Denialism

Category: Science

  • It Is Time For A Presidential Debate On Science

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in , , ,

    We must adapt to the fact that over the last few decades it has become critical that our politicians and policymakers understand science and implement policy that is consistent with scientific facts. And it is past time that we made science enough of a priority to merit a presidential debate on science. The need is…

  • Reprogramming adult cells into pluripotent stem cells – what do these new results mean

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in ,

    You guys might have noticed I’ve been quiet lately, that’s because I’ve scheduled a thesis defense and am under deadlines. However, I couldn’t let these two (1) papers(2) on reprogramming of human adult cells into stem cells slip by without some comment (NYT piece here) These reports are a follow-up on landmark animal studies that…

  • The Origin of HIV in the Americas

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in ,

    The mainstream media has been reporting on this paper (open access at PNAS) on the hunt for the origin of HIV in the Americas. The surprising result was the finding that HIV first came to the United States from Haiti (rather than the previous origin which was thought to be a flight attendant from Canada)…

  • The Coolest Picture You’ll See of a Nose All Year

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in

    National Geographic brings us the “best science images of 2007” which includes this amazing CT reconstruction of the nose and sinuses. Science magazine has the full set, but is behind a paywall. Via BoingBoing and Neurophilosophy

  • Two Court Decisions for Science

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in , ,

    There have been two interesting court decisions, I think both decided correctly for science this week. In the first, a federal court has decided states may regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. In particular, one statement from the judge seemed to come straight from the deck of cards. “There is no question that the GHG…

  • What’s killing the bees? IAPV apparently

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in

    Another update on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the surprisingly devastating attack on the honeybee that occurred last year that was responsible for huge losses of bee colonies and a great deal of concern about crops pollinated by this insect. Originally we mocked the idea that CCD was caused by global warming and alarmist calls from…

  • WSJ and anti-government conspiracies

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in , , , , ,

    Leave it to AEI writing for the WSJ editorial page to allege a grand conspiracy of the government against pharmaceutical companies. Their proof? The government wants to compare the efficacy of new drugs to older ones to make sure they’re actually better. The reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (Schip), created in 1997…

  • Mice and Research

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in

    There’s a nice little article in the Washington Post on mice in research. It’s interesting the things you learn from a piece like this. For instance, I never realized the origin of the black 6 line was from essentially a hobby breeder in New England. I also like the little slide show of various mouse…

  • Denialist Deck Applied: PRISM

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in , ,

    It’s that time again. Bora’s got the scoop on this new organization PRISM (Partnership for Research Integrity in Science & Medicine). They purport to be the saviors of scientific publishing, protecting us from the evil of open access. But how much do you want to bet they’re the same old industry lobbying group, disguising themselves…

  • Welcome Zooillogix

    —

    by

    MarkH
    in

    Go say high to Zooillogix, another two-brother team science blogging away here under the auspices of Seed. I will enjoy their blog, as long as they stay away from too many pictures of creatures with more than 4 legs (tentacles don’t count). The African Booze tree should be your first stop there. And that makes…