Once again, science, religion and politics have become entwined in a thorny public policy debate. This time, however, the discussion is not about abortion, birth control or health insurance mandates. It’s about wolves. Specifically, a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature to authorize a hunting season on wolves. Hunters approve of the season, and Republicans are…
A series of bitter disagreements between scientists and policy-makers has prompted a group of researchers to create a list of 40 “key unanswered questions” in an attempt to ease tensions by setting an agenda for future work. Led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, U.K., the group — comprising more than 50 scientists, policy…
Both religion and conservative politicians are on the verge of losing the support of many of their constituents: women. That’s the conclusion Washington Post religion columnist Lisa Miller comes to after reading The Resignation of Eve by Jim Henderson and comparing it to the current election season. “Unless the strident, authoritarian social conservatives loosen their…
General Electric has brushed aside the doubts leading Republican presidential contenders have raised about climate science. The U.S. industrial and financial conglomerate said it had long seen climate change as a valid concern after an internal evaluation of the scientific case in 2005. “We found enough data there to have a company like GE respond…
In his Dot Earth blog, Andrew Revkin writes about Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and a scientist on the leading edge of climate change analysis: Foley proposes an end run around paralyzing climate disputes by focusing on energy and forest policies with multiple benefits and on…
Does attending college actually make you more liberal and less religious? Research indicates that the answer is: not so much. Contrary to conservative rhetoric, studies show that going to college does not make students substantially more liberal. A study analyzing changes in student political attitudes between their freshman and senior years at 38 colleges and…
Even as he and Mitt Romney battle for the Republican presidential nomination, Rick Santorum is making just as many headlines for calling President Obama a “snob” recently. The basis for the insult was, perhaps, more surprising than the insult itself; the president, he claims, “wants everybody in america to go to college.” But if we…
Department Of Energy chief Steven Chu says research will reshape the future of energy, enabling electricity grids that run on renewable energy and batteries and vehicles that are both more efficient and powerful.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, a science crusader and regular guest on “The Daily Show” and other outlets, has a brand-new book out that tackles some of America’s profound space questions. “Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier” is a collection of essays, a few of which have already appeared in other publications. It also includes selected tweets…
Government scientists in Canada are facing growing restrictions on their ability to speak directly to the public and the press—and could benefit from new policies being instituted south of the border in the United States, according to panelists discussing the issue at the 2012 AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada. In one example, Margaret Munro, a…