Tennessee governor allows bill targeting science education to become law
After the US Supreme Court's 1987 decision forbidding the teaching of creationism in science classes, those who objected to the teaching of evolution modified their ideas slightly. They relabeled these ideas "Intelligent Des...
European bats tolerate the fungus that is wiping out North American species
Over the past several years, a disease has spread through hibernating bats in the northeast of North America, placing a number of species at risk of extinction. The disorder, called...
It wasn’t your imagination: US experienced warmest March ever
As record temperatures swept through the Midwest and trees bloomed early across the Northeast, lots of talk focused on what an unusually warm start spring was having. The folks at...
Week in science: feeling the chill (and the heat)
The theme of this week's science news seemed to be temperature. We covered how the first organized oceanographic expedition produced data that's still useful today, and how other researchers have...
Week in science: feeling the chill (and the heat)
The theme of this week's science news seemed to be temperature. We covered how the first organized oceanographic expedition produced data that's still useful today, and how other researchers have...
New autism studies find new mutations, many genes behind the disorder
Autism clearly has a genetic component, since if one half of a set of identical twins suffers from the disorder, the other generally does as well. But there are also...
Lots of radioactivity, but little risk in oceans, seafood near Fukushima
Although the land near the Fukushima nuclear reactors was heavily contaminated by the aerial release of radioisotopes, the majority of the radioactive releases drifted out over the Pacific. There, they...
Week in science avoids the lightning, gets hit by a neutron
Lightning strikes shift a spectacular amount of electricity around, but we've really only fully appreciated their power in recent years, as we've discovered that they also produce antimatter and—as described this......
Compared to other groups, conservatives have least confidence in science
In the US, science has become a bit of a political punching bag, with a number of presidential candidates accusing climatologists of fraud, even as state legislators seek to inject phony controversies into...
EPA’s carbon rules to grandfather existing coal plants, limit new ones
Although the EPA has not yet made an official announcement, it is apparently ready to issue its first regulations regarding carbon dioxide emissions. The process dates back to the Clinton years, when states first...
Weird Science smells its way out of awkward social situations
You smell uncomfortable and accident prone: What do we rely on our sense of smell for? A new study attempts to find out by surveying a population of 32 individuals who were born...
Not just the weather: climate change acceptance nosedives with the economy
A few years back, the US public's acceptance of conclusions reached by climate scientists took a dramatic drop. It's only now beginning to recover. Not a lot has changed about...
