Fetal Anomalies, Undue Burdens, and 20-week Abortion Bans

PATENTS AND PROGRESS

Software Patents: Separating Rhetoric from Facts

Software patents are of increasing importance in the digital economy, but a dive into the data suggests we may not yet have figured out the right balance of quantity and quality.

Getting Innovative with Regional Innovation Funding

Amidst the president’s national “Jobs and Opportunity Tour,” the Commerce Department quietly unrolled an innovative platform to support creative coordination among technology, trade, training, and economic growth in America’s regions.

CYBER SECURITY

The U.S. Outsources Cybersecurity & Defense To Contractors That Keep Getting Hacked

U.S. intelligence reports ranked cyber threats as the top danger facing the country for the first time in April, but tensions have been running high about the government’s ability to protect digital assets and intelligence for years.

ENERGY INNOVATION

How the Political Crusade Against Fisker Automotive Stifles Innovation

Clean energy critics are using Fisker’s financial woes to criticize the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee program. But Congress, under President Bush, designed the program intentionally to fund risky but forward thinking projects.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Navigating the Junk Science of Fetal Pain

Junk science has been driving the legislative debate over “fetal pain” laws, making rational, scientific policymaking about women’s health nearly obsolete.

BIOETHICS

On the Ethics of Publishing Genomes

A story that began in 1951 and continues to play out today reminds us that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to guarantee the long-term confidentiality of genetic information.

SMART HEALTH

How Smartphones Are Revolutionizing Home Care For Alzheimer’s And Autism Patients

As technological innovation empowers consumers to take greater control over their lives, creative new apps are helping home care workers better assist Americans with Alzheimer’s and autism.

SCIENCE IN SOCIETY

The ‘Broader Impacts’ of Sequestration on Science

The budget sequestration is raising interesting questions about the purpose of science, in particular, on whether the pursuit of scientific knowledge can ever be usefully separated from the question of larger societal concerns.

CLIMATE SCIENCE

Death Spiral Video: Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Volume 1979-2012

An elegant web video portrays chilling (or should we say warming?) satellite data about the declining volume of arctic sea ice. An ice free North Pole looks to be just around the corner.

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Equity Crowdfunding: Boost for Innovation or Haven for Scams?

Equity crowdfunding presents great potential for some entrepreneurs to more smoothly navigate the valley of death and drive innovation, and examples from Europe suggest that effective safeguards against fraud are possible.

CYBER SECURITY

The ‘Scariest Search Engine On The Internet’ Has Been Around For 3 Years And Is Used For Good

Shodan is a search engine that finds unprotected devices connected to the internet. That hydroelectric dam control systems are just as vulnerable as web cams and lap tops shines a light on the risks that come along with the convenience of the internet.

NEUROSCIENCE

President Obama Launches $100 Million Initiative To Map The Human Brain

Whether the President’s BRAIN initiative will be the successor to the human genome project, only time will tell. But whatever the results of research, simply asking hard questions has always led to its own rewards.

OCEANS POLICY

The Dollars And Science of Fishery Management

Sound fisheries management requires sound science, and sound science costs money. With a major piece of fisheries legislation up for reauthorization, Congress is set to decide whether or not adequate funding is available to ensure America’s fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.

SCIENCE POLITICS

Science and the Public Square

Why does science so often drive irksome political debates? It could be the way science helps us better understand the boundary of what activities ought to be considered “public,” and therefore an appropriate object of government regulation, and what is “private.”

ENERGY INDUSTRY

World’s Most Powerful Private Supercomputer Won’t Cure Cancer, But Will Find Oil Super Fast

A major oil and gas company’s will spend $20 million per to run one of the world’s largest super computers. Why the great expense? Finding and squeezing oil out of the ground has never been harder or more expensive.

SEX SCIENCE

Future Choices II

Despite the increasing popularity, sophistication, and availability of assisted reproductive technologies, the rights and responsibilities surrounding those who take part in these processes are still largely undefined.

The Government Can (Still) Read Most Of Your Emails Without A Warrant

A bipartisan bill introduced last week would reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and grant new privacy protections for email and other data stored on the cloud.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Bloomberg’s Supersize Soda Ban Rejected By Judge, But Backed By Science

As an increasing body of research has tied the consumption of sugary drinks to obesity, public efforts like Bloomberg’s represent one small step toward reorienting a culture where portion sizes have continued to spiral out of control.

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

Why You Should Care About The Increasing Amount Of Fraud In Scientific Research

The number of scientific articles retracted due to fraud has increased tenfold since 1975, and some of these fraudulent studies have done real damage to the public’s trust in science.

ENERGY INNOVATION

Is There Daylight Between the Two Sides of the Energy ‘Innovation’ Versus ‘Deployment’ Debate?

It may be time for clean energy advocates to drop the “either/or” rhetoric and focus on shared priorities.