Tabitha M. Powledge writes about CRISPR, a new "natural" genetic engineering method that is touted as being more acceptable to anti-GMO activists. Powledge has her doubts: "It’s hard to imagine they will be converted to the cause of genetic modification because the methodology is based loosely on a technique bacteria evolved billions of years ago." Also, did a leading anti-GMO activist really publish a hit list of prominent science writers?
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The latest revelations about infectious organisms — "expired disinfectant, anthrax stored in unsecure freezers and labs, samples stored in Ziploc bags" — prompts this response from Tabitha M. Powledge: "Ziploc bags, huh? Essential equipment for 21st century life to be sure, but how many times have you opened your refrigerator to find leaks from a not-quite-ziplocked bag congealed on shelves or dribbled into your veg bin?" Plus the state of marijuana research.
Tabitha M. Powledge discusses the state of the science on whether certain birth-control methods prevent implantation: "The scientific consensus is … that nothing happening before implantation can be considered abortion because there is no pregnancy until after implantation. Unfortunately, that declared scientific consensus is seriously undermined by the fact that the FDA-required labels on these birth control methods warn that they may prevent implantation. Ooops."
The labs that study lethal organisms may be a greater threat to public safety than the actions of bioterrorists, Tabitha M. Powledge writes in her weekly roundup: "The data argue that we are in far more danger from accidents emanating from well-meant research efforts to protect ourselves. To date there have been no bioterrorists." Also, a milestone for the "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False" paper, and how to interpret some new findings on triglycerides.
Tabitha M. Powledge has more news from the Women in Science Writing Solutions Summit, along with some thoughts of her own about the relative scarcity of women among both scientists and science writers: "A lot of these findings are likely to involve that hard-to-get-rid of unconscious bias. But identifying the problem is the first step in getting rid of it. Consciously." Also, Scicurious (Bethany Brookshire) on her life since leaving the lab bench for science writing.
Tabitha M. Powledge writes about anything but soccer, including the threats facing the three-banded armadillo, which is the official World Cup mascot, and about Brazil's progress in saving its rainforests: "It's a stunning achievement. The forecast is that clearcutting the Amazon rainforest will have stopped by 2020. In 2005, nearly 20,000 square kilometers were being cleared every year." Also, Why did so many writers believe that a computer had passed the Turing test?
Its impact may be as much psychological as anything, Tabitha M. Powledge writes in her science blogs roundup, paraphrasing Brad Plummer: "Natural gas has gotten so cheap, and the Great Recession has reduced power use so much, that power-plant emissions plunged by 15 percent between 2005 and 2013. So they are already halfway to the 2030 goal." Also, Powledge on that hurricane study: "I haven't seen a single defense, so I conclude that the paper is at best problematic."
Tabitha M. Powledge comments on recent news reports about the microbiome, that community of bacteria that lives in and on our bodies. One report suggested showers wash away bacteria that keep us smelling good; the other suggested a link between dental hygiene and bad pregnancy outcomes: "Whether flossing can prevent premature birth … has yet to be demonstrated," Powledge writes. Also, the fatal flaw in a study on the personality traits of "cat people" and "dog people."
Remember the big announcement in March about new data supposedly proving that the universe expanded rapidly after the Big Bang? Well, the celebration may have been premature, Tabitha M. Powledge writes, noting that a rumor about alternative explanations for the results "has prompted several physicists to go public with objections they say they have harbored since the findings were released in March." Also, do three new studies point to a magic bullet against aging?
The National Institutes of Health is going to require a sex-ratio balance in animal studies, and Tabitha M. Powledge explains what that means: "Even some researchers who thoroughly approve of organizing a piece of research so that it's possible to sort out any effects that differ by sex have been made gloomy by this announcement." Also, Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight.com trips again; bats, camels and MERS; and a new book on the genetics of race.