New Scientist

MARCH 25, 2024

The author of In Ascension, the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, on why he wrote his novel, cultivating a sense of wonder and the role of fiction in the world today

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New Scientist

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Martin MacInnes, the author of New Scientist's latest book club pick, the Booker prize-longlisted sci-fi novel In Ascension, on how he came to write it (and a bit of a spoiler)

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Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

This blog post was co-authored by Martha Kinsella, former senior counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law. The seismologist ultimately left his job because he concluded that he “couldn’t be a scientist there.” It was originally published in the blog STAT on November 10, 2023.

Government 228

Government Air Pollution Law Fossil Fuels 228

Frontiers

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Scientists have found that specially processed samples of willow bark extract have an antiviral effect which isn’t seen in already known medical compounds from willow bark, such as salicylic acid, the precursor to modern aspirin. Future treatment for colds and flu?

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 14, 2023

According to the results of a new Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) survey released late last month, federal scientists are now working in a more supportive environment than any other time since UCS began administering such surveys back in 2004. Over the next four years, 15,000 more scientists added their names in support.

Politics 231

Politics 2018 2004 2022 231

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 16, 2024

The Union of Concerned Scientists is an official observer organization of the IPCC, and we traveled here because decisions are being made about the structure, topics, and processes that will guide the 7 th assessment cycle, which is just getting underway. Overall, around 780 scientists from around the world participated in the assessment.

Climate Change 246

Climate Change Paris Agreement 2028 Greenhouse 246

Circle of Blue

DECEMBER 16, 2021

What’s clear is that, if policymakers are to take action on freshwater ecosystems, scientists and conservationists need to coordinate to deliver a more forceful message. The good news is that we’re seeing more signs of that happening. There’s no silver bullet.

Ocean 363

Ocean Conservation Sustainable Development 2018 363

Circle of Blue

DECEMBER 6, 2021

A new study shows the vulnerability of the world’s poorest nations even without climate breakdown, its authors say. A new study rejects that assumption, finding instead that the main drivers of the famine are poverty, natural variations in weather, and poor infrastructure. Image © Heinonlein / Wikimedia Commons.

Climate Change 278

Climate Change Climate Scientist Atmosphere Greenhouse 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 10, 2023

Over the course of his 45-year career serving as a scientist for the US government, his research shaped the fields of minerology and geophysics and generated billions of dollars for industry. But my grandfather’s experience as a lead scientist for the US government was not only about the satisfaction of scientific discovery.

Government 203

Government 2008 Technology Technology 203

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 25, 2024

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Research Scientist Carly Philips (pictured on the left above) testified on April 24. You can watch the full testimony here.

Climate Change 226

Climate Change Law Regulations 2023 226

Circle of Blue

JANUARY 30, 2023

A climate scientist is appointed to a White House intelligence advisory board. The Interior Department prohibits new mining leases near a Minnesota wilderness area for 20 years. By the Numbers 225,504 : Acres of Superior National Forest, in northern Minnesota, in which new mining and geothermal leases will be prohibited for 20 years.

Climate Scientist 264

Climate Scientist Climate Change 2026 Government 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 11, 2024

According to the study, gas stoves trigger more than 20 percent of childhood asthma cases in California and Illinois, and nearly 19 percent in New York. If a new home has a gas stove installed, homeowners are more likely to buy other big-ticket gas appliances—a furnace, a water heater, a clothes dryer—which use a lot more gas than a stove.

2013 353

2013 Electricity Natural Gas Fossil Fuels 353

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

At the Union of Concerned Scientists, one of our top priorities is reminding the public—and at times, the government—that a robust workforce of federal scientists is necessary for representing the interests of ordinary people. Chao, was a career federal scientist who served the US Army and then the government for 45 years.

2011 165

2011 Government 2021 Law 165

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 26, 2023

Much of that can and should be done with existing authority and a renewed focus on effective regulatory oversight at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Negotiating away environmental and public health safeguards for new legislation shouldn’t be on the table. That said, there’s a lot already underway.

Environmental Protection 207

Environmental Protection Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 207

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 26, 2024

Advocates for scientific integrity commented on new draft scientific integrity policies. These new approaches could result in regulations based on a more comprehensive consideration of evidence. Early in 2023, OMB collected public comments on two draft initiatives as part of the modernization process.

Regulations 187

Regulations Clean Air Act Sea Level Politics 187

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Two decades after the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) redefined the term “scientific integrity,” the White House issued its first-ever scientific integrity policy in May as a model for all government agencies and departments to protect federal scientists from political interference. It was a long time coming.

Politics 220

Politics Government Law Fossil Fuels 220

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 20, 2023

New research by Geoffrey Supran, Stefan Rahmstorf, and Naomi Oreskes published in Science looks at the climate projections from ExxonMobil’s internal scientific research and compares them to the observed temperature rise and to previous work analyzing the company’s deceptive statements on climate science. Let’s dig into what Supran et al.’s

Fossil Fuels 238

Fossil Fuels 2003 Sea Level 2005 238

Real Climate

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Yet, when the next global climate summit is coming up (it’s starting tomorrow), we don’t only learn that the host, United Arab Emirates, intends to use the event for new oil deals. Its authors literally don’t see the forest for the trees when they falsely claim the opposite.

Greenhouse 301

Greenhouse Radiation Cooling Carbon Dioxide 301

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 17, 2024

The provision prohibits agency scientists from making statements that “could be construed as being judgments of, or recommendations on” agency policy unless they have secured prior approval. Advocates recommended that other agencies whose in-process policies contain this provision adopt EPA’s language to narrow its scope.

Regulations 186

Regulations 2024 Air Pollution Climate Scientist 186

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 12, 2024

Thanks largely to the Clean Air Act, new passenger vehicles are 98 to 99 percent cleaner than they were 60 years ago when it comes to most tailpipe pollutants, including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter. I recently caught up with Kevin X.

Nitrogen Oxides 244

Nitrogen Oxides Carbon Monoxide Electricity Law 244

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 31, 2022

Last week, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) provided new guidance to federal agencies to ensure that federally funded research is accessible to all. The new guidance instructs federal agencies to ensure their public access policies maintain both research and scientific integrity.

2024 244

2024 2020 Technology Technology 244

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 22, 2023

It was about most plans for climate security in the New York City area being unrealized. A harsh new normal Whether we wake up or not, a harsh climate is the new normal. Allstate and State Farm have announced they will not issue any new homeowner policies in California. Those costs are not yet steep enough.

Fossil Fuels 254

Fossil Fuels 2023 Climate Change 2012 254

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 24, 2023

One of President Biden’s first acts as president was to sign a presidential memorandum requiring all agencies to adopt new scientific integrity policies or revise those already in place. Will CDC rely on evidence to protect health care workers?

2023 254

2023 Government Law 2018 254

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 4, 2023

It’s not a new concept. While regional entities enforce reliability standards for the grid, the grid itself is managed by a layer of smaller entities called balancing authorities. Balancing authorities operate their area’s power transmission, making sure that electricity supply and demand are equal at all times of the day.

Clean Energy 235

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity 2018 235

Frontiers

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

The new volume features five articles on topics from using a glowing protein found in jellyfish to understand cell function to studying the smallest units of matter. Prior to publication, the distinguished scientists worked with young reviewers aged 8-15 to ensure their articles were interesting and understandable for young readers.

2013 111

2013 2004 2009 2008 111

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Implementing the law requires agencies to interpret what its authors intended, and courts have typically deferred to agencies’ interpretations when the statute is ambiguous, in a doctrine known as Chevron deference. The doctrine is named after the case in which it was first articulated.) West Virginia v. EPA upends this arrangement.

Clean Air Act 239

Clean Air Act Regulations Politics Law 239

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 11, 2022

Physical and social scientists are playing a critical role in the rapidly growing field of climate litigation, which—to be successful—must be informed by robust and powerful science throughout the entire legal process. As scientists, we are used to having our knowledge tested. They have a very specific mandate to win.

Climate Change 239

Climate Change Government 239

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 14, 2023

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new power plant carbon pollution standards that, if strengthened, would go a long way to help meet the Biden administration’s goal of slashing carbon emissions in half from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The EPA’s new proposed standards would require them to do just that.

Fossil Fuels 200

Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Nitrogen Oxides Clean Air Act 200

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 4, 2024

I had the opportunity to explore and use this dataset as a co-author on a peer reviewed wildfire attribution study last year, which found that nearly 40% of the total area burned in forests in western North America since 1986 is attributable to emissions traced to the top 88 carbon producers.

Fossil Fuels 220

Fossil Fuels Climate Change 2013 2015 220

Frontiers

FEBRUARY 28, 2023

Scientists today unveil a revolutionary path to drive computing forward: organoid intelligence (OI), where lab-grown brain organoids serve as biological hardware. We call this new interdisciplinary field ‘organoid intelligence’ (OI),” said Prof Thomas Hartung of Johns Hopkins University. “We

Technology 119

Technology Technology 2017 119

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Scientists measure exposures with tools like air sensors and silicone wrist bands , among other methods. Moreover, scientists have found that when there is more racial residential segregation, the pollution exposure disparities are more extreme. An individual’s chemical exposures over the course of a lifetime is called the “ exposome.”

Air Pollution 317

Air Pollution Regulations Fossil Fuels Environmental Protection 317

New Scientist

MAY 25, 2023

From Lost to The Tempest, the author of The Ferryman reveals the cultural influences behind his new science fiction novel - the first pick for New Scientist's book club

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Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Additionally, we examined the use of, and explanation for, how race and ethnicity were determined, and if authors defined what these attributes were intended to represent. For this reason, it is important for scientists to intentionally measure what they’re really interested in rather than using “race” as a catch-all term.

Air Pollution 296

Air Pollution Waste Government 2022 296

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 26, 2024

Advocates for scientific integrity commented on new draft scientific integrity policies. These new approaches could result in regulations based on a more comprehensive consideration of evidence. Early in 2023, OMB collected public comments on two draft initiatives as part of the modernization process.

Regulations 130

Regulations Clean Air Act Sea Level Politics 130

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Mitt Romney issued a press release crowing about all the money he secured for his state in the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that lays out what the government will spend on the US military in the following fiscal year. The new ICBMs are part of the Pentagon’s plan to spend more than $1.5

2012 262

2012 2017 Politics 2020 262

New Scientist

JULY 7, 2023

The author of the Women’s prize-shortlisted Pod reveals why she decided to write a story that initially felt too daunting – now the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club

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Legal Planet

JANUARY 18, 2024

It also comes in the wake of the January 2024 date after which the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is authorized to regulate methane from dairy operations pursuant to SB 1383 ( more on that here). At the same time, a recent report from the Environmental Defense Fund found that “natural gas pipelines nationwide are leaking as much as 2.6

Natural Gas 302

Natural Gas Regulations 2024 Electricity 302