SCIENCE AND CONGRESS
Not only is Congress handicapped in its ability to deal with the critical technological components of current policy issues, but it is also poorly suited to anticipate the significance or the implications of emerging technologies.
WEISS'S NOTEBOOK
Injections of stem cells into the brain may not offer a great treatment for Alzheimer’s, but human embryonic stem cells may yet provide the information that scientists need to find a cure for this devastating disease.
BIOETHICS
Transparency, trust, and diverse community participation are critical to proper ethical use of biotechnologies. Full disclosure of the policymaking process and extensive public engagement are a must.
It is a commonplace that the physician’s role is a complicated one: applying inexact science to demanding patients, caring for people when they are at their most vulnerable while also worrying about reimbursement to sustain the effort, and balancing duties [...]
Yesterday, the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, released a statement authored by members of the President’s Council on Bioethics critiquing the Obama administration’s stem cell policy. [Clarification: The statement appeared on the Center's Bioethics Forum, but does not represent [...]
Our guest blogger is Emma Diebold, intern with online communications at the Center for American Progress. “Who is best equipped to protect the consumer from dangerous drugs and medical devices: regulatory agencies or the courts?” Mark Agrast, Senior Fellow at [...]
SCIENCE, CULTURED
Having just moved his blog from one mainstream outlet to another, our Contributing Editor considers the many hats science bloggers now wear in an era of struggling science journalism.Ch
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
A federal court ruled Monday that an FDA decision to limit access to emergency contraception was based on politics and ignored scientific advice. The move highlights the importance of Obama administration directives to protect scientific integrity in the policymaking process.
GREEN BUILDING
To reduce the massive carbon footprint of buildings in this country, we must re-envision their entire lifecycle, understand exactly how we use them, and adjust accordingly.
The Associated Press reports that drug makers are quietly hopeful that recent appointments signal an agency-level bifurcation between food safety and drug safety responsibilities: Drug industry advocates are quietly allying with some of their longtime critics pushing to split the [...]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Science policymakers must balance inherent scientific uncertainty about the specific consequences of climate change with the broader need for action. And insurance companies now have to take note.
WEISS'S NOTEBOOK
Despite being major engines for local economies and important sites for informal science education, section 1604 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 makes it explicitly illegal to appropriate even a dollar of bailout money to aquariums or zoos.
Good news came yesterday evening as the Senate confirmed John Holdren as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Jane Lubchenco as head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Despite several previous holds on the [...]
BIOETHICS
Patients should have the autonomy to make their own medical decisions such as whether to have or not have a child. And physicians should have the freedom to refuse a request if they feel the patient would be compromising the quality of life of the resulting child.
BIOFUELS
Home-grown fuels have dropped out of mainstream discussion, but recent research continues to improve our understanding of the emissions calculus of trading biofuels for gasoline—along with the health and environmental impacts. And in the last few months, scientists have refined principles that can guide sustainable public policies.
STEM CELLS
Predictably, President Obama has run into some political pushback on last week’s Executive Order. The complaints have arisen primarily over two issues, neither of which is substantial and both of which deserve to be countered.
SCIENCE, CULTURED
The titanic issues that surround the prospect of modifying the planet, currently off the radar for most Americans, could come up in a very big way in the relatively near future. We need leaders to start talking to the public before that happens.
Just a few weeks ago, some conservative policymakers and commentators were questioning the value of using stimulus funds to invest in scientific research. Fortunately, Congress and the Obama administration ignored their backwards logic and instead made a down payment on [...]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Vaccine policy in the United States is riddled with inconsistencies that are prejudiced against those coming into the country and which undermine the system as a whole.
Although we are still celebrating President Obama’s executive order on stem cell research, it’s important to remember that the policy change was proceeded by new research involving the creation of virus-free induced pluripotent cells. The discovery came courtesy of Rudolf [...]
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.