In The News

Global Warming Is Real and Has Consequences – Part I

William D. Nordhaus April 4, 2012
Although the consequences of global warming are painfully vivid, some scholars still question whether it requires urgent action. In January, a group of scientists, including those from the United States, Australia, France and the Netherlands, summarized reasons for their skepticism and opposition to findings of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. They insist that evidence is...

From Micro-Algae to Blue Oil

December 30, 2011
Microalgae, among the Earth’s earliest life forms, come in tremendous diversity, and scientists are making groundbreaking discoveries with what ParisTech Review calls the “tiny biochemical factories.” Some microalgae are rich in fats and fast to grow – these are the targets for new biofuels and expensive health products like beta-carotene and fatty acids like omega 3. “The vast majority of the...

The New Future of Old Age

Peter W. Gallagher December 29, 2011
The average human’s life expectancy has stretched to seven decades. But seven decades of life was not so unusual for some pre-modern groups as well. “It turns out that settlement, especially urban living, was toxic,” writes Peter Gallagher for Policy Magazine. “The rapid recovery in life expectancy after the mid-nineteenth century may be the greatest humanitarian achievement of the industrial era...

Iran to “Reverse Engineer” US Drone

Damien McElroy December 15, 2011
Photos of a US drone, released by Iran, show a relatively intact piece of equipment. Iranian officials claim to have electronically intercepted the aircraft and promise to reverse-engineer the technology and then reproduce it. If necessary, Iran could turn to China for assistance. “The RQ-170 Sentinel drone is one of the most advanced used by the US military and is equipped with technology also...

The Heat Is On

October 28, 2011
For more than a century, weather stations and ships have kept temperature records, and three major compilations of mean global temperatures have suggested that steady warming is underway. The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature group, physicists and others new to climate science, with support from the conservative Koch Foundation, set out in early 2010 to review the science. Skeptics have long...

US Falls Behind in Global Race for Talent

Bruce Stokes October 17, 2011
The US has long attracted the world’s top talent coming to its shores for study and work and benefited richly from their innovations. Advanced engineering, math and science programs of US universities depend on students from China, India and South Korea: More than a third of the US doctoral-level science and engineering workforce was born outside the United States, reports Bruce Stokes,...

So Many US Manufacturing Jobs, So Few Skilled Workers

Lucia Mutikani October 17, 2011
A disconnect hampers US economic recovery: Manufacturing plants based in the US struggle to fill jobs, even with 14 million Americans searching for work. American students prefer studies in the social sciences, arts and business. Math, engineering, technology and computer science degrees account for less than 10 percent of college diplomas. For jobs that don’t require degrees, vocational...