Tag: Scientist

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz introduced new legislation today, dubbed the Scientific Integrity Act, to protect public scientific research and reports from the influence of political and special interests. Schatz, along with U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), said this longstanding concern has “taken on newfound urgency under President Trump.” “These are challenging and unprecedented times for science,” said Schatz in a news release. “And while it’s not the first time it has been under attack, this time feels worse. That’s why we need to answer the call of our times and stand up for science. It would make data and findings off-limits for political appointees and managers, and make sure scientists follow careful processes for review.” The Scientific Integrity Act would establish uniform standards for policies at U.S. agencies meant to prevent public research and findings from being distorted or shelved for political reasons. Public scientists would be held to high standards, but also be guaranteed rights and protections. In its first two years, he said the Trump administration has prohibited the Centers for Disease Control staff from using the words “evidence-based” and “science-based” in budget documents, and scrapped an EPA-recommended ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide proven to impair brain development in young children. “Our economy, our health and safety, and our environment all depend on independent federal scientific research and fully informed, science-based policies,” said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a statement. “The Scientific Integrity Act would protect scientists from political interference in their scientific work, and make sure that they can carry out their research and share it without fear of retaliation. Congress should pass the Scientific Integrity Act so that all presidential administrations can be held to that strong standard.”

Author and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses his new book 'Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military.' » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political…

Prominent US climate scientists have told the Guardian that the Trump administration is holding up research funding as their projects undergo an unprecedented political review by the high-school football teammate of the US interior secretary. Don't blame wildfires on climate change – it's environmentalists' fault, says Zinke Read more Steve Howke, one of Zinke’s high-school football teammates, oversees this review. Until Zinke appointed him as an interior department senior adviser to the acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget, Howke had spent his entire career working in credit unions. The department, which manages a significant portion of the US landmass, has attributed the slower pace of funding approval to efforts to reduce “waste, fraud and abuse”. One of the largest programs affected is the Climate Adaptation Science Centers, a network of eight regionally focused research centers located at “host” universities across the country. “[Our stakeholders] want answers sooner rather than later, especially if they’re undergoing severe drought conditions right now or they just had extensive flooding.” Every administration brings new priorities to the cabinet departments, but in agencies that fund science, this is usually reflected in the subject areas of calls for proposals. “We are not used to an additional political review on top of that,” McPherson said. Many scientists affiliated with the climate adaptation centers concurred. “My concern is, are they creating an environment that will prevent us from being successful as an excuse then to not fund us in the future?” Dennis Ojima, a professor of ecosystem science and sustainability at Colorado State University who heads the North Central Climate Adaptation Center, complained of months-long delays. “For teams that are trying to initiate new research it’s difficult to get the graduate students and postdocs lined up.” Neither Howke nor the interior department responded to a request for comment.

California man shot and killed while on camping trip with his two young girls, 2 and 4, at Malibu Creek State Park campsite. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well…

Antartica is melting at an increasing speed and the cause could be Corbyn Dioxide, a warming gas produced only by Jeremy Corbyn, warns a team of Daily Mail scientists. Corbyn Dioxide is released into the Earth’s atmosphere whenever the Labour leader speaks or is given any sort of positive attention. And the effects are devastating. ‘Corbyn Dioxide warms the Earth more than any other form of gas and is directly responsible for the majority of climate change issues we come across. If we continue to produce this amount of Corbyn Dioxide then Antarctica will completely melt by 2022 and the planet with die soon after,’ warned Dr Mengeles III, working from out of the Daily Mail offices. The only way to stop the production of Corbyn Dioxide is to avoid listening to the words Jeremy Corbyn says or giving him any sort of positive media attention. ‘We at the Daily Mail have been doing our part to reduce our Corbyn footprint but we can’t do it alone. We have The Sun and the BBC onboard but we need the people to rise up and do their part,’ said Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre. However, as soon as he said that another chunk of an iceberg fell off. Coincidence?

AUSTIN — The candidate forum at Scholz Garten, a stone's throw from the Texas State Capitol, was organized by 350.org, a liberal group focused on climate change. Eight of the nine Democrats present, running for open seats in central Texas congressional districts 10, 17, 21, 25 and 35, provided it: Of course, they support a full ban on fracking. The way Trump is going, in 10 years he'll have us back in caves." 314 Action has not endorsed any GOP candidates. When asked whether her organization would consider backing a Republican who supported evidence-based policy, Naughton joked, "Bring me the unicorn." Given the opportunity, "you will find plenty of doctors and scientists who will vote Republican," Temple said. A friend persuaded him to turn the optimization algorithm into a company, RideScout. Except, again, for Kopser. Kopser ducked out of the 350.org forum before it ended, heading to a rally with Moulton. FEATURED PHOTO: Joseph Kopser, a candidate for Texas' 21st District seat, speaks at a forum focused on environmental issues at Scholz Garten in Austin.