Science Politics
ScienceGeist
The zeitgeist of Society
A collection of 62 articles on Society
Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation
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Global Problems Need Social Science
Without human insights, data and the hard sciences will not meet the challenges of the next decade, says Hetan Shah.
Tackling the Global Misinformation Crisis One Reference, One Librarian at a Time
We're calling on librarians around the world to help make Wikipedia stronger than ever, in a world that needs reliable information more t…
How the Fight over a Hawaii Mega-telescope Could Change Astronomy
Thirty Meter Telescope controversy is forcing scientists to grapple with how their research affects Indigenous peoples.
Climate Change Fears Propel Scientists out of the Lab and into the Streets
It's hard to know just how many scientists have turned to activism in the last few years. But many researchers say they've noticed a change.
Best Data Visualization Projects of 2019
As I do every year, I picked my ten favorite visualization projects. Here they are in no particular order.
Hundreds of 'pink Slime' Local News Outlets Are Distributing Algorithmic Stories and Conservative Talking Points
An increasingly popular tactic challenges conventional wisdom on the spread of electoral disinformation: the creation of partisan outlets masquerading as local news organizations.
Denmark Raises Antibiotic-Free Pigs. Why Can't the U.S.?
American pigs are raised on a liberal diet of antibiotics, fueling the rise of resistant germs. Danish pork producers are proving there's a better way.
Failure Found to Be an 'Essential Prerequisite' for Success
scientificamerican
Scientists use big data to understand what separates winners from losers
Can Biology Class Reduce Racism?
When it comes to race, "It's always like 'O.K., but now we're going to start the lesson on peas,''' a biology teacher said. A study will test a new approach.
Understanding Public Discourse and Trust in a Digital Society
In a context where citizens struggle to distinguish facts from fabricated claims online, scientists, policymakers and media face similar dilemmas.
Why Can't We Agree on What's True Any More?
It's not about foreign trolls, filter bubbles or fake news. Technology encourages us to believe we can all have first-hand access to the 'real' facts - and now we can't stop fighting about it.
Facts About George Church's DNA Dating Company
It's called Digid8 and will try to use your genes to make sure you never meet the wrong person.
Why Science Failed to Stop Climate Change
It's a tale for all time. What might be the greatest scam in history or, at least, the one that threatens to take history down with it. Think of it as the climate-change scam that beat science, big time. Scientists have been seriously investigating the subject of human-made climate change since the late 1950s and political leaders have been discussing it for nearly as long. In 1961, Alvin Weinberg, the director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, called carbon dioxide one of the "big problems"
A Reminder That "Fake News" Is An Information Literacy Problem - Not A Technology Problem
Beneath all "fake news", misinformation, disinformation, digital falsehoods and foreign influence lies society's failure to teach its citizenry information literacy: how to think critically about the deluge of information that confronts them in our modern digital age.
China's Operating Manuals for Mass Internment and Arrest by Algorithm
A new leak of highly classified Chinese government documents reveals the operations manual for running the mass detention camps in Xinjiang and exposed the mechanics of the region's system of mass surveillance.
ICE arrests 90 more students at fake university in Michigan
Foreign students of a fake university in metro Detroit created by the Department of Homeland Security have been arrested.
Reproductions of Public Domain Works Should Remain in the Public Domain - Creative Commons
If the work is in the public domain, no copyright licenses should be applied and in the case of CC licenses which are designed to only operate where copyright exists, the application of a CC license is ineffective.
How Grad Schools Became the Hidden Culprit Behind America's Student-debt Crisis
Over half of the massive US student-loan debt comes from graduate schools, and it's a sign master's degrees aren't the path to wealth they used to be.
On the Great Secret-Keepers of History
Archivists are the great secret-keepers of history, caught in a negotiation between the past and future. Restrictions and withholding policies serve as their bargaining chip.
Americans Maintain High Levels of Trust in Science
A new report analyzing decades of public opinion surveys reveals that the public's trust in scientists has remained stable and high over decades.
Scientist Who Takes on Firms Causing Wildfires Wins John Maddox Prize
Bambang Hero Saharjo has received death threats for testifying against companies.
As SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites, Scientists See Threat to 'Astronomy Itself'
Various companies are pressing ahead with plans for internet service from space, which has prompted astronomers to voice concerns about the impact on research from telescopes on Earth.
Naomi Oreskes: 'Discrediting Science is a Political Strategy'
The Harvard professor on science and scepticism - and why climate deniers have run out of excuses.
Scientists Get Things Wrong. But We Should Still Trust Science
There's been an extensive campaign to create distrust on everything from vaccines to climate change. Here's why you should trust science.
World Science Day for Peace and Development
The World Science Day for Peace and Development 2019 will be devoted to the theme of "Open Science, leaving no one behind".
California Man Pleads with Scientists to 'CRISPR Me'
statnews
As parents increasingly ask for access to experimental drugs for their children, there are likely to be even more such pleas for genetic technologies.
MDPI Now Gives Scholars the Possibility to Endorse and Recommend Articles
MDPI is a publisher of peer-reviewed, open access journals since its establishment in 1996.
Can We Assess the Wider Effects of Public Engagement?
The extent to which researchers can assess the impact of their public engagement is often under-analysed and limited to success stories. Drawing on the example of development aid, it is argued that we need to widen the parameters for assessing public engagement.
How Getting Rid of 'Shit Jobs' and the Metric of Productivity Can Combat Climate Change
Transforming our societies to stop climate change offers us the chance to make our lives better.
We Scientists Must Rise Up to Prevent the Climate Crisis. Words Aren't Enough
Our profession has been great at raising awareness. But this alone won't succeed against the might of the oil and gas lobbyists.