For Pipeline Builders, a Long Road to Understanding Rust
When the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed in the 1970s and promptly declared rustproof, engineers still had much to learn about corrosion. Though our history is rife with technological hiccups, we...
View ArticleIn the Age of Trump, Open Science Is Crucial
Faced with a president who has called climate change a hoax and introduced massive cuts to key scientific agencies, researchers must step up to defend the value of empiricism, enhance public...
View ArticleMalnutrition in Seniors Underlies Meals on Wheels Debate
Trump’s federal budget proposes cutting grants that help to fund local food-assistance programs for seniors. These Meals on Wheels programs rely on other funds too, but dropping support makes little...
View ArticleLearning to Love the Great Black Swamp
The people who conquered the Great Black Swamp did so at great personal expense, and they've passed down a deep loathing of wetlands. But as harmful algal blooms proliferate on Lake Erie, at least one...
View ArticleUndark Podcast #13: The Great Black Swamp
Journalist Sharon Levy discusses the importance of wetlands and the legacy of Ohio's Great Black Swamp. Also: Seth Mnookin on why you should be skeptical of scientific studies you read or hear about,...
View ArticleAn FDA Weakened by Obama Will Be Conflicted Under Trump
Scott Gottlieb, a conservative health policy analyst and Trump's nominee for FDA commissioner, has promised to resign from the numerous drug company boards on which he sits. Still, should his...
View ArticleBefore You Join the Science March
To conspiracy theorists on the right, the safety of vaccines is disinformation from government labs and Big Pharma. But substitute “GMOs” for “vaccines,” and the argument could have come from...
View ArticleAbstracts: Coal, Steel, and More
Trump lifting the Obama administration's coal mining ban likely won't revive the industry. Scientists fabricated a new type of steel that mimics the internal structure of our bones. The Zika vaccine...
View ArticleTalking it Out: The Effort to End Female Genital Mutilation in Ethiopia
Millions of women and girls globally are subjected to genital mutilation, a painful practice that can cause bleeding, infections, and sometimes death, alongside myriad long-term health problems. In...
View ArticleScott Gottlieb, Trump’s FDA Pick, Talks a Good Game
Scott Gottlieb spoke during his confirmation hearing in favor of science-informed policies, and he has agreed to sever many of the business ties he has in the medical industry. But there are good...
View ArticleAbstracts: Hyperloops, Zika, Bees, and More
The first comprehensive review of Zika-related birth defects in the US was published this week. Neonicotinoids, the bee-killing pesticides, are showing up in drinking water. Prisoners are raising queen...
View ArticleIn New Report on Three-Parent Baby, More Data, and More Questions
While heralded by many as a breakthrough, the technique used in the 2016 birth triggered numerous ethical and scientific questions. Last week, the lead researcher and his colleagues at the New Hope...
View ArticleThe Measure of a Fog: Ethics
The philosopher Immanuel Kant introduced the concept of “enlarged thought” — the idea that we can only truly comprehend the world if we are able to step outside of our own subjective framing of it and...
View ArticleWanted by Monsanto: A ‘Journalist’
The question of who is, and who isn't a "journalist" has dogged both the profession and the courts for a very long time — though in the United States, the answer has long been very simple: anyone. And...
View ArticleAbstracts: DIY Genetic Tests and More
The FDA approved the first DIY genetic test that helps users assess their risk for 10 diseases. Astronomers spotted the atmosphere of an Earth-like exoplanet. A survey says most Americans disapprove of...
View Article@ScienceMarchDC: The Organizers
In Caroline Weinberg's mind, organizing a science march meant you put together a solid plan. You'd enlist dedicated people to build a program, reach out to experts, and launch the event only after...
View ArticleAn Opioid Antidote Gains Crucial Support
When a state legislator asked a pain and addiction specialist how laws could better beat back the opioid epidemic, the doctor knew exactly what she wanted and got it: a mandate that cops carry an...
View ArticleAbstracts: Tanneries, Asteroids, EPA, and More
After years of negotiation to mitigate pollution from Dhaka's leather tanneries, the department of environment cut power to remaining leather factories in Hazaribagh, Bangladesh. A budget draft reveals...
View ArticleDoes Gun Violence Infect Communities Like a Blood-Borne Pathogen?
Embedded in the recent shooting death of a Chicago toddler — and in the city’s endlessly expanding epidemic of shooters and victims — might well be the sort of data that epidemiologists have used for...
View ArticleScientists and Strategists Contemplate the Increasing Odds of Nuclear War
"My generation was responsible for building up this fearsome nuclear arsenal," says former Defense Secretary William J. Perry. "And my generation has now started the task of dismantling it. But we will...
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