Science & Society
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Science & Society
Science literacy: U.S. college courses really count
Over the past two decades, science literacy in the United States – an estimate of the share of adults who can follow complex science issues and maybe even render an informed opinion on them – has nearly tripled. But – and it’s a big but -- the proportion of people who fall into this category remains small. Just 28 percent.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
Placement of marine reserves is key
A study finds that focusing on the heaviest-fished areas can help meet conservation goals.
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Science & Society
In Memoriam: In life and death, a scientist brings out the best in others
BLOG: Science News reporter Bruce Bower describes how relationship researchers gathered to honor Caryl Rusbult’s influential career after her recent death.
By Bruce Bower -
Science & Society
A modest proposal for federal science spending
President’s proposed FY 2011 budget outlines 5.9 percent increase in nondefense-related research and development funding.
By Science News -
Climate
IPCC to offer climate science scholarships
The Nobel Peace Prize will pay dividends in the developing world by funding scholarships for climate-science studies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received the 2007 Nobel Prize, announced today that it is investing its winnings as seed money for these scholarships. They’d go to residents of nations expected to experience dramatic impacts of climate change.
By Janet Raloff -
Ecosystems
Dining: Bugged on Thanksgiving
Earlier this week, I met with Zack Lemann at the Insectarium, a roughly 18-month-old Audubon museum. He gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of its dozens of living exhibits hosting insects and more -- including tarantulas and, arriving that day for their Tuesday debut, white (non-albino) alligators. But the purpose of my noon-hour visit was to sample the local cuisine and learn details of preparations for a holiday menu that would be offered through tomorrow at the facility’s experiential cafe: Bug Appetit. There’s Thanksgiving turkey with a cornbread and wax worm stuffing, cranberry sauce with meal worms, and Cricket Pumpkin Pie. It’s cuisine most Americans would never pay for. But at the Insectarium, they don’t have to. It’s offered free as part of an educational adventure.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
Why Cousteau’s granddaughter was at a meeting on public health
Philadelphia — On brainstorming possible keynote speakers for a major public health conference, the granddaughter of ocean giant Jacques Cousteau does not exactly stand out. But in Philadelphia on Sunday, filmmaker and diver Celine Cousteau stood before the 11,000 or so attendees of the American Public Health Association's annual meeting to explain just why exactly she was there to give the opening session's address.
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Science & Society
College trend: Cut-rate faculty
Among U.S. colleges and universities, tenure-track positions decreasingly represent the norm. “Adjuncts who teach part time are now about half of the professoriate,” according to a series of articles in the Oct. 23 Chronicle of Higher Education. Non-tenure-track faculty may be offered full-time slots and benefits, but with embarrassing paychecks.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
News of science: Choose wisely
As the 'news' industry evolves, consumers who value quality science journalism may need to become ever more discriminating.
By Janet Raloff -
Chemistry
Concerns over bisphenol A continue to grow
Recent research finds that the hormone mimic may be more prevalent and more harmful than previously thought, highlighting why BPA is a growing worry for policy makers.
By Janet Raloff -
Science & Society
Become a guinea pig
Three NIH researchers argue it should be considered a duty with a social mandate akin to voting.
By Janet Raloff -
Computing
Asia: One reason America can’t afford to jettison good teachers
Asia appears to prize science and tech education far more than America does, and the result may be a waning of the West's economic and entrepreneurial dominance.
By Janet Raloff