Richard Garriott de Cayeux, 02/21/12

The first second-generation astronaut

So, why travel into space and why should tax payers pay for humans to travel beyond Earth? Because this exploration will return direct economic value beyond exploration, in areas such as energy and minerals.

Jim Bell, 02/22/12

Planetary Scientist; Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University

Recent deep funding cuts by the Administration and Congress for NASA's space exploration programs are turning the final frontier into an ever-receding dream.

K. David Harrison, 02/21/12

Linguist and leading specialist in the study of endangered languages

Pressed by a tide of globalization, and a barrage of negative messages telling them their cultures and ways of thinking are outmoded, a global cohort of language warriors are pushing back.

Edward J. Sylvester and Dr. Lynn C. Klotz, 02/19/12

The risks to world health from research to make an extraordinarily lethal avian flu virus contagious in humans have finally caught everyone's attention after months of warnings from us and many other experts.

Dr. Jeffrey H. Toney, 02/21/12

Vice President of Academic Affairs, Kean University

The idea of Ice-9, although fictional, has always fascinated me. Its properties are so powerful, so influential, that one "seed crystal" can direct its entire surroundings, freezing oceans.

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., 02/21/12

Cognitive psychologist, NYU; co-founder, The Creativity Post; Chief Science Officer, The Future Project

Andrew Whiten and Richard Byrne argue that primate intelligence stems from "Machiavellian Intelligence" -- the ability to manipulate and deceive others in the competition for scarce resources. According to this view, manipulative tendencies co-evolved with mind-reading ability.

Jonathan D. Moreno, 02/21/12

Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Senior Fellow, CAP; Author, 'The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America'

At one time a candidate for office would have been sorely tempted to kiss Albert Einstein's balding pate along with that of an infant. So why does Rick Santorum feel compelled to assure us that he is pro-science? And why now?

Jena Pincott, 02/19/12

Author, 'Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?: The Surprising Science of Pregnancy'

Pregnancy gets weirder as we get rounder. What really goes on under wraps during those nine-plus months? Here are seven discoveries nobody really expects when she's expecting.

Allen Frances, 02/21/12

Professor Emeritus, Duke University

Scary news. The Chair of the DSM 5 Task Force, Dr. David Kupfer, has indicated that 90 percent of the decisions on DSM 5 have already been made. Why so scary? DSM 5 proposes a radical redefinition of the boundary between mental disorder and normality.

Mark Drapeau, 02/17/12

Microsoft Office of Civic Innovation

We're not really picking on any particular social network effort here. But why haven't any of these platforms truly caught on in the scientific community?

Wray Herbert, 02/17/12

Author, 'On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits'

Willpower is the key to much that's good in life. So it's no wonder that psychological scientists have been studying willpower for decades, trying to figure out who is disciplined under what circumstances -- and why.

Joy Gallagher, 02/16/12

Chemistry doctoral candidate, Penn State University

"So what do you do?" seems innocent enough, but I've grown to dread this common question. As a 28-year-old woman working on my PhD in chemistry I can almost mouth their response. "Really? You're a chemist?"

Andrew Hessel, 02/16/12

Co-Chair, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Singularity University.

Let's face it: there's a lot of biological engineering done in bedrooms. But do-it-yourself (DIY) biologist Cathal Garvey is taking it to a whole new level.

Zoe P. Strassfield, 02/19/12

BU Class of 2015, Aspiring Archaeologist and Science Journalist

I was lucky enough to be selected for the Valentine's Day TweetUp at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. 150 followers of the @NASA account randomly chosen and invited to come to DC and meet with astronaut Ron Garan.

James A. Shapiro, 02/16/12

Author, 'Evolution: A View from the 21st Century;' Professor of Microbiology, University of Chicago

Was Darwin simply mistaken about the gradual nature of hereditary variation? Such ignorance would be unavoidable before we knew about Mendelian genetics and DNA. Or was there a deeper flaw in the theory that he (and Alfred Russell Wallace) propounded?

Paul Yeager, 02/17/12

Meteorologist and Author of 'Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities'

Last month was the fourth warmest January on record for the contiguous United States and the 19th warmest January on record globally. This 19th warmest ranking also means that January was the "coolest" month in the past four years.

Gary Marcus, 02/12/12

Author of Guitar Zero, and Professor of Psychology, NYU

When trying to learn a musical instrument, master a foreign language, or just study for an exam, the rate-limiting step is often memory. The faster you can convert new information into new memories, the faster you can master new skills.