Category: Quality Science Journalism

Notes for Philcon “Recent Science Headlines” panel

https://www.popsci.com/environment/cop26-final-agreement-climate-change/

COP26

  • Phase down (not phase out) of fossil fuels including coal – thanks, Australia (and China and India).
    • Developing countries say they need fossil fuels to help their people
    • Sinking countries (e. g. the Marshall Islands) point out that this policy can cause their entire nations to cease to be
  • Creation of a carbon market (nations can reduce emissions more than their quota and sell the “credit” to another country)
  • Poor countries continue to be promised funding that nobody actually supplies (except Scotland)

Mostly promises, little action. See you in Egypt next year.

Climate Change Causes Disasters

https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-health-environment-and-nature-d1cd773bfb6000e0d77a58ea743c135f

COVID-19

Booster shots – we’ve all heard about ‘em.
https://covidtransmissions.substack.com/p/covid-transmissions-for-9-20-2021

Treatments coming online!

Molnupiravir
https://covidtransmissions.substack.com/p/covid-transmissions-for-10-4-2021

Paxlovid
https://covidtransmissions.substack.com/p/covid-transmissions-for-11-8-2021

Fluvoxamine(!)
https://covidtransmissions.substack.com/p/covid-transmissions-for-10-29-2021

Spinal Cord Repair!

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2297272-paralysed-mice-walk-again-after-gel-is-injected-into-spinal-cord/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC23754/

Kessler Syndrome?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/russia-just-blew-up-a-satellite-here-s-why-that-spells-trouble-for-spaceflight/ar-AAQMueK

Astronauts hide in shelters as thousands of debris particles are generated. Russia inexplicably accuses the West of “hypocrisy”.

Space Stations

Boeing, Blue Origin Unveil Plans for Private Space Station

Example: Boeing/Blue Origin team up for “Orbital Reef”

China, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiangong_space_station

Toliman searches for extraterrestrial habitable planets

https://www.space.com/alpha-centauri-habitable-planets-space-telescope-toliman

Media Getting It Right: Anger at Antivaxxers

There are lots of blogs and columns that take bad science coverage to task. I want to provide balance, so I’m starting a new subcategory here: good science journalism. I think those who put forth the effort and spend the time to get things right deserve some recognition.

Anyone who cares about the truth of things on the Internet knows about Snopes, the site that documents and analyzes urban legends. Today I read an article on Snopes about a mother’s fury at how antivaxxers, with their lies, laziness and lack of a conscience have now very possibly exposed her son Griffin to deadly risk of measles, an almost-totally-preventable disease.

I’m with Jennifer Hibben-White:

If you have chosen to not vaccinate yourself or your child, I blame you.

I blame you.

You have stood on the shoulders of our collective protection for too long. From that high height, we have given you the PRIVILEGE of our protection, for free. And in return, you gave me this week. A week from hell. Wherein I don’t know if my BABY will develop something that has DEATH as a potential outcome.

I appreciate Hibben-White’s reasoned and powerful rage, and I appreciate Barbara and David Mikkelson’s help in spreading the message.