The SciencesFebruary 23, 2016
We Need to Educate the Public about Dirty Bombs
The fear of radiation such a weapon could spread is far more harmful than the radiation itself
Stories by David Ropeik
David Ropeik is an Instructor at the Harvard Extension School and author of 'How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts'.
HealthFebruary 2, 2015
Vilifying Parents Who Don't Vaccinate Their Kids Is Counterproductive
The ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S., which has spread to 14 states, has provoked a rising vilification of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.
August 13, 2014
Europe Should Reject the Call to Eliminate Its Science Adviser
More and more often, societies around the world are facing a conflict that puts us all at risk. People reject scientific evidence when it does not fit their worldviews and values, challenging governments to make evidence-based policies that do the most good for the most people over the long term, but also respond to short-term [...]
May 7, 2014
Climate Report Nails Risk Communication
The National Climate Assessment released Tuesday by the White House is a masterful piece of science and risk communication. Senior science writer Susan Joy Hassol, who turned massive contributions from hundreds of scientists into an accessible, persuasive report that will play an important role in getting the U.S.
FitnessMarch 15, 2014
Golden Rice Opponents Should Be Held Accountable for Health Problems Linked to Vitamain A Deficiency
By 2002, Golden Rice was technically ready to go. Animal testing had found no health risks. Syngenta, which had figured out how to insert the Vitamin A-producing gene from carrots into rice, had handed all financial interests over to a non-profit organization, so there would be no resistance to the life-saving technology from GMO opponents [...]
September 16, 2013
“The Scarecrow” – Lots of Heart, But It Could Use More Brain
Have you seen the Chipotle Grill animated video “The Scarecrow”? More than four million people have, since it was first published last week.
EnvironmentJune 10, 2013
Will "Pandora s Promise" Start a New Environmental Movement for Nuclear Power?
EnvironmentJune 3, 2013
Filipino Ruling on Bt Eggplant
The SciencesMarch 1, 2013
The Messy (and Risky) Ways That Governments Try to Manage Risks
Mind & BrainOctober 22, 2012
The L Aquila Verdict: A Judgment Not against Science, but against a Failure of Science Communication
EvolutionOctober 14, 2012
Could You Look Down from 24 Miles Up and Jump? Felix Baumgartner Just Did
HealthJune 15, 2012
The Rise of Nuclear Fear-How We Learned to Fear the Radiation
HealthNovember 11, 2011
WARNING!!! Health Warnings May be Hazardous to Your Health!!!
Mind & BrainOctober 20, 2011
Italian Seismologists on Trial-for Failing to Communicate Well?
EnvironmentAugust 11, 2011
Food Fight: Why Are We So Passionate about What Enters Our Bodies?
EnvironmentAugust 11, 2011
Food Fight: why are we so passionate about what enters our bodies
HealthJuly 18, 2011
The Lesson of the Fear of Vaccines.
FitnessJune 1, 2011
Cell Phones, Cancer and the Dangers of Risk Perception
April 22, 2011
Trains, nukes, marriage, and vaccines (and anything else): Why the facts don't matter
April 11, 2011
Dear chemists
EnvironmentMarch 21, 2011
Poor risk communication in Japan is making the risk much worse
March 12, 2011
Beware the fear of nuclear....FEAR!
February 3, 2011
The perception gap: An explanation for why people maintain irrational fears
January 6, 2011
In the wake of Wakefield: Risk-perception and vaccines