We’re supposed to find the Maryland angle on things, so here it is: the scientist credited with bringing the famous Hope diamond to the Smithsonian, George S. Switzer, died this week in a MARYLAND assisted living facility.

I saw the Hope diamond once. I didn't think it was so hot.

But there’s a fascinating tale about how unlucky the diamond was for people who came into contact with it. According to the Washington Post obituary on Switzer, the Frenchman who smuggled the original rough stone out of India, died after being attacked by a pack of wild dogs. Princess DeLamballe, an early owner in France, was fatally mauled by a mob and Marie Antoinette, who also wore the diamond, lost her head.

Still, people wanted it. You can read more about it here.

(Photo credit: The Associated Press) 

Posted by Dennis O'Brien at 10:06 AM | Permalink
                    

Police in Los Angeles are investigating an incident where someone has twice targeted the home of a UCLA researcher who uses monkeys in her research on nicotine addiction.

Obviously, it's wrong to threaten someone or try to set their house on fire. But the incident raises the question: when is it right to experiment with animals?

Continue reading "Animals vs. People" »

Posted by Dennis O'Brien at 6:02 PM | Permalink
                    

A lot of scientists have traditionally kept their distance from politics. Maybe they shouldn't: who we elect has enormous impact not just on research funding levels, but on whether projects are funded at all and the direction for years to come of research conducted by agencies that spend billions.  Think about the impact of President Bush's decision to make returning to the moon and designing a manned mission to Mars top NASA priorities. Will the next president reverse that? Who knows. 

How much is at stake in the 2008 presidential race? As pointed out by Chris Mooney in Seedmagazine.com: The next president "will control a $150 billion annual research budget, 200,000 scientists, and 38 major research institutions and all their related labs. This president will shape human endeavors in space, bioethics debates, and the energy landscape of the 21st century."

Science also touches on controversial issues that affect people's lives and offer no easy answers. Stem cells, food from cloned animals, genetically modified crops are all topcis that come to mind. There are others.  

In that light, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of American Universities and the Richard Lounsbery Foundation have launched a Web site devoted to science and technology issues in the 2008 campaign. It will be updated periodically and include summaries of the candidates stand on major science and technology issues and articles (including Mooney's) about the issues involved. It's all here

Posted by Dennis O'Brien at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Posted by Chris Emery at 10:12 AM | Permalink