Science & the Public
Where scienceand society meet
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Climate
EPA asks: Could you drive less?
Gas prices may need to climb more before most of us do the right thing.
- Astronomy
Citizen Astronomy
Astronomers have found big benefits from recruiting the public to lend their eyes and image-processing prowess
- Agriculture
Bee-Loved Plantings
Zipcode-organized guidelines tell gardeners, farmers and others how to design a landscape that will not only entice pollinators but also keep these horticultural helpers happy.
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- Ecosystems
On Whales’ Appetites: What a Waste
An advocacy group and renowned scientist floundered in an attempt to compel opinion shapers with the science showing that industrial fleets, not whales, pose a serious threat to fish stocks.
- Astronomy
Galaxy Zoo’s blue mystery (part 2)
Featured blog: The enigmatic "Voorwerp" may be a dwarf galaxy lit by the ghostly echoes of a long-gone quasar.
- Physics
Galaxy Zoo’s blue mystery (part I)
A Dutch science teacher found a novel celestial object that had eluded the notice of astronomers.
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- Materials Science
Family Snaps in Peril
Digital photography appears to be far more ephemeral than camera sales people have led us to believe.
- Humans
How Would Carnegie Judge Our Digital Libraries?
As the nature of "modern" libraries change, one digital designer questions whether libraries are losing much more than just hard copies of their books.
- Humans
Digital Data Cry Out — Save Me!
Despite being make-or-break issues, how to collect, store, and catalog digital data are on the radar screens of few scientists and engineers.
- Science & Society
Confirmed: Big Dipper to Get Doritos
A European astronomy group beamed a video of a Doritos sacrifice to the god of salsa at a possible alien race in a star system associated with the Big Dipper.
