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A Tribute to Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey: A Woman Who Made a Difference

Orac Respectful Insolence
Many Americans do not to know that thalidomide was never approved for use in the US, and that was almost entirely due to the vigilance and, yes, outright stubbornness of one brave woman, who could sniff out spin and misinformation in a drug company application and would not be swayed by unrelenting pressure.

Why the Public Doesn't Believe in Climate Change

Sam Illingworth Plos Blogs
Ninety seven percent of scientific papers find that climate changing is occurring and that it is caused by human activity. Only 44 percent of Americans agree. What is the cause of this disparity, and is there any way to close the gap between the scientific consensus and the public perception?

The Rise of Computer-Aided Explanation

Michael Nielsen Quanta Magazine
Computers can translate French and prove mathematical theorems. But can they make deep conceptual insights into the way the world works?

Friday Nite Videos -- July 31, 2015

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Jack Black and Morgan Freeman Explain the Iran Nuclear Deal. A Brief History of Everything. Street Art for Hope and Peace. Key & Peele - Pro Teaching. Scalia's Poetry Slam.

Planned Parenthood Is Right to Supply Fetal Tissue

Mark Joseph Stern Slate
A woman’s decision to donate her aborted fetus to medical research—and Planned Parenthood’s willingness to transfer the fetal material—is deeply commendable. No woman is eager to have an unwanted pregnancy, but if she decides to terminate it, Planned Parenthood can help turn her misfortune into a mitzvah. That is not an act of killing. It is an act of altruism.

Here Are Some Antidotes to Science’s Old White Guy Problem

Sophia Chen Wired
In 2010, more than half of all the people with science and engineering related jobs were White men. But—enough wallowing in disheartening numbers and bigoted language. Plenty of people are moving the conversation forward: writing, speaking, and tweeting intelligently about the lack of diversity in science.

Discovering a New Dinosaur Helped Us Prove Velociraptors Had Feathers

Stephen Brusatte The Conversation
In Jurassic World, Velociraptors are depicted as big, drab-coloured, scaly brutes. We've known for some time that wasn't true - Velociraptors had feathers. And now, thanks to a spectacular fossil of a new dinosaur, we know in detail what the real Velociraptor would have been like. Far from being a scaly-skinned reptilian monster, Velociraptor would have been a fluffy, feathered poodle from hell.

Friday Nite Videos -- July 24, 2015

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Slavery to Mass Incarceration. Mess Within Texas - Sandra Bland's Arrest. Traffic Stop. Are We Really 99% Chimp? The First Openly Asshole President.

Are We Really 99% Chimp?

It's common knowledge that humans share 99% of their DNA with chimpanzees. But is it true? What does it mean? And why does it matter?

Friday Nite Videos -- July 17, 2015

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Ninth Rock From the Sun. War / No More Trouble. Elizabeth Warren Keynotes Netroots Nation. Film: Do I Sound Gay? "Our Selma!" March for Voting Rights
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