MCFADDEN: So, you can read the Bible...
BUSH: That God…
sheril | December 9, 2008We recently penned an article together in the current issue of Mother Jones:
As the rhetoric from the campaign trail demonstrates (remember the ad with John McCain at the wind-turbine factory?), nobody is against renewable energy. But no amount of green talk can change the fact that our economy is dangerously fossil-fuel based and foreign-energy dependent. The reasons are numerous, and in some cases notorious. Congress is hamstrung by pork-barrel politics and regional interests (e.g. West Virginia coal). We still don't have a federal equivalent to the laws in more than half the states…
sheril | December 8, 2008
Just when you thought it was safe to acknowledge the unequivocal reality of global warming.....
Just when you thought the U.S. government was ready to admit that it has a serious emissions problem, and do something about it....
Just when you thought the skeptic party was over...
No way: There has been a strong run of nonsense from global warming "skeptics" and deniers lately. They are not ashamed, and they are not changing their tune. In fact, it sounds like they are gearing up for the next battle...
sheril | December 5, 2008Yesterday, many among us were aghast to learn that yet another major news outlet is eliminating its science coverage. In this case it was CNN, which decided to nix its seven-person unit on science, the environment, and technology--including six producers and veteran space correspondent Miles O'Brien. It's a growing trend around the country as science journalism is dropping out of style; newspapers are hemmhoraging science sections and reporters, and cable news was already pretty science anemic and is just getting worse. The irony, as Curtis Brainard of the Columbia Journalism Review online…
sheril | December 5, 2008The National Academies is working to identify topics in science, engineering, and medicine that matter most to the public. They developed this 2-minute survey and we encourage Intersection readers to participate:
What topics in science, engineering, and medicine matter most to you? The National Academies are interested in developing useful and engaging print and web-based educational materials on the topics that you'd like to learn more about. They invite you to participate in a brief survey. You can find that survey here.
In the 2-minute survey you'll be presented with a list of topics and…
cmooney | December 3, 2008How and when will the Obama transition team announce the president's science adviser? And will the rollout be given the prominence it deserves?
These are questions I address in my latest Science Progress column. You can read the full piece here.
sheril | December 3, 2008'Try to be the smartest boy in class.'
..writes 9 yr old Alec Greven in How To Talk To Girls. Sure, he may not have much dating experience--and admittedly, I haven't read the book--but this charming little guy is onto something and may have better advice than John Gray. The author loves to read and write and has already won me over... He's also donating a portion of proceeds to Stand Up To Cancer.
Note to Alec, some of the coolest girls do like 'bugs and gross things'. You'll see ;)
sheril | December 2, 2008I looked back at the woman next to me in disbelief; a mid-forties Greenpeace Director. It was June 2006 and we had been chatting a few minutes as the plane taxied on the runway. She began by telling me about her journey to activism. A literature major in college, she felt a longing to do more to save the environment. In the early 90's she joined Greenpeace and rose to a Director over time. Finally she asked what I did. 'I work in the Senate on ocean, energy, and environment...' That's where she cut me off.
'Our planet is a mess because of you people!'
The thing is, up until then I…
sheril | December 2, 2008Give this video at least a minute and you'll see some spectacular shadow art. I particularly like the last style (1:15) using sculptured mass to create recognizable form:
sheril | December 1, 2008
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates
National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones
Secretary of Homeland Security Gov. Janet Napolitano
Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
Welcome the 'new dawn of American leadership'.
So folks, what do you think?
sheril | December 1, 2008Look up tonight at twilight... for the three brightest objects the sky--Jupiter, Venus and the moon (a crescent only 5-percent illuminated)--will align for a spectacular site. Regular readers know I love all things space and this evening offers a unique opportunity for enthusiasts everywhere. Gaze up at dusk (they'll set by mid-evening) and let's hope for minimal cloud cover...
We'll have to wait well over four decades before the trio appears this close again. Planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts expect a spike in UFO sitings as reports flood in of bright objects…
cmooney | November 26, 2008
My latest Science Progress column, about a recent, cutting edge attempt to bring science and Hollywood together, is now up. It's entitled, "Attack of the Nerds from Outer Space," which should be more than enough of a teaser.
You can read it here.