Amidst the seasonal chatter of virulent H5N1 influenza strains and lingering concerns about H1N1 arose a new topic of interest this April: the emergence of a new flu strain, H7N9, which had previously never been seen in humans. First reported to the WHO on March 31, the new strain had already caused 77 cases and … Read more
On October 22, 2012, Italian judge Marco Billi sentenced six Italian scientists and a government official to six years in prison. The crime? Manslaughter, for statements they made prior to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the region of Abruzzo, which resulted in 309 deaths. On March 6, almost five months after the sentencing and just … Read more
I wrote a column a few weeks ago about the rapid decline of science coverage in the media-a decline partially related to declining profits in print journalism, and partially related to the decline in prestige associated with science since the Cold War ended. I was thus saddened to see on March 1 that The New York … Read more
Earlier this month, perhaps the most scientifically significant discovery of the century thus far took place: scientists found the God Particle. The news was all over the Internet, television, and papers worldwide. Finding the God Particle has even been hailed as the biggest breakthrough since the discovery of DNA. Surprisingly, however, few outside scientific and … Read more
The following is a transcript of a phone interview conducted with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on June 4, 2011. Dr. Tyson is a popular astrophysicist and an advocate for increased government funding of science in general and space exploration in particular. HPR: You recently delivered a keynote speech at the 28th Annual Space Symposium in … Read more
Climate Change can seem removed from our daily lives—many of us live in urban environments, far away from nature, and spend much of our time inside air conditioned buildings. Our modern system of living that contributes to global warming ultimately buffers us from its effects. Native American tribes, though, living in much more immediate contact with … Read more
Political characterizations are always relative. It is often said that if David Cameron, or another conservative European leader, were plucked off Downing Street and dropped on Pennsylvania Avenue, he would undoubtedly find his Conservative Party positions on healthcare, postsecondary education, and fiscal stimulus somewhere in line with the leftmost wing of the American Democrats. But … Read more