Science

It's Okay to be Smart (www.itsokaytobesmart.com)

A PhD biologist and science writer. He also hosts PBS's "It's Okay to be Smart" PBS series. In this blog, he examines all aspects of life through a scientific lens.

• Where Did Life Come From?I just realized how long it’s been...
• What Is Luck?Is luck real? Sometimes it might feel like there’s...
• itsokaytobesmart: Seer of SeersSage of Sages Prognosticator of...
• How LEGO Helps Blind People SeeI’ve been a LEGO maniac...
• What happens to a video after it gets uploaded to...
• Meet the Donald Trump caterpillar!I took a trip to the Peruvian...
• This protoplasm was apparently predicting the state of the world...
• I’ve got a NEW VIDEO up on It’s Okay To Be Smart!Why do more...

Smithsonian (www.si.edu)

The gold standard in scientific news and education.

• Jurassic Park's Unlikely Symbiosis With Real-World Science
• Fear of Humans Is Forcing Daytime Animals Into Night Mode
• This NASA Satellite Can Map the Planet's Soil Moisture Content In Just Three Days
• Like Birds, Some Bats Warble to Woo Their Mates
• Nearly Half the Patents on Marine Genes Belong to Just One Company
• Are the Sands of the Namib Desert Really Rusting?
• How Climate Changed-Fueled “Mega Droughts” Could Harm Human Health
• Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New <i>Jurassic World</i> So Much Better

Science Blogs (scienceblogs.com)

Compiles over 60 science bloggers. It covers a huge variety of scientific issues from different, brillaint perspectives.

• Occupational Health News Roundup [The Pump Handle]
• A Letter To The Logging Company That Is Suing Greenpeace [Greg Laden's Blog]
• Who shot first? [Greg Laden's Blog]
• The Future Of Astronomy: Thousands Of Radio Telescopes That Can See Beyond The Stars (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]
• Around the Web: A quick list of readings on “predatory” open access journals [Confessions of a Science Librarian]
• Health advocates threaten lawsuit against firm importing asbestos to U.S. [The Pump Handle]
• Zika remains a serious threat. Federal funding cuts will make the problem even worse. [The Pump Handle]
• He’s on fire! How the hot hand helped Golden State become NBA champions (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

Institute of Physics (www.iopblog.org)

Official blog of the institute of physics; don't expect any frills here, just a discussion of physics from a very professional perspective.

• How physics plays a role in understanding the oceans
• Report after report shows global under-representation of women in science.
• What’s it like to be a Gender Champion?
• Whole School Equality – Get involved!
• Teaching physics: The most important work that I have ever done

Reddit Science (www.reddit.com)

Redditors share scientific stories, the latest research, and to discuss it all.

• Prescription drug monitoring programs in Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee, and New York have significantly reduced opioid dosages and the number of opioid fills, according to a new study.
• A new study shows that 51% of people would undergo a cancer screen, even if told it doesn’t extend life, doesn’t reduce risk of death, and could lead to unnecessary treatment. It provides further evidence of “action bias”: i.e., "doing something,” even if useless, is better than not doing something.
• New DNA printing technique is more accurate and can make strands 10x longer than previous techniques. The breakthrough removes a major bottleneck to applications like engineering organisms to breakdown plastic and creating new medicines from the DNA up.
• Gut microbiota modulate neurobehavior through changes in brain insulin sensitivity and metabolism
• 'Helicopter parenting' linked to behavioural problems - Children whose parents were over-controlling at age two struggled to manage their emotions later in life, study finds.
• Offering recorded lectures doubles rate of non-attendance & reduces student learning. Even if students actually watch the videos, they still do worse.
• Within racial groups, immigrants to the US are fully assimilated after 20 years. Immigrants arriving after 1994 assimilate more rapidly.
• Negative experiences on social media carry more weight than positive interactions when it comes to the likelihood of young adults reporting depressive symptoms, according to a new University of Pittsburgh analysis.

Retractiion Watch (retractionwatch.com)

Publishes news of scientific journal retractions. The goal is to keep scientific journalists improving.

• Journal holds firm on decision not to retract Macchiarini paper, despite outside pressure
• Meet the scientific sleuths: A dozen who’ve had an impact on the scientific literature
• Weekend reads: How to kill zombie citations; wanted: 6,000 new journals; does peer review matter anymore?
• University of Liverpool announces it’s investigating someone for misconduct. But don’t ask who.
• Two years of stonewalling: What happened when a scientist filed a public records request for NASA code
• An awkward correction later, these researchers have a warning for would-be authors
• Does the Mediterranean diet prevent heart attacks? NEJM retracts (and replaces) high-profile paper
• Journal corrects, but will not retract, controversial paper on internet porn

Mind Hacks (mindhacks.com)

Run by a neuroscientist and a cognitive scientist, and they definitely have fun in this blog about the mind.

• Believing everyone else is wrong is a danger sign
• Review: John Bargh’s “Before You Know It”
• Did the Victorians have faster reactions?
• spaced repetition & Darwin’s golden rule
• A graph that is made by perceiving it
• How To Become A Centaur
• Debating Sex Differences: Talk transcript
• The backfire effect is elusive

The Loom (phenomena.nationalgeographic.com)

Carl ZImmer, contributer to New York Times and National Geographic runs this blog, which covers a variety of scientific issues.

• Explore Historic Mount Everest Expeditions Through National Geographic Maps
• Explore 100 Years of National Geographic Pull-Out Maps
• Discover Fascinating Vintage Maps From National Geographic's Archives
• How an Obscure Religious Sect Mapped the Cosmos
• Fact or Fiction: Can You Really Sweat Out Toxins?
• Russians Were Once Banned From a Third of the U.S.
• Why You Shouldn't Eat a Slug (In Case You Need Reasons)
• How Would We React to Finding Aliens?

Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com)

Offers regular updates on scientific research. Besides traditional scientific topics, they also have a fun "quirks" page that looks at the quirkier science news.

• Hunting molecules to find new planets
• In the gaping mouth of ancient crocodiles
• Helicopter parenting may negatively affect children's emotional well-being, behavior
• Primates in peril
• Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes
• Quality of diet still poor for SNAP participants
• Researchers find combination can enhance ipilimumab immunotherapy
• Genetic engineering researcher: Politicians are deaf to people's ethical concerns

Last Word on Nothing (www.lastwordonnothing.com)

It Began as a project among many scientists to write stories. Their work covers both sciecne and the art of science writing.

• In praise of my tent
• The Last Word
• Redux: Newsprint is dead. Long live newsprint!
• World Cup Bad Announcer Bingo
• Redux: When science feels like elegy in advance
• On Vulnerability
• Get in the Car, We’re Leaving   (for early Fathers Day)
• The Last Word

Thirty-Seven (thirtyseven.scientopia.org)

Run by Raychelle Burks, Thirty Seven examines crime, chemistry, and culture.

• I created the DIY Science Zone™ in 2013. Where is the #DIYscizone going next?
• UPDATED! My adventures in green screen sci-comm
• Cracked chemical mysteries for #NationalChemistryWeek!
• Why I love @GeekGirlCon's #DIYscizone
• Have I got a #chemistry story for you!
• Back to school: Ally Edition
• What I'm up to at #CVG2015
• Google autofill: Are chemists...?

PLOS Blogs (blogs.plos.org)

Brings together staff writers and independent writers to cover a diverse array of science issues.

• The PLOS Complexity Channel – Meet the Editors
• Change starts at the bottom of the food chain
• What Does the PREDIMED Trial Retraction & Re-Boot Mean for the Mediterranean Diet?
• New Treatment for Phenylketonuria (PKU) Clears Brain Fog
• Science Twitter and the Secretly Super-rare Saxifragaceae
• What does progress look like in global health? 
• The Foot Bone’s Connected to the Leg Bone
• Fossil Friday Roundup: June 8, 2018

Science Mag (www.sciencemag.org)

Keeps you up to date on the latest science news.

• New technique could help scientists create a gene in just 1 day
• Fieldwork in the Arctic is surprisingly costly, limiting the research done there
• U.S. legislators back larger facilities budget for NSF
• The science candidates: Jess Phoenix says her defeat shows how much in politics needs to change
• European Union, worried about rising tensions, plans to boost military research
• These frogs walk instead of hop, video reveals
• NIH pulls the plug on controversial alcohol trial
• Americans have been lighting up for more than 3000 years, ancient pipe reveals

Discover Magazine (discovermagazine.com)

Brings you news and features on all things science.

• Vote for Groups C and D in the Geology World Cup
• 22,000-year-old Panda Skull Shows New Family Line
• Happy National Pollinator Week!
• Ayahuasca, the Psychedelic Antidepressant?
• El Niño is gestating in the Pacific, possibly heralding warmer global temps and extreme weather in 2019
• Science Festivals: Report from the Front Lines
• What Does God Look Like?
• To Avoid Humans, More Wildlife Now Work the Night Shift