Science & Society

Citizen Science Contributions Increasingly Common

Citizen science, amateurs who did science for the love of it rather than as a career, were once well-respected. They were often more elite than those who did it as an occupation, much like Sherlock Holmes was a superior detective because he was an amateur ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 16 2016 - 7:31am

The fuzzy science of “brain training”

Brain training has come into the spotlight with Tuesday’s announcement by the Federal Trade Commission that the popular website Lumosity will be forced to pay a $2 million settlement for making false advertising claims. ...

Blog Post - Brandon T. Bisceglia - Jan 16 2016 - 8:47pm

Eating Food like Great-Grandma's: the natural way to reduce life expectancy

I live north of Harbin Hot Springs, a "health resort," which catered (it burned in the 2015 Valley Fire) to new-age types  who have yet have to find an alternative-anything that they don't like. Alternative medicine. Alternatives to clothing ...

Blog Post - Norm Benson - Jan 20 2016 - 9:57am

Most Americans Don't Know What Smart Guns Can Really Do, But They Support Them

Nearly 60 percent of Americans, if they buy a new handgun, are willing to purchase a smart gun-- operable in the hands of an authorized user-- which is not really a surprise after the entertainment news program "60 Minutes" featured them in Nove ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 22 2016 - 7:58pm

Sexual Tensions and the Numbers Game a Systemic Issue Behind #astroSH

At all levels of academic science men outnumber women by a great deal.  Whites outnumber black by a even larger margin regardless of sex or gender.   Out LGBT are outnumbered by an even larger margin.  Without loss of generality I hypothesize that MOST of ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jan 22 2016 - 6:33pm

Can The X-Files Sell In 2016?

The return of The X-Files to television screens after a 14-year absence was met with justifiable excitement and trepidation. It was an important show, combining Twilight Zone-style fantasy with humor, drama and emotion. ...

Article - The Conversation - Jan 23 2016 - 8:01am

X-Files 2016: 5 Episodes To Watch First

"The X-Files" resumes tonight and if, like me, you might give it a try, here are 5 good episodes to watch in advance.  I was able to sort through a lot of shows thanks to a blizzard in New York City, which kept me inside and was not accompanied ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 26 2016 - 3:25pm

Can Affluent Medical Students Understand Patients Who Aren't?

Thousands of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students recently found out whether they had been accepted into Australian medical schools. Selection is a highly competitive process, requiring an impressive combination of high secondary school results (ATAR/GPA ...

Article - The Conversation - Jan 27 2016 - 8:18am

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Accused of Rape: #astroSH Was Mainly Silent.

N eil DeGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist I and many other astrophysicists look up to has been accused of rape by Tchiya Amet  who was a student at UT Austin at the time that Neil DeGrasse Tyson was a graduate student TAing her Astronomy 101.  As if that wa ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Feb 1 2016 - 8:26am

Make Sexual Harassment in Federally Funded Institutions a Crime.

S exual Harassment in federally funded research should be considered a federal crime.   This blog post originates as a comment on this blog at Forbes  " Advice For The Reformed Harasser On Rejoining The Scientific Community " by Janet D. Stemwed ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Feb 1 2016 - 5:58pm