The JOBS Act seeks to accelerate the rise of Internet-enabled “crowdfunding” as a source of startup capital for entrepreneurs. But the gains may be countered by major growing pains.
BIOETHICS
In Brüstle v. Greenpeace, the highest court in the European Union ruled that processes requiring the destruction of human embryos cannot be patented in the European Union. The shaky ethical footing of the decision will only muddy the water for stem cell research going forward.
DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY
Given the obvious dangers, fully autonomous offensive lethal weapons should never be permitted, argues Jonathan Moreno in a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial.
SCIENCE OF POLITICS
A new study concludes that in all likelihood, there isn’t going to be any one gene to explain political ideology–the phenomenon is going to be polygenic, and very difficult to study.
NEUROSECURITY
Mind control, truth serums, and “guilt-free” super soldiers. Experts discuss the past, present, and future of brain research in the military and counterintelligence and the paper back edition of “Mind Wars.”
INTERACTIVE TIMELINE
Though progress has been slow, history will judge new agency scientific integrity policies not by the speed with which they were developed but by the lasting impact that they make.
SCIENCE POLICY NEWS
In this week’s science policy news: climate science and allergies, DOI releases new natural gas fracking rules, new data on polar ice melt, a new approach to cyber security, and thoughts about moving clean energy forward.
ENERGY INNOVATION
A new report from the prominent global consulting firm McKinsey shows how process improvements and incremental technology innovation have brought solar photovoltaics to a tipping point.
POLITICAL PSYCOLOGY
We’ve all heard the saying, “never let a crisis go to waste.” Dylan Otto Krider, in a guest post, describes differences between liberals and conservatives in the way they view disasters and policy goals.
WOMEN IN STEM
The Obama administration articulates its support for women in STEM careers with an event at the White House and the release of a new video, but much remains to be done to maximize the participation of women in the innovation economy.
CLIMATE COMMUNICATION
A just-released poll from the Yale and George Mason climate change communication programs finds that more Americans support action to reduce global warming than the media and Beltway insiders would have you believe.
SCIENCE POLICY NEWS
In this week’s science and technology policy news: a cyber security bill passes the house while receiving a presidential veto threat, new polling indicates a big majority of Americans support clean energy, and another big oil spill gushed in the arctic.
BIOTECHNOLOGY
The White House today released the long-awaited National Bioeconomy Blueprint, which summarizes emergent trends in biotechnology, and contains five strategic imperatives for government policy moving forward.
PSYCHOLOGY
Guest blogger Dylan Otto Krider discusses the power of intense emotional experiences to shape our prejudices and stereotypes, sharing a personal experience that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
The earth is warming. But can we be sure that humans are the cause? Yes. The same way cycling officials were sure that biker Floyd Landis doped with synthetic testosterone while winning the 2006 Tour de France.
INVESTING IN INNOVATION
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has put together a handy brief explaining the differences in R&D investment levels in the Obama administration’s proposed FY 2013 budget and the House GOP proposed budget.
SCIENCE POLICY NEWS
This week’s science policy news brief covers the continuing damage from the 2010 BP oil catastrophe, funding levels for federal science functions, and innovations on the horizon in pharmacology and biosensing.
CLIMATE SECURITY
A new analysis from CAP assesses how climate change is exacerbating human conflict and migration patterns in one of the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped regions and suggests a policy response that cuts across many spheres of governance.
ENERGY INNOVATION
A new report from Third Way compares the technological myopia that bankrupted Kodak for failing to anticipate the shift to digital photography and imaging, to the shortsightedness of U.S. clean energy innovation policy.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
The Chinese Army’s announcement of an alertness drug, dubbed “Night Eagle,” probably says more about China’s desire to expand its presence in the pharmaceutical industry than it says about China’s ability to develop truly novel drugs.
Dylan Otto Krider, a skeptic, journalist and science fiction author, shares thoughts on the challenges of scientists pushing back when the media gets the science wrong.
Science Progress and American Progress's Doing What Works project teamed up to produce a set of policy proposals that the Obama administration and Congress can adopt to reinvest in the building blocks of American science, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Read the overview of the five reports.
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good. Scientific inquiry entails global responsibilities. It should lead to a more equitable, safer, and healthier future for all of humankind.