Blog
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November 15, 2015
How Science Can Reduce Violence
This week we’ve seen another spate of terrorist attacks on everyday people, starting in Beirut and ending in Paris. World leaders are reacting to the incidents with emotion, and talk is of fighting back, bombing, declaring war. However, before we set off on a path of mutual assured destruction, could science contribute to our efforts … Read more
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November 5, 2015
Why Journals Reject Manuscripts
This week, the Washington Post reported that a study highlighting the stunning rise in the death rate of middle-aged American whites was rejected by two prestigious journals before finally being published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was conducted by Angus Deaton and Anne Case, both distinguished Princeton economists, and Dr … Read more
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October 18, 2015
Is This the Future of Research Funding?
The never ending quest to obtain funding for scientific research just got more difficult for a lot of scientists. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is taking steps to radically change the way it funds cardiology studies, making the move to allocate money to fewer studies with a deeper reach. The agency is confronting the … Read more
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September 20, 2015
Image of the Week : Arctic Eclipse
Called “one of the astronomical highlights of the year,” this photo of the moon’s total eclipse of the sun in March earned the French photographer Luc Jamet the title of astrological photographer of the year, presented at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. To see all the compelling and luminous images which won distinction in this year’s competition, follow this link. At Oxford … Read more
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August 23, 2015
Image of the Week: Meet Carbon Nanofibres
Scientists may soon be able to pull some strings in the effort to slow climate change – literally. Researchers at George Washington University have sequestered CO2 from the atmosphere through a solar-powered process that turns the earth-heating gas into solid carbon nanofibres. Imagine then taking those nanofibres and creating construction material. This is an amazing example of turning the … Read more
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July 24, 2015
The Kinked Jet Stream
It’s been hotter in Alaska this year than some parts of Texas. Scientists are calling it the Land Surface Temperature Anomaly and it makes general climate patterns look upside down. The data, from NASA’s ‘Terra‘ satellite, shows red as above average temperatures for the region and blue as below average temperatures during the same eight-day … Read more