Policy16736 articles archived since 1845

To Cut Emissions, China’s Global Infrastructure Plan May Need a Greener Path

Nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative could do much to push low-carbon investments

Want to Come Study or Work in America? Not So Fast

We say we welcome skilled immigrants like doctors and engineers, but we don’t act that way

Is the EPA Stifling Science on Chemical Toxicity Reports?

Critics say changes to the agency’s review process will harm public health

Federal Agencies Disagree on Environmental Impacts of Drilling in Alaska

Aspects of climate change were minimized in an analysis of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Why Women—and Men—Need Better Birth Control

The IUD is held up as the gold standard of contraception. That says a lot about the slothful pace of innovation

Climate “Tipping Points” Could Add Trillions to the Costs of Warming

Such processes are often missing from climate models, leading to underestimates of long-term damage

Where Are the Black Women in STEM Leadership?

By training diverse women in science and tech to become leaders, the whole ecosystem benefits

A Tree and Its People in a Warming Landscape

Conservation scientist Lauren Oakes discusses her book about Alaska ecology and sociology, In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World...

Why Are Electric Vehicle Sales Low? Psychology Provides Clues

Social norms and a lack of information on financial benefits have hampered U.S. EV adoption

When Lab Experiments Carry Theological Implications

Efforts to create new life-forms—and new universes—will raise profound questions

4/20 Traffic Accidents Claim Curbed

A deeper data dive calls into question a 2018 study that found a spike in fatal traffic accidents apparently related to marijuana consumption on this date.  

Part-Revived Pig Brains Raise Slew of Ethical Quandaries

Researchers need guidance on animal use and the many issues opened up by a new study on whole-brain restoration, argue Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely and Charles M. Giattino

Stanford Clears Three Faculty Members of “CRISPR Babies” Involvement

A review concluded that the scientists did not take part in a Chinese researcher’s experiment to edit the genomes of twin human embryos

Nobelist Says System of Science Offers Life Lessons

At an April 9th event sponsored by the Kavli Foundation and produced by Scientific American that honored Nobel and Kavli Prize winners, economist Paul Romer talked about how the social system of science offers hope for humanity and for how we can live with each other...

Fertile Ground: The Long-Neglected Science of Female Reproductive Health

When the discussion of reproductive health is dominated by the political will to control it, gaps in medical research get overshadowed

Unhealthful Data Gaps: Female Reproductive Health

Washington Aims to Decarbonize its Electricity Grid

It is the fourth state to pursue such a plan, with a couple others looking at following suit

Scientific American Launches New Paywall

Readers will receive three articles for free before being asked to subscribe

After a $14-Billion Upgrade, New Orleans' Levees Are Sinking

Sea-level rise and ground subsidence will render the flood barriers inadequate in just four years

Why We Should All Use They/Them Pronouns

Using gendered identifiers, even if we get to choose our own, can reinforce bias and discrimination