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Hank CampbellRSS Feed of this column.

I founded Science 2.0® in 2006 and since then it has become the world's largest independent science communications site, with over 300,000,000 direct readers and reach approaching one billion. Read More »

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IPCC Gives Up On Science, Makes Grey Literature Official

IPCC Gives Up On Science, Makes Grey Literature Official

Jun 20 2012 | comment(s)

'Grey' literature, which led to the "Glaciergate" scandal of 2010 when it was revealed that the rate at which Himalayan glaciers are losing ice (gone by 2035!) was stated as fact even though it was not based on evidence, will no longer be a problem for  the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Because they have declared that grey literature will no longer be grey - any information they choose to use will be considered peer reviewed just by being posted on the Internet by the IPCC.  
Should Chelation Therapy Get Science Funding?

Should Chelation Therapy Get Science Funding?

Jun 19 2012 | comment(s)

Henry I. Miller, M.D., physician and molecular biologist, is the Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and was at the NIH and FDA from 1977 to 1994.

He is, basically, a longtime knowledgeable insider into How Things Work. And he isn't a fan of how things work at the National Science Foundation.
2012 Dirty Dozen - The 12 Most Contaminated Foods

2012 Dirty Dozen - The 12 Most Contaminated Foods

Jun 19 2012 | comment(s)

The Environmental Working Group's annual "Dirty Dozen" report for 2012 has named the fruits and vegetables ranking highest in pesticide residue. Don't get all excited about shopping at Whole Foods to escape the problem, organic food has all kinds of pesticides, they are just 'natural', like strychnine, and the Environmental Working Group did not run any tests of their own, they did a review of government tests ("ranks pesticide contamination for 45 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of more than 60,700 samples taken from 2000 to 2010 by the USDA and the federal Food and Drug Administration.") and then wrote a summary.
$1 Per Student Per Class - The Future Of Education?

$1 Per Student Per Class - The Future Of Education?

Jun 18 2012 | comment(s)

There's a lot of recent talk about open access in academia - taxpayers fund the bulk of academia in modern times so there isn't much benefit to a billion-dollar corporation charging a subscription fee for science research produced there.

But the university system itself, awash in money, new buildings and new employees after two decades of 'a college education is a right' mentality propped up by unlimited student loans, needs a reboot too. There may be a Science 2.0 solution for that in the works.
The Bones Of John The Baptist Found?

The Bones Of John The Baptist Found?

Jun 17 2012 | comment(s)

The coolest stuff regarding ancient religious history is not found in the Vatican or western Europe at all, it's in the East where a lot less modern growth took place.  There is more stuff that will be buried under the Ilisu dam in Turkey than in all of most countries farther west.  Almost every town in Turkey is a major archaeological site.

So it also goes with places like Bulgaria. I found a really wonderful Byzantine cross on a trip there, from the 18th century (unless you are doing it one time, to experience the paperwork and process of buying and bringing in an antique, I discourage you from doing so) and the place is littered with ancient monasteries and churches.
European Testing For 'Racial Purity': A Concern

European Testing For 'Racial Purity': A Concern

Jun 14 2012 | comment(s)

In the giant 'Europeans are far more anti-science than Americans' file, we can now add another section on racism.

Science can use genetic testing to understand risk factors - some groups have a greater risk than others - but that means interested groups can also do other things with the results.  Europe is terrifically racist, you will never hear a racial slur, much less a stadium-wide chant, at an American sporting event but you are guaranteed to have them at the EURO CUP 2012 tournament. Western Europe is at least trying to drive it out and all those 'end racism' banners are a puzzle to western football viewers but at least they care.

Yet now racists have a new weapon; genetics.