Bob CollinsIn a blistering op-ed in the New York Times today, a University of Minnesota bioethics professor says the rot that infected an industry-funded anti-psychotic drug study, leading to the suicide of a research subject, extends beyond the department to the administration. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Science
The New England Patriots said science proves they didn’t deflate footballs during the AFC Championship game. As it turns out, science comes close to proving they did. Read more →
International Space Station astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti came through for us in a big way today, snapping a photograph of the Twin Cities, while tweeting a shout out to its suburbs — well, one suburb anyway. Read more →
That which threatens to kill us can sure be beautiful.
This is video sweeping the Intertubes today, said to be yesterday’s eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile. Read more →
A train in Japan has set a new record for speed. The maglev train broke the record it set just last week when it reached 603 kilometers per hour, or about 375 miles per hour. Read more →
Live video of SpaceX’s attempt to land a used rocket on a barge in the ocean. Read more →
With its familiarity, space is boring to many Americans today, which makes us wonder whether today’s commemoration can ever adequately be appreciated by future generations. Read more →
The BBC suggests today that we’ve moved on from caring about climate change because we’re tired of it.
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It’s tempting to say the climate change ‘debate’ reached its silliest possible point today. Read more →
An Italian surgeon says the age of head transplants may be at hand. Read more →
We might dismiss the need for science on the basis that many kids won’t become scientists. But, in fact, we need science so that we can grow up to understand the complex threats that face us. Read more →
If you write a news blog for a living, there’s not much better than a debate breaking out on it over a scientific calculation.
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Honk if you predicted that an AFC Championship game would lead to a debate over the proper application of the Ideal Gas Law.
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Science might not be enough to save the New England Patriots from the clutches of another embarrassment. But at least it provides an opportunity to learn a little more about science, something that’s not entirely the sport’s strong suit.
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This will make little difference, we suspect, in the ongoing debate on climate change. The drip, drip, drip of facts long ago ceased to matter in this debate. Read more →