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National Academy of Sciences

2012, Seriously

Lawrence E. Joseph | Posted 11.13.2009 | Books

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Power Grid, Nasa, Solar Storms, 2012, Power Outages, Mayan Legend, Apocalypes 2012, Apocalypse, 2012 Movie, End of the World, Books News
Lawrence E. Joseph

As author of "Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation into Civilization's End" (Broadway/Random House, 2007) I am frequently asked what I thought of "2012," the Columbia Pictures film directed by Roland Emmerich.

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The U.S. Department of Energy and the Power of Transformative Science

James M. Gentile | Posted 11.05.2009 | Green

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Energy, Obama Administration, Department of Energy, Stimulus, Steven Chu, Green News
James M. Gentile

Transformative science is high-risk high-reward inquiry. It's crucial that government take the lead in this regard, especially with the U.S. economy struggling.

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Missing the SuperFreaking Point (and Ignoring the Business Case for Green)

Andrew Winston | Posted 10.28.2009 | Green

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Eric Pooley, Superfreakonomics, Geoengineering, Union of Concerned Scientists, Carbon Emissions, Joe Romm, Steven Levitt, Robert Kennedy Jr, Climate Change, Stephen Dubner, Paul Krugman, Green News
Andrew Winston

The authors of SuperFreakonomics fail to mention that the process of shifting to a low-carbon economy has enormous upsides completely aside from the benefits to climate balance.

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Practicing Science -- With or Without Religion?

Dan Agin | Posted 10.23.2009 | Living

Read More: Deism, Religion, Science, Atheism, Scientists, National Academy of Sciences, Francis Collins, Thomas Paine, Biology, Darwinism, Evolution, Richard Dawkins, Living News
Dan Agin

The problem for the working scientist is that the essence of science is a self-conscious and mandatory objectivity -- which means dogma and doctrine are essentially antithetical.

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Texas Cannot Wait for Good Science in the Courtroom

John Terzano | Posted 10.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Texas, The Justice Project, Forensic Science, Rick Perry, Politics News
John Terzano

The Texas Forensic Science Commission controversy is ultimately not about politics or the death penalty. At stake is the integrity of scientific evidence in Texas courtrooms, and the erosion of public confidence.

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Only in the Bizarro World

B. Jeffrey Madoff | Posted 10.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Second Amendment, National Academy of Sciences, Gun Violence, Congress, Senate, Amtrak, Abstinence Only, Crime, Suicide, Bizarro World, Superman, Institute of Medicine, Guns, Politics News
B. Jeffrey Madoff

Households with guns are 11 times more likely to use those guns to commit suicide than for self defense. But to be fair, we don't just kill ourselves, we kill others, a lot.

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Chuck Grassley Does Not Believe in the Threat of Anthropogenic Climate Change

David Roberts | Posted 09.26.2009 | Green

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Media, Chuck Grassley, Climate Change Skeptics, Climate Change, Anthropogenic, Global Warming, Green News
David Roberts

Do you believe there's a global warming threat or don't you? Conservative legislators and pundits should be nailed down on this question.

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Sonnier's Release Highlights Continuing Problem

John Terzano | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Dna Testing, Texas, Wrongful Conviction, The Justice Project, Forensic Science, Criminal-Justice-Reform, Crime, Politics News
John Terzano

Ernest Sonnier's release is just the latest case that highlights the ongoing problem of wrongful convictions in Texas. And writ large, it is a reminder of the continuing struggle we face to fix our nation's broken criminal justice system.

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Counting What Counts: Accurate Data Leads to Effective Policy

Michael Laracy | Posted 09.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Child Indicators, Census, Children, State Child Well-Being Research Act of 2009, Politics, Congress, Child Poverty, Political News, National Academy of Sciences, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, Policy, Poverty Measure, Poverty, Data, Kids Count, Politics News
Michael Laracy

It's time to update the poverty measure. The current U.S. poverty measure is a 1960s creation -- needless to say a lot has changed since then.

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Texas Case Highlights Problems in Forensics Lab

John Terzano | Posted 07.25.2009 | Politics

Read More: National Academy of Sciences, Wrongful Conviction, Texas, The Justice Project, Forensic Science, Policy Review, Criminal Justice Reform, Politics News
John Terzano

Forensic science is not flawless, and its use in the criminal justice system is in great need of reform.

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President Obama and the Need for Scientific Breakthroughs in Clean Energy

James M. Gentile | Posted 06.06.2009 | Green

Read More: Renewable Energy, National Academy of Sciences, Science, Solar Energy, Clean Energy, Carbon Emissions, Barack Obama, Green News
James M. Gentile

Even with extraordinary funding commitments from the Obama administration, our nation's energy and other environmental problems can only be addressed successfully if we also expand our "mental capital."

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President Obama and the National Academies of Science

James M. Gentile | Posted 06.01.2009 | Politics

Read More: National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, Science, Science Education, Barack Obama, Politics News
James M. Gentile

It's now up us -- states, colleges and universities, school districts and school boards -- to rise to the occasion to use the resources now available to move the U.S. back to "the head of the class."

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Screw CSI: The Chandra Levy Case Reveals, Once Again, Police Can't Find Their Asses with Both Hands

Stanton Peele | Posted 03.27.2009 | Media

Read More: Rock Creek Park, Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office, Gary Condit, Stacy Peterson, Chandra Levy, Drew Peterson, Caylee Anthony, Without a Trace, Cold Case File, Law & Order, Csi, W D.C. Police, Fingerprints, Crime Labs, Blood Splatter Evidence, Bite Marks, Handwriting Analysis, Dna Evidence, Ballistics, National Academy of Sciences, Media News
Stanton Peele

What depresses me about Law & Order is not that they expeditiously solve crimes every week through meticulous sleuthing. It's that real law enforcement, crime labs, and investigatory agencies virtually never get things right.

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The Long-Awaited Call for Forensic Science Reform

John Terzano | Posted 03.26.2009 | Politics

Read More: The Justice Project, Crime Labs, Forensic Science, National Academy of Sciences, Forensic Tests, Dna, Criminal Justice System, National Institute of Forensic Science, Csi, Politics News
John Terzano

Ensuring the best and most accurate evidence makes it into the courtroom is absolutely critical to maintaining fairness and accuracy in the criminal justice system.

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Environment Slips As Key Factor In Virginia Presidential Vote

Mark Meier | Posted 11.21.2008 | Home

Read More: sciencedebate2008, Charlottesville Virginia Election 2008, Cap and Trade, Green Collar Jobs, Virginia Uranium, League of Conservation Voters, Virginia Environment, Assateague National Seashore, Environment McCain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Offshore Drilling, National Academy of Sciences, Charlottesville Virginia Obama, Environment Obama, Carbon Sequestration, Environment Election 2008, Gallup September, Laura Kolar, Green Economy, Steve Keach, Home News
Mark Meier

The presidential race in Virginia is heating up--so is the environment. In the same week that an autumn heat wave brought 80ยบ days to the Commonwealt...

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