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Questioning Truth, Reality and the Role of Science
In an era when untestable ideas such as the multiverse hold sway, Michela Massimi defends science from those who think it hopelessly unmoored from physical reality.
Call Prix Schläfli 2019
The “Alexander Friedrich Schläfli Prize” of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) is one of the oldest prizes in Switzerland. Since the first awarding in 1866, 108 young talents in different natural science disciplines have been distinguished.
Effects of Copyrights on Science
A unique WWII-era programme in the US, allowed US publishers to reprint exact copies of German-owned science books, to explore how copyrights affect follow-on science. This artificial removal of copyright barriers led to a 25% decline in prices and a 67% increase in citations.
Boycotting All-Male Panel Discussions
A group of renowned economists and academics from Spain have signed a document promising not to appear as a speaker at any academic event or round-table discussion if there are no women experts present as well.
New Cancer Treatments Lie Hidden Under Mountains of Paperwork
The National Cancer Institute has invested millions of dollars into determining the genetic sequences of patients’ tumors, and researchers have found thousands of genes that seem to drive tumor growth. But until patients’ medical records are linked to the genetic data, life-or-death questions cannot be answered.
Evidence of Gender Bias Found in Peer Review
Men were more likely to secure health research grants than women in Canadian study.
"It’s a Toxic Place." : How the Online World of White Nationalists Distorts Population Genetics
"It’s a Toxic Place." : How the Online World of White Nationalists Distorts Population Genetics
A graduate student is analyzing how Stormfront and other racist websites misunderstand, and misuse, new scientific papers.
We Must Demand Evidence of Peer Review
Peer review varies in quality and thoroughness. Making it publicly available could improve it.
Science Needs Clarity on Europe’s Data-Protection Law
As a commendable European law on personal data comes into force, the research community must not let excessive caution about data sharing, however understandable, become the default position.
Libraries Face a Future of Open Access
Now that many European library consortia are cancelling deals with publishers, how will libraries respond to a world of open access?
Imposter Syndrome Isn't the Problem - Toxic Workplaces Are
As young scientists, we are fooled into working harder and longer to live up to sky-high expectations and encouraged to feel inadequate.
Limiting Grants to Well-Funded Labs
While no one is arguing for funding failure, the challenge is how we define “success.”
Writing a Page-Turner: How to Tell a Story in Your Scientific Paper
Storytelling is easy to implement in your manuscript provided you know how. Think of the six plot elements - character, setting, tension, action, climax, resolution - and the three other story essentials - main theme, chronology, purpose. You’ll soon outline the backbone of your narrative and be ready to write a paper that is concise, compelling, and easy to understand.
The Wealth Gap PLUS Debt: How Federal Loans Exacerbate Inequality for Black Families
The Wealth Gap PLUS Debt: How Federal Loans Exacerbate Inequality for Black Families
Something strange began happening with a U.S. Department of Education loan program known as Parent PLUS, under which parents borrow money from the government to finance their children’s education.
I Went to an Open Science Hackathon and All I Got Was a T-Shirt... and Hope for the Future of Science
I Went to an Open Science Hackathon and All I Got Was a T-Shirt... and Hope for the Future of Science
The 2-day eLife Innovation Sprint was aimed at bringing together 'computer people' and 'science people' in order to create novel tools for open science.
Michael Eisen Takes on Eric Lander and the Scientific Establishment
Michael Eisen is anything but silent. In his career as a scientist, which has included a slapdash U.S. Senate campaign, blog posts, and nearly 39,000 tweets, he has lobbed grenades at the powers that be.
Europe’s Open-Access Drive Escalates as University Stand-Offs Spread
Sweden is the latest country to hold out on journal subscriptions, while negotiators share tactics to broker new deals with publishers. Inspired by the results of a stand-off in Germany, negotiators from libraries and university consortia across Europe increasingly declare that if they don’t like what publishers offer, they will refuse to pay for journal access at all.
New tools to put OA into Interlibrary Loan from the Open Access Button
Some new tools from the Open Access Button.
Prepublication Disclosure of Scientific Results: Norms, Competition, and Commercial Orientation
Prepublication Disclosure of Scientific Results: Norms, Competition, and Commercial Orientation
On the basis of a survey of 7103 active faculty researchers in nine fields, this paper examines the extent to which scientists disclose prepublication results, and when they do, why?
Some Hard Numbers on Science’s Leadership Problems
Scientists pride themselves on being keen observers, but many seem to have trouble spotting the problems right under their noses. Those who run labs have a much rosier picture of the dynamics in their research groups than do many staff members working in the trenches.
Cancer Funding in the UK Fits Global Pattern of Gender Bias
Male scientists in the United Kingdom received an extra 40 pence for every pound awarded to women, reveals an analysis of cancer research funding over more than a decade.
What was Missing in Australia's $1.9 Billion Infrastructure Announcement
What was Missing in Australia's $1.9 Billion Infrastructure Announcement
It’s not hard to get excited over money that will support imaging of the Earth, or the Atlas of Living Australia. But important as these projects are, there’s a whole set of infrastructure that rarely gets mentioned or noticed: “soft” infrastructure. These are the services, policies or practices that keep academic research working and, now, open.
The Female Scientist Who Identified the Greenhouse-Gas Effect Never Got the Credit
It's Time for Universities to Make Race Equality a Priority
Universities say they are taking steps to promote BAME staff and address the attainment gap, but progress is far too slow