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Cannabis and THC, its main psychoactive compound, have been endorsed by people suffering from anxiety...

Rutgers Study - Forcing DEI Programs On People Increases Hostility

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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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National Science Foundation Funding - A Predictable Response

National Science Foundation Funding - A Predictable Response

May 27 2011 | comment(s)

The National Science Foundation is under some mainstream criticism due to budget and waste concerns highlighted by Senate watchdog Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma (see Shrimp On A Treadmill - The NSF Under Fire).

It's easy for the public and members of Congress to show faux outrage unless it is one of their pet projects but, in Coburn's defense, he goes after everyone, not just science; transportation spending waste, military spending waste, you name it and he has gone after it.    He is exactly the sort of financial 'watchdog' everyone says they want - unless he is watching their group.   
Should Scientists Be Exempt From Freedom Of Information Requests?

Should Scientists Be Exempt From Freedom Of Information Requests?

May 26 2011 | comment(s)

During the ClimateGate scandal, researchers at East Anglia were not found to be manipulating data but were stonewalling Freedom of Information requests, the bedrock of a democratic science society since the work is financed by taxpayers.
Shrimp On A Treadmill - The NSF Under Fire

Shrimp On A Treadmill - The NSF Under Fire

May 26 2011 | comment(s)

In a report sure to send left-wing science blogging into a tizzy, an analysis by Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D., Republican from Oklahoma (naturally, because Republicans hate science if they object to obscure studies that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars) says the NSF is spending money foolishly.

Natural Gas Takes Some Heat

Natural Gas Takes Some Heat

May 25 2011 | comment(s)

A cold turkey approach to energy is a ridiculous idea endorsed only by the truly militant but it is clear we have to migrate from high-pollution solution fossil fuels while science advances on energy generation that is clean and cost-effective enough that we don't create energy ghettos where only the rich can be warm or own cars, like we would have with silly windmills or solar panels using current technology.

Chris Mims, writing at the Txchnologist, engages in some funny framing worthy of anyone from his Scienceblogs.com days, but he asks a reasonable question; is natural gas as good as advertised?  
An Ode To The Health Miracle That Is Coffee

An Ode To The Health Miracle That Is Coffee

May 22 2011 | comment(s)

There are perennials in the plant kingdom, flowers that bloom each year, and in culture as well.  Each year, for example, there will be a new go-to cliché in football.    Many of us who have watched for a long time can even tell you what year a broadcast was made by which cliche was in use.

Quiz:  If I say they play "smash mouth football", what year was I thinking?
Cubs At Red Sox - A Reason Even Non-Fans Should Watch Baseball

Cubs At Red Sox - A Reason Even Non-Fans Should Watch Baseball

May 20 2011 | comment(s)

The Cubs have gone longer than any team in baseball without winning a World Series.   Before that, the Sed Sox were commonly regarded as the Sad Sack's of the game, even though the Cubs had historically been far worse.  But the Red Sox lifted "The Curse of The Bambino" in 2004.

The 'curse', if you are unfamiliar, went like this:  In 1918 the Red Sox won their fifth World Series, the most by any club and added proof of their dynasty.  They won using the pitching (and hitting) of George Herman Ruth, commonly known now as Babe Ruth, The Babe, The Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, the Colossus of Clout, and too many others to name.