Find out where your candidates stand on science.
Three more candidates for congress have answered our questions about science!
HEre they are:
Bill Dew
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/bill-dew/
Toni Gilhooley
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/toni-gilhooley/
Joel Haugen
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/joel-haugen/
A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Washington Post- The United States joined its allies in committing for the first time to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050.
Mother Jones- Where is McCain on tech polic
Washington Times- President Bush encountered resistance on his climate-change policy as he and other world leaders sought to strike a balance between framing a deal on global warming while coping with inflation and slumping economic growth.
FCW- According to a study, though Obama’s website receives nearly 4 times as much traffic as McCain’s, visitors to both sites search four common issues, such as health care, global warming, immigration, and education.
Philadelphia Inquirer- Recently, Reps. Don Young and Roscoe Bartlett introduced H.R. 6107 that would use speculative Arctic Refuge funds to promote R&D for alternative energies. What they don’t say is the federal government’s own Energy Information Administration recently released a report that shows drilling in ANWR would have no effect on high gas prices.
The Hill- Worried that a floor vote on any energy-related measure would trigger a Republican-forced vote on domestic drilling, Democratic leadership has scrubbed the floor schedule of the energy legislation that it vowed to tackle after the Fourth of July recess.
Washington Post- An official administration guidance document on wetlands policy is undermining enforcement of the Clean Water Act, said a March 4 memo written by the EPA’s chief enforcement officer.
Forbes- In some plants, as little as 30% of the energy created ends up in the power grid. The rest, in the form of heat, blows out the smokestacks. If one could build power plants that used 80% of the energy instead, everyone would be rushing to do so, right?
USA Today- Summertime means school for an increasing number of high school students who have struggled in their math courses. But the system could be contributing to the kids’ poor performances.
Houston Chronicle- NASA intends to launch its final space shuttle mission on May 31, 2010, four months before the winged spaceships are scheduled for retirement, the space agency said on Monday.
N.Y. Times- A potential nuclear agreement between the US and India would allow India access to nuclear fuel and technology on the world market.
Seattle PI- The federal government is waging war on some of our most vulnerable citizens. Soon, our congressional representatives will have the chance to stand up for those people — seriously ill patients who need medical marijuana.
Politicker NH- U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen for New Hampshire proposes a four point plan to enhance the role of science in the 21st century.
Washington Times- For the first time, more people around the world are signing up for fiber-optic broadband service than for cable Internet service, but because of deregulated markets in the US and Western Europe, carriers are not sure if fiber is worth the investment.
Scientific American- The issue of genetic privacy is expansive and complicated, but most reasonable people agree that discrimination based on genes is wrong.
Companies in charge of seemingly public spaces online wipe out content that is controversial but otherwise legal.
Boston Globe- The biggest single manmade source of mercury is not compact fluorescent light bulbs, but coal-burning power plants.
Washington Post- With the 2010 Census less than two years away, independent demographers and congressional overseers are worried that the Census Bureau will not be prepared to accurately record the nation’s racial and ethnic minorities, illegal immigrants and the poor — groups that historically have been under-counted.
Discovery Channel- A study published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests that though massive mirrors in space could deflect enough sunlight to stop cancel out warming on a global average, some areas warm more while other cool more.
By Philip Meza
Here is the bottom line from a talk that Andy Grove (Intel former chairman, Time Magazine Man of the Year, 1997, etc.) gave on June 30th at the Stanford Business School on the strategic importance of using electricity for transportation. In a nutshell, plug in electric vehicles are the way to go. And do it now. (Retrofit gas guzzlers first.)
Slides from Grove’s talk at Stanford are available here (pdf).
Grove’s main point is electricity has various sources of inputs (oil, coal, nuclear, wind, etc.) whereas today the transportation sector is almost completely reliant on one source: oil.
With world demand for oil increasing, it seems likely that there will be greater competition for oil which will lead to higher prices and possible conflict. It has happened before. In Grove’s paraphrase (of a recent movie title), “There could be blood.”
Producing more oil in the US will not help because oil is sold on world markets. By contrast, electricity is “sticky” because it is inefficient to transport over oceans.
Grove thinks that more cars running on electricity will improve our strategic security and also help reduce pollution and CO2 emissions. This is because the bad stuff will be centralized at the power plants, where they are subject to current and future industrial emission reductions solutions, and not at the millions of tailpipes of the nations cars.
Sound right to you? Sound wrong? Grove has a piece coming out in The American this month that will be highlighted here. In the mean time, take a look at the slides (pdf).
Philip Meza is the author of Coming Attractions: Hollywood, High Tech and the Future of Entertainment and the co-author of Strategic Dynamics: Concepts and Cases.
From our partners at ScienceProgress
According to a recent study published in the journal Cell, federal policy has a measurable impact on the amount of human embryonic stem cell research conducted in different countries. Countries that exceed expectations for hESC research output tend to have permissive policy environments for the work, whereas under-performing countries often have “protracted policy debates” and strong feelings of uncertainty about the science at hand.
The study, conducted by Aaron D. Levine of Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy, compares data on the number of hESC-related publications appearing in peer-reviewed journals and concludes that the United States is lagging in the production of hESC-related research publications. Although still the largest single producer of hESC-related research publications, the United States is still the largest underperformer following the metric used by the analysts. One explanation is the fact that Bush Administration policy dictates that federal funds may only be used for hESC research only on cell lines derived before August 9, 2001.
According to the study, scientists in the United States produced 36 percent of worldwide hESC-related research, compared with 47 percent of RNAi-related research. Research involving RNA interference, a method used to inhibit gene expression, is much less controversial than hESC research. According to the study, “Scientists in the United States produced 36% of hESC-related research compared with 47% of RNAi-related research and 46% of research in the control set.” Thus, it is numerically apparent that America’s contribution to RNAi research publications fell more closely in line with the standard than hESC research. This is why RNAi research output becomes a suitable control with which to compare with work on hESC.
The comparison data demonstrates that the share of research from different countries related to hESC differs more from the control set than do their shares of research related to RNAi:
National polices also render France an underperforming country, despite having temporarily relaxed its laws. This makes a key component of the study clear: countries which have long histories of relentless support for hESC research are those countries which are currently over-performing.
Four top overperforming countries were identified: the United Kingdom, Israel, China, and Singapore. While there was no clear relationship between underperformance and the policy environment, countries categorized as underperforming in hESC-related research lacked permissive policies, complementary government support, or both. The study also provides an interesting insight into the relationship between hESC and RNAi performance. As the figure below demonstrates, only the United Kingdom and China demonstrate a slight significant RNAi overperformance. None of the hESC overperforming countries have underperformed in the number of published papers on RNAi research:
From our friends at Effect Measure.
Three food safety stories in the news this Fourth of July weekend. All three are worrisome but the third is the most worrisome of all. What are the first two?
You know them. The first is the largest produce associated multistate Salmonella outbreak on record (now over 900 cases in 40 states) rages on. Have they found the contaminated tomatoes? No. But now they think the tomatoes might be jalapeno peppers. Or maybe cilantro:
Investigators are seeing more signs that the salmonella outbreak blamed on tomatoes might have been caused by tainted jalapeno peppers and have begun collecting samples from restaurants and from the homes of those who have been sickened, according to health officials involved in the probe.New interviews with those who became infected found that many had eaten jalapeno peppers, often in salsa served with Mexican food, according to two state health officials. So far, none of the jalapenos taken from restaurants and from the homes of those who became ill have tested positive for Salmonella saintpaul.
Echoing federal officials, who said this week that tomatoes remain the prime suspect, the health officials said that tomatoes cannot be ruled out as the cause of the outbreak. Investigators have been collecting samples of another possible suspect, cilantro, though the herb is less likely to be the source, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. (John Rockoff, Baltimore Sun)
According to the Baltimore Sun article, their biggest worry is that now epidemiology will be impugned as a tool for food safety prevention. Enraged tomato growers think the FDA should have found evidence of contaminated tomatoes before pulling the warning trigger. I understand their anger, but I won’t fault FDA for taking a precautionary approach here. But it also sounds like maybe they didn’t do such a good job of outbreak investigation and traceback and should have included other foodstuffs in the investigation. That’s lack of experienced fieldstaff. Now they’ve got a huge mess on their hands and their ability to use one of the most important tools in their arsenal, epidemiology, may be compromised. Heck of job, FDA (CDC hasn’t helped, either). Worrisome.
Second story: a recall of 5 million pounds of beef with suspected E. coli contamination.
Omaha-based Nebraska Beef Ltd. launched a recall Monday, about a month after consumers in Michigan and Ohio became ill after eating ground beef purchased at Kroger grocery stores. The meat was traced back to the Nebraska meat processor, which initially recalled about 531,707 pounds of beef. The recall was expanded to more than 5 million pounds on Thursday.Even before the recall’s expansion, it sent grocers scrambling to pull the potentially tainted product off store shelves, just as consumers were stocking up for the holiday weekend. (Dallas Morning News)
More tainted beef from a huge midwestern meatpacker, distributing nationwide. That’s worrisome, too, especially as it seems to keep happening.
Over the weekend 5 more candidates for congress answered our 7 questions on science. If you have not asked your candidates the questions, take the time to do it today! Here are the latest candidates who answered the questions.
Debbie Cook (D CA-46)
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/debbie-cook/
Michael Hargadon (R MD-7)
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/michael-hargadon/
Marina Kats (R PA-13)
http://sharp.sefora.org/legislation/house/marina-kats/
Rep. Doris Matsui (D CA-5)
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/doris-matsui/
John Roberts (R CA-43)
http://sharp.sefora.org/people/house/john-roberts/
A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Daily Kos–A new poll conducted by Scientists and Engineers for America indicates an overwhelming majority of voters prefer candidates who support research into science and technology, with emphasis on the three E’s: education, environment, and energy.
Washington Post–There’s a great unknown about Sen. John McCain’s health plan: How many employers would drop insurance coverage for their workers because of his tax policies?
Politico–An independent-expenditure arm of the Republican National Committee has begun a 10-day, $3 million ad campaign in swing states attacking Sen. Barack Obama as “just the party line.”
N.Y. Times–Congress returns to work this week with Medicare high on the agenda.
Washington Post–DOE employees inappropriately used government credit cards to purchase $49,500 worth of goods.
A.P.–Animal rights activists and ranchers are clashing over a federal proposal to euthanize wild horses as a way to deal with their surplus numbers.
Politico–A consumer group added fuel to the fight over rising gas prices when it recently criticized the Bush administration’s flawed response to the 2007 Energy Act.
Reuters–The European Union and green groups piled pressure on the United States on Monday to agree to a target to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
L.A. Times–Study finds that DNA evidence collected at residential and commercial burglary scenes dramatically raises arrests and prosecutions.
USA Today–Now the agency and case manufacturers are taking final steps toward one of the most visible changes to aviation security in years.
L.A. Times–On the 100th anniversary of the devastating Tunguska event in Siberia, scientists and an Orange County congressman urge the government to take further defensive measures against near-Earth objects.
N.Y. Times–As gasoline prices climb beyond $4 a gallon, Americans are rethinking what they drive and how and where they live.
A.P.–The U.S. has done the least among the world’s eight biggest economies to address global warming, a study released Thursday found.
USA Today–Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.
N.Y. Times–A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far.
Reuters–Technology is spreading in America’s classrooms, reducing the need for textbooks, notepads, paper and in some cases even the schools themselves.
L.A. Times–Experts who follow building trends agree that in the last decade, as fears of global warming grew and examples of eco-innovation spread online, campus greening morphed from a fad into mainstream phenomenon.
USA Today–Items collected at free events are sometimes destined for salvage yards in developing nations.
By Celeste Monforton at the Pump Handle
The State of Rhode Island’s efforts, which began in 1999, to force lead-paint manufacturers to clean-up contaminated homes received a mortal blow when the State’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s 2006 decision. (Full decision from 7/1/2008) This early ruling was a result of the longest civil jury trial in Rhode Island history, with the decision going against the defendants Sherwin-Williams, NL Industries, and Millennium Holdings, holding them liable for creating a public nuisance by selling lead-based paint.
The R.I. Supreme Court said:
“We do not mean to minimize the severity of the harm that thousands of children in Rhode Island have suffered as a result of lead poisoning. Our hearts go out to those children whose lives forever have been changed by the poisonous presence of lead. But, however grave the problem…public nuisance law simply does not provide a remedy for this harm.”
This tells me that we need some better laws so that we can hold peddlers of dangerous products accountable for their actions. As David Rosner and Jerry Markowitz masterfully document in their paper “Cater to the Children” and their book Deceit and Denial, the lead industry knew by the 1930’s the adverse health consequences that would be caused by their actions, but they didn’t care and greed won out. The R.I. Supreme Court’s decision gives a free pass to the lead industry’s despicable behavior.
The R.I. Supreme Court also tried to hide behind the popular “judicial restraint” philosophy, going so far as quoting from U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts’ pre-confirmation questionnaire:
“judges must be constantly aware that their role, while important, is limited. They do not have a commission to solve society’s problems, as they see them, but simply to decide cases before them according to the rule of law.” (emphasis added)
By our friends at Framing Science
Barbara Boxer appeared on Bill Moyers last week, providing fresh insight into her relationship with James Inhofe as well as the strategic appeal that turned GOP Senator John Warner into a climate change advocate.
In describing her reaction to Inhofe’s theatrics during Al Gore’s testimony earlier this year, here’s what she had to say (full transcript of the interview):
BARBARA BOXER: I was a little stunned because here I had taken the gavel after a tough, you know, election season. We came in. We got power finally, albeit very small margin. But I was the chairman of the committee now. And Jim Inhofe, we work pretty well together, given our ideological differences. But he kept trying to run the hearings. And I kept saying to myself at some point I’m going to have to show him that I am the chairman of the committee.
(Cut to actual transcript from Gore’s testimony)BARBARA BOXER:Would you agree to let the Vice President answer your questions? And then, if you want an extra few minutes at the end, I’m happy to give it to you. But we’re not going to get anywhere –
SEN. JAMES INHOFE: Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we do this? At the end, you can have as much time as you want to answer all the questions.
BARBARA BOXER: No, that isn’t the rule of — you’re not making the rules. You used to when you did this. You don’t do this anymore. Elections have consequences.
BARBARA BOXER: What I meant is that times have changed now. And the Democrats are in charge. And this committee, what it means is that the environment is back, front and center.
By Michael Stebbins. Originally published at Science Progress
Despite all the activities of pro-science groups such as Scientists and Engineers for America and ScienceDebate2008, most candidates for office have not put forward comprehensive science and technology policy platforms. Of course, many of us science nerds have been making the argument that S&T is at least peripherally important to just about every major issue the nation is facing, and therefore should be addressed by candidates for elected office. But we have been fighting a losing battle against the cynical perception shared by many campaigns that candidates’ positions on S&T issues do not win votes. As it turns out, they are wrong.
Scientists and Engineers for America just released the results of a poll of over 1,000 Americans on how likely they would be to support candidates based upon their positions on key science and technology issues. SEA anticipated a positive reaction to the questions, but was stunned by the overwhelmingly affirmative response. Eighty-six percent of those polled, for example, say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who is committed to preparing students with the skills they need for the 21st Century through public investments in science and technology education.
Similarly, 84 percent said they would be more likely to support a candidate who is committed to reducing the cost and improving the quality of healthcare through public investments in science and technology. And 52 percent indicated they would be much more likely to support candidates who expressed that science and technology is a priority for them.
Science, Health, and Related Policies
