Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Links

Mutually Insured Destruction - NYTimes.com
In March 1947, a winter of heavy snowfall followed by a quick thaw and torrents of rain swelled rivers throughout England and Wales. Over the course of just 13 days, at least 27,000 homes and businesses were flooded. It was one of the worst natural disasters in British history. But thanks to climate change, which can prevent the thick snowpack from which spring floods draw their strength, that sort of flood may be less likely to happen today.
...Climate scientists estimate that sea levels will rise anywhere between 8 inches and 6.6 feet by 2100 — enough to inundate whole neighborhoods in Miami, even on the lower end...Denying climate change isn’t just foolish — it’s bad for business.
Just Thinking about Science Triggers Moral Behavior: Scientific American
Their new study, published in the journal PLOSOne, argues that the association between science and morality is so ingrained that merely thinking about it can trigger more moral behavior.
2012 flashback: Investigation reveals epidemic of fraudulent research by scientists and doctors
Their analysis, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that misconduct was the reason for three-quarters of the retractions for which they could definitely find a cause. What kind of misconduct exactly? Making sloppy mistakes and, far worse, making up false data for incentives that include raking in hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in grant money as well as academic recognition leading to raises.

These retracted papers (up 10 times in the last decade, according to the Nature article) contain research conclusions that aren't just gaffes or meaningless BS. They can influence the way drugs are pushed and prescribed -- with potentially deadly consequences.

No comments: