News & Views Index |
Science Plays 20-Questions with President Obama's Scientific Advisor. 29/12/10
"I don't like to get into the business of invidious comparisons with the previous Administration if I can help it." [More]
Are the Difficulties of Finding Qualified Individuals for Peer Review Overstated? 29/12/10 [More]
HECS Architect Decries Green's Preoccupation with Abolition of University Fees. 29/12/10
"It is a very regressive use of taxpayers' money to have graduates contribute nothing." [More]
The Australian Science Media Centre's Top Ten Science Discoveries in 2010. 23/12/10
The Australian Science Media Centre has put together lists of what it considers to be the top ten science discoveries and the ten weirdest science stories in 2010. [More]
Reactions to OSTP's 4-Page Set of Guidelines for Scientific Integrity Policy. 22/12/10
James Hanson: The use of political appointees to run public-affairs offices, and the requirement that the White House screen testimonies that scientists make to Congress have not been addressed. [More]
What Percent of University R&D Funding is Awarded Competitively Through Peer Review? 20/12/10 [More]
US Supreme Court to Rule if Power Companies May Be Sued to Curb Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 19/12/10
Five power companies have challenged a federal appeals court's ruling that they may be sued to curb their greenhouse gas emissions. [More]
Consultation Paper on Higher Education Base Funding Review Released. 18/12/10
Universities and the higher education sector asked to contribute their views about the future of higher education funding by 31/3/11. [More]
John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Releases Scientific Integrity Memorandum. 18/12/10
"I am confident that today’s Memorandum will help ensure that science and technology continue to be brought to bear by this Administration with the greatest effectiveness and integrity..." [More]
PCAST -- First Meeting for 2011. 17/12/10
The first meeting of the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology at the beginning of the second decade of this millennium is scheduled for January 7, 2011. [More]
18 Months Late and Counting But US Scientific Integrity Guidelines Promised By Year's End. 15/12/10
In March of 2009 President Obama laid out the basic principles and instructed John Holdren, to create guidelines for federal agencies within 90 days. [More]
Female US Doctorates in Science and Engineering Continue to Climb. 14/12/10 [More]
The Climate Will Not Be Saved At Cancún, But the United Nations Negotiations Have Been. 13/12/10
TFW has been reminded of an utterance by Lord Lloyd spoken in Britain's House of Lords less than nine months before the beginning of World War II. [More]
The Performance of Scientific Peer Reviewers. 13/12/10
As reviewers age does the quality of their reviews slowly diminish? [More]
Let's Hear It For the Youngsters. 11/12/10
A decade ago two German academies "recognized that nurturing young scientists would be the key to rebuilding a strong and competitive scientific environment". [More]
Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 3 Climate Comments. 10/12/10
Come January, climate deniers—backed by big oil, the coal industry, and electric utilities—will descend on [the US] Congress... [More]
Update on the Bacterium That May Be Able to Use Interchangeably Phosphorus and Arsenic. 08/12/10
"The arsenate ion said to replace phosphate in the bacterium's DNA forms bonds that are orders of magnitude less stable." [More]
Data From the 2009 Edition of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). 08/12/10
PISA focuses on young people’s ability to use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. [More]
Comments From Cancún Week One at the 16th Annual Meeting of Members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Carry the Stench of Death. 06/12/10 [More]
An Intellectual Black Hole. 06/12/10
Regarding news items on climate change -- three views. [More]
Baseload Power and a Supergrid. 04/12/10
Pumped-storage hydroelectric dams can store electricity at more than 85% efficiency. [More]
Food Security and Australian Agriculture. 04/12/10
At the moment there would seem to be something of a disconnect between PMSEIC and Professor Scott on the one hand and the Chair Group of Eight , Professor Greenfield on the other. [More]
A Bacterium That May Be Able to Use Interchangeably Phosphorus and Arsenic. 03/12/10
[The] next step has to be to demonstrate that specific molecules purified from the cells, have arsenic replacing phosphorus and that they are still active. [More]
Melbourne's Vice-Chancellor Emails All-Staff Regarding Universities' Lack of Popularity. 01/12/10 [More]
Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council Releases Expert Reports on Energy Challenges and Food Security. 01/12/10
We charged the cross-disciplinary, expert groups that authored these reports to take a holistic approach... [More]