There is plenty of room for a healthy science-based environmentalism, but finding the room in the American political house has always been difficult. The current administration brings together the horseshoe wacko excesses of the worm-brained Robert Kennedy, Jr., and the crony capitalism of Felonious Trump. In this toxic, post-truth milieu, environmental groups such as Sierra Club and Greenpeace are both complaining about their setbacks,[1] as well as stepping up their own propaganda.| Schachtman Law
The United States has never had a situation in which political and ideological nonscientists got the last word about what is credible science. The direct political oversight of science represented in the gold standard currency is not sound. The post Gold Dust appeared first on The Hastings Center for Bioethics.| The Hastings Center for Bioethics
At Open Mind, Tamino has a masterful post in which he shows quite clearly that there has been no “pause” or “hiatus” in the rate of global temperature increase since at least the 1970s: It’s the Trend, Stupid Posted on January 20, 2015| Both NASA and NOAA report 2014 as the hottest year on record. Despite the […]| Science or not?
In the late Old Testament (Septuagint) Book of Wisdom we read the inspired author’s interpretation of man’s labored — and sometimes idolatrous — response| Homiletic & Pastoral Review
A couple of weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial that complained that FDA Commissioner Makary had touted dodgy evidence about the potential harms of talcum powder in food and medications,[1] and called an improper public meeting to discuss his concerns. The editorial noted the procedural irregularity of convening a meeting to review evidence of the supposed harms of talc in food and drugs, without proper notice and public comment.[2] The panel met just four days after the FDA...| Schachtman Law
For the moment, in the American legal academy, there seems to be a fair amount of support for the idea that the burden of proof in fact-finding is centered around a vigorous contest between the plausibility of competing stories advanced by the litigants. Professors Ronald Allen and Alex Stein, two well-respected evidence law scholars have […]| Schachtman Law
While waiting for the much delayed fourth edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, you may want to take a look at a recent law review issue on expert witnesses issues. Back in November 2024, the Columbia Science & Technology Law Review held its symposium at the Columbia Law Review on “Judging Science.” The symposium explored current judicial practice for, and treatment of, scientific expert witness testimony in the United States. Because the symposium took place at Columbia...| Schachtman Law
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many scientists embraced the idea, based on past experience with other coronaviruses, that it was highly probable that the new coronavirus (Sars-Cov2) originated as a result of a zoonotic jump from an animal to people. They believed that such a jump likely occurred in the Huanan wet…| Blog of the APA