Science & the Public
Where scienceand society meet
- Agriculture
Dirt Is Not Soil
Probing the distinction in what you call the stuff that mud is made of.
By Janet Raloff -
- Chemistry
The Goop in Our Air
Emerging data indicate that tiny and toxic particles polluting urban air chemically morph from hour by hour, depending on what other pollutants these particles encounter during journeys that can run hundreds of miles.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
CO2: Only One Flavor
Federal climate policymakers should have a grounding in basic chemistry.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
One Downside to Sushi
Uncooked fish can host detectable concentrations of potentially toxic chemicals — pollutants that cooking can make disappear,
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Toxic yes: Toxins? No
Yet another news story baits us with the promise of reading about noxious toxins – and doesn't deliver.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Cars Are Learning to Drive
Hands-free driving, truth be told, sounds very appealing.
By Janet Raloff - Ecosystems
Aspiring to Save the Planet
The failure of the G-8 Summit to put some teeth in greenhouse-gas limits suggests it may be time for a global climate czar.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Animal rights and wrongs
Featured blog: Some animal-rights activists are taking a page out of the anti-abortionists' playbook and now bully animal researchers at home.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Data Recycling and Other No-No’s
At least one editor argues that maintaining the ethical behavior of journal authors requires constant policing.
By Janet Raloff - Agriculture
Fishy Data on Weed Killer
A popular weed killer can feminize wildlife by tinkering with a gene that indirectly affects the production of sex hormones.
By Janet Raloff - Science & Society
Climate Threatens Living Fossil
Thanks to global warming, within the lifetimes of certain reptiles in the South Pacific, all members of their species could be born male.
By Janet Raloff