Mooney Kerfluffle redux, or How Science Journalists Don’t Get What The Average Scientist Is Up Against

Chad at Uncertain Principles wonders what the kerfluffle is with Chris Mooney. Chris wrote an Op-ed in the WaPo that summarizes this AAAS article. My last post was directed at the Op-ed, which was pedantic and useless, if not counterproductive. The AAAS article has decent recommendations that will never do what he hopes they will [...]

A simple way to get the antiscience crowd to come around?

Mooney has the right message, but gets it wrong from there.

Rally in support of biomedical science today!!!

This will be the second year that UCLA will hold a rally in support of biomedical science and in support of well-regulated welfare-based animal research. The first one was held last year, and attracted over 700 people! Sci was (and is) unfortunately not in that region, but she remembered last year how excited she was [...]

A Tuesday Note

Worry not, Sci is alive at this time. She is merely far more busy than usual. This, too, shall pass. However, in this time in which there is no crazy neuroscience going on up in here (though I’ve got some stuff in mind), check this out. It’s post over at Isis’ place on languages other [...]

More on Animal Research

The website Speaking of Research, a site devoted to spreading accurate information about the uses and benefits of animal research, has put part of my previous post on their site (no worries, they had permission). They have also put up a great aggregate of the recent posts from the science blogging community on animal research. [...]

On Animal Research

Recently, one of my beloved SciBlings, Janet, was one of the speakers at a UCLA Dialogue on the ethics of animals in research. Although I was more than a little afraid for her (of course her name, address, email, and phone were instantly posted all over the activists websites), but Sci’s fears turned out unfounded [...]

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

At SciOnline 2010 this year, I was lucky enough to snag a copy of the new book by Rebecca Skloot, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks“. I’d been looking forward to reading it for a long time, so I plunked myself down when I got back, and despite some serious other time sinks on my [...]

An Open Letter to OSU

Addressing the Board of Oklahoma State University To Whom it May Concern, It has recently come to my attention that the president of Oklahoma State University, Dr. Hargis, has canceled a National Institute of Health-approved project on pathogen testing in primates, presumably caving in to vocal minority pressure concerning the use of animals in research. [...]

Book Review: Don’t be SUCH a Scientist

Sci had a LOT of trouble with this book. It took me a long time to read it. This is mostly because Sci, unlike many people on the internet, actively avoids things that make her mad or negatively impact her blood pressure. I’ve got plenty of pressure and things in my life that make me [...]

Speaking of Research at SFN

“They attacked all of neuroscience when they attacked me” -David Jentsch This morning Sci attended the symposium on Animals in Research: Widening the Tent, a symposium on how to reach out and garner more support for animal research, and to encourage scientists to speak out. You’d think that would be a pretty easy thing, of [...]