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A History of FLICC: the 5 Techniques of Science Denial
The five general tactics of science denial are: conspiracy, selectivity (cherry-picking), fake experts, impossible expectations (also known as moving goalposts), and general fallacies of logic.
Opinion: If the Super-Rich Want to Live for Ever Our Planet is Truly Doomed
Instead of investing to cheat death, shouldn't we be trying to make old age livable and dignified for all?
At MIT, Arts, Humanities and STEM Fields Forge an Essential Partnership
Humanistic fields are vital to solving the world's most urgent problems; they also help students shape successful careers and meaningful lives, argue Agustín Rayo and Hashim Sarkis.
Is Scientific Communication Trustworthy?
Openness and politicization together have enabled public trust in science to erode. And science is insufficiently trustworthy. The scholarly communication sector must not ignore this situation.
Five Things You Need to Know About UKRI's New Open Access Policy
Victoria Ficarra and Rob Johnson offer insights into the new UKRI open access policy.
What (Not) to Do When Libraries Won't Get on Board
Why aren't libraries providing support for your open access or open science initiative? Be careful what you assume.
Deep Fakes: The Next Digital Weapon with Worrying Implications for Nuclear Policy
Deep Fakes: The Next Digital Weapon with Worrying Implications for Nuclear Policy
The ELN's Sylvia Mishra writes that AI-generated fake videos - deep fakes - threaten to exacerbate chaos in conflict, lower nuclear thresholds and complicate nuclear weapons decision-making. The uncontrolled use and spread of this technology requires urgent attention from the nuclear policy community.
AI Needs Regulating Before It's Too Late
If by 2052 a computer could match the human brain then we need better ways to build it.
Aim Lower: Social Mobility and Higher Education in the Levelling Up Era
Aim Lower: Social Mobility and Higher Education in the Levelling Up Era
Social mobility champions are accused of having ‘lost focus on the role that a socially mobile society should have in matching all members of society into occupations and roles which they are suited for and enjoy, and at which they excel.’ Indeed, they give little attention to ‘the actual aspirations and ambitions of real people’.
Predatory Publishers' Latest Scam: Bootlegged and Rebranded Papers
To thwart publishing rackets that undermine scholars and scholarly publishing, legitimate journals should show their workings.
Actions on Retractions: An Interview with Jodi Schneider
In today's post, Alice Meadows interviews Jodi Schneider of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about the work she's leading to reduce the inadvertent spread of retracted research.
Some Perspectives on Disability Disclosure in the Publishing Industry
Today's post is looking at the experiences of people with disabilities in scholarly publishing.
The World Was Woefully Unprepared for a Pandemic. Let's Be Ready for the Next One
The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board is calling for a coherent action plan to counter future health emergencies
If You Go Down to the Woods: Joining the Dots in EU Forestry Research
If You Go Down to the Woods: Joining the Dots in EU Forestry Research
The EU's forests would benefit from better knowledge translation and closer links between wood production and biodiversity research and innovation.
Transforming the Transformative Agreement
Brigitte Shull from Cambridge University Press looks at the lessons learned so far from transformative agreements and how they continue to evolve.
Recognition in Peer Review
A look at recognition in peer review, what's offered now and what's on the horizon. How does this affect the process?
The Truth About Artificial Intelligence? It Isn't That Honest
Tests of natural language processing models show that the bigger they are, the bigger liars they are. Should we be worried?
Why Should Researchers Get Involved in Science Policy?
What motivates scientists to engage with policymaking?
Diplomacy is Sometimes a Barrier to Progress in Universities
The tactful approach can be effective but it risks obscuring the necessity and urgency of improvements, says Chris Moore.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals and Open Access: Timon Oefelein Interviews Gerald Beasley
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals and Open Access: Timon Oefelein Interviews Gerald Beasley
In Part 1 of this pair of posts, Timon Oefelein interviews Gerald R. Beasley, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian at Cornell University, about how librarians can support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
COVID's Lessons for Climate, Sustainability and More from Our World in Data
COVID's Lessons for Climate, Sustainability and More from Our World in Data
International agencies need the mandate, funds and expertise to connect information - otherwise pandemics, hunger and unsustainability will go unsolved.
What Even Counts As Science Writing Anymore?
The pandemic has made it clear that science touches everything, and everything touches science.
Transforming Scholarly Publishing With Blockchain Technologies and AI: An Interview with Darrell Gunter
Transforming Scholarly Publishing With Blockchain Technologies and AI: An Interview with Darrell Gunter
Today features an interview with Darrell W. Gunter, editor of the new book Transforming Scholarly Publishing With Blockchain Technologies and AI.
Beware Survivorship Bias in Advice on Science Careers
For objective careers advice, talk to those who left science as well as those who stayed.