Politics

The Pentagon Wants to Tackle Climate Change — But Congress Forbids It

As rising sea levels begin to engulf naval bases and extreme weather exacerbates conflicts worldwide, the military has sounded the alarm that climate change poses a long-term threat to U.S. security. The GOP response? It passed legislation that blocks funding for any Pentagon program that tackles climate change. Just prior to Memorial Day weekend, the…

Why Everyone Is Obsessed With This Academic Book on Economics

Sometimes a relatively dense academic book breaks out of the Ivory Tower and takes the world by storm. Such is the case with French economics professor Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Here’s one reason why the book is capturing people’s imaginations — and fueling speculation about our global future. In a recent review…

Why Tomorrow’s Conservatives Will Reject The Death Penalty

Politicians going after Republican votes know from the polls that opposing capital punishment is a career-ending decision. But, a growing group of conservatives say it’s time to reject a policy that they describe as an anti-life intrusion by big government. Is this the future of conservative politics? Writing in the Boston Globe, Leon Neyfakh profiles…

What Would Change If Politicians Wrote Laws Based on Internet Polls?

A new political party, designed by software devs and engineers, is joining the race in California. If elected, PlaceAVote‘s Congressional candidates vow to decide on every bill based on the majority vote of their constituents—as measured via online polling. Could that sort of direct, digital democracy improve how Congress works? Would it make government more…

As the 2016 presidential campaign ramps up, Republicans and Democrats have different wish lists when it comes to the traits they mostwant in a candidate. Military service far and away tops the list for Republicans, while a significant share of Democrats would like to see a woman at the top of the ticket.

It’s Official: South Carolina Has a State Fossil

Congratulations on your new state fossil, South Carolina! It’s nice to know that the mammoth is charming enough to even win over creationists. https://gizmodo.com/south-carolina-and-the-mammoth-1554936545 https://gizmodo.com/a-mammoth-victory-over-creationists-in-south-carolina-1579721827

8-year-old Scores a Major Victory Over Creationists in South Carolina

An eight-year-old paleontology enthusiast has triumphed over anti-evolution politicians. Her proposal to designate the Columbian mammoth as the official state fossil of South Carolina has been signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley. The story began innocently enough: Earlier this year, Olivia McConnell—a third-grader who wants to be an Egyptologist—learned that South Carolina was one…

This Is the Very Best Graduation Present Ever

In Chile, where students have been protesting the outrageous fees at for-profit universities for decades, college grads received a fantastic gift from local artist Papas Fritas. He broke into the Universidad del Mar, stole $500 million in student loan documents, and burned them. Then, he made a video explaining what he’d done. The Washington Post…

Anti-Evolution Bills Are Defeated In Missouri

Two proposed pieces of legislation—including one that would have required school districts to allow parents to have their children excused from learning about evolution—were left to die in committee when the Missouri state legislature adjourned. The news comes as a relief to educators who said the legislation would have “eviscerated the teaching of biology” in…

Why Is North Korea So Eager To Join The Effort Against Climate Change?

Whether it’s testing nuclear weapons or threatening its neighbors, North Korea isn’t known for working and playing well with the global community. Yet, the Hermit Kingdom has a sterling record of compliance as a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. What’s going on here, Dear Leader? According to Benjamin Habib, a specialist…

A Creationist Schism Is Tearing Apart A Christian College

The evolution-creationism debate has returned to Dayton, Tennessee—the site of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Except this time, the venue is not a courtroom but a Christian college, where faculty members have resigned and students have mounted protests. The issue? Whether Adam and Eve were the progenitors of humanity. The answer to that question depends upon…

NASA Chief Charles Bolden has been asked to weigh in on Russia’s decision to sever space-science ties with the U.S. “We will need to step back and evaluate the costs and benefits of maintaining” the ISS “without our Russian partners,” House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said today in a letter today to Bolden.

Raccoon or Dog? US Government Decides the Fate of Animal Fur

Is this animal, Nyctereutes procyonoides, best referred to as an Asiatic raccoon or as a raccoon dog? The answer to that question is actually more complicated than you might think — and could determine whether this animal will be killed for its fur or not. Earlier this week, the US government announced its answer: These…

Why Scientists Won’t Talk To The U.S. Government

Roughly 90% of scientists in a recent survey said that scientists and policymakers don’t communicate enough. But only about 60% said they were sure of the names of their elected federal representatives. What explains this paradox? That question was the focus of a forum held earlier this week by the American Association for the Advancement…

US-Russia Tension Threatens GPS System

The tensions between the American and Russian space program have ratcheted up another notch. In retaliation for a US ban on certain high-tech exports, Russia is refusing for their rockets to be used in military launches, and is threatening GPS base stations used in geodetic research. Artist impression of a GPS satellite in orbit. Image…

Star-Crossed‘s Final Episode Ended With A Nearly Perfect Cliffhanger

Gotta hand it to Star-Crossed — this doomed CW show left us wanting more, with a final sequence that pulls back the focus and raises the stakes, while leaving a ton of characters in jeopardy. Too late to save the show, unfortunately. See for yourself, above. Spoilers ahead… Seriously, that is a great cliffhanger. Reminds…

All The Secrets Of Person Of Interest‘s Most Charming Privacy Vigilante

Tonight on Person of Interest, the anti-surveillance vigilante Collier finally gets his moment to discover the truth about government spying… and A.I. We talked to Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Collier, and he helped us invade Collier’s privacy. Spoilers ahead… We were lucky enough to have a phone interview with Odom this morning, and he…

A Key Reason Why U.S. Politicians Don’t Understand Science

In 1995, Congressional Republicans shut down the Office of Technology Assessment. For 23 years, this agency had published reports that provided legislators with nonpartisan analyses of science and technology issues. Last week, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) tried to reopen the agency with minimal funding. He failed. The legislation—a proposed amendment to the Legislative Branch Appropriations…

Everyone Has To Make Sacrifices For The Corporate Future, On Continuum

Continuum’s dystopian corporate-dominated future, featuring chemical weapons and indentured servitude, isn’t going to arrive all by itself. That beautifully dark world will require work — and yes, sacrifice — on the part of everyone to arrive. But it’s the way things are supposed to turn out! Spoilers ahead… There’s a moment towards the end of…

Here’s Why the U.S. Missile Defense System Is Utterly Broken

Last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a scathing report: the system to defend the U.S. from ballistic missiles doesn’t work, and probably never will. But it gets worse. Congress then voted to expand the broken system, allocating money for a new, sub-par missile defense site. How did this happen? It’s the latest iteration…