Issues in Science and Technology articles from January 2007

Issues in Science and Technology archives from January 2007

The future of nuclear deterrence.(FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2007... Re: "Nuclear Deterrence for the Future" (Thomas C. Schelling, Issues, Fall 2006). I add some comments that derive from my work with nuclear weapon technology and policy since 1950. More can be found at my Web site, www.fas.org/RLG/. Adding...

Bioscience security issues.(FORUM)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2007... In his comprehensive discussion of the problem of "Securing Life Sciences Research in an Age of Terrorism" (Issues, Fall, 2006), Ronald M. Atlas rightly closes by noting that "further efforts to establish a culture of responsibility are needed...

A better war on drugs.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Jonathan P. Caulkins and Peter Reuter provide a compelling analysis of the misguided and costly emphasis on incarcerating drug offenders ("Reorienting U.S. Drug Policy," Issues, Fall 2006). But the effects of such a policy go well beyond the...

U.S. aeronautics.(FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Todd Watkins, Alan Schriesheim, and Stephen Merrill's "Glide Path to Irrelevance: Federal Funding for Aeronautics" (Issues, Fall 2006) fairly depicts the state of U.S. federal investment in this sector. For most of the past century, the United...

A new science degree.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... In "A New Science Degree to Meet Industry Needs" (Issues, Fall 2006), Michael S. Teitelbaum presents a very informative and persuasive case for a new type of graduate degree program, leading to a Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree. I...

Improving energy policy.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Robert W. Fri's thoughtful and perceptive analysis of federal R & D ("From Energy Wish Lists to Technological Realities," Issues, Fall 2006) accurately describes the hurdles that technologies must cross in moving from laboratories to production...

Energy clarified.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... The fall Issues includes two letters on energy and security by David L. Goldwyn and Ian Parry. They reference an article by Philip E. Auerswald, "The Myth of Energy Insecurity" (Issues, Summer 2006). I endorse their views and would like to add...

Research integrity.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Michael Kalichman's "Ethics and Science: A 0.1% Solution" (Issues, Fall 2006) makes several correct and critically important points with respect to ethics in science and the responsible conduct of research (RCR). Scientists, research...

Safer chemical use.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Lawrence M. Wein's "Preventing Catastrophic Chemical Attacks" (Issues, Fall 2006) has quite rightly drawn attention to (1) the lack of an appropriate government response since the 9/11 attacks, (2) the inadequacy of plant security measures as a...

U.S. flexibility on farm subsidies key to trade progress.
January 1, 2007... In "In Agricultural Trade Talks, First Do No Harm" (Issues, Fall 2005), I argued that negotiations at the World Trade Organization risked further impoverishment of the world's poor because the talks lacked a critical focus on how changes in the...

Federal R & D funding stuck on hold.(FROM THE HILL)(research and development)
January 1, 2007... The outgoing Republican majority in Congress left town in December having passed only 2 (defense and homeland security) of the 11 appropriations bills needed to fund the fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget. Although Congress has endorsed the Bush...

New Bush climate plan falls short, critics say.(George W. Bush)
January 1, 2007... After four years of work, the Bush administration on September 20, 2006, unveiled a strategic plan for using technology to reduce the risk of climate change. However, it was immediately criticized for falling short of what is needed to deal...

EPA revises clean air standard.(FROM THE HILL)(Environmental Protection Agency )
January 1, 2007... Just days before a court-imposed September 27, 2006, deadline, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised one standard for human exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) but kept another the same, despite a recommendation for change from...

Don't know much trigonometry.(knowledge of science and technology)
January 1, 2007... A new poll revealed that 86% of Americans are aware that China and India are working to produce more workers with technical skills, and only 49% believe that the United States would rank at or near the top of the global economy 20 years from...

None dare call it hubris: the limits of knowledge.
January 1, 2007... During the past four decades, many of us have come to terms with an increasing realization that there may be a limit to what we as a species can plan or accomplish. The U.S. failure to protect against and respond to Hurricane Katrina in the...

The new U.S. space policy: a turn toward militancy?
January 1, 2007... At first reading, the Bush administration's new National Space Policy looks much like the Clinton policy enunciated a decade ago. Supporters of the Bush policy in fact state that it is little different, except that the language is perhaps a bit...

Avoiding gridlock on Climate Change.(PERSPECTIVES)
January 1, 2007... For the twelfth consecutive year, nearly 190 nations convened in November 2006, this time in Nairobi, to address the critical issue of climate change. Unfortunately, the atmosphere at these two-week annual conclaves most resembles a medieval...

Growing old or living long: take your pick; Research to understand the psychological and emotional processes of aging is essential to creating a society in which the elderly can thrive.(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2007... The 20th century witnessed two profound changes in regions of the world where people are well educated and science and technology flourish: Life expectancy nearly doubled, and fertility rates fell dramatically. As a result, individuals and...

Not safe enough: fixing transportation security; More than five years after 9/11, the federal government has yet to come to grips with basic questions about priorities, roles, and funding.
January 1, 2007... In August 2006, British authorities announced that they had uncovered a plot in which liquid explosives would be used to destroy airliners en route from England to the United States. When the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)...

Improving public safety communications: today's system puts the lives of first responders and the public at risk. What's needed is a nationwide broadband network, and policymakers now have a perfect opportunity to act.
January 1, 2007... At 9:59 a.m. on September 11, 2001, the first of many evacuation orders was transmitted to police and firefighters in the World Trade Center's North Tower. Police heard the order, and most left safely. But firefighters could not receive the...

Deep competitiveness: current proposals to stimulate U.S. competitiveness are necessary but not sufficient to meet the challenges posed by a rapidly evolving global economy and the aggressive policies of other nations.
January 1, 2007... Competitiveness is the new buzzword in Washington, DC. Many public and private leaders proclaim that the United States faces a new and formidable competitiveness challenge. Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats unveiled their Innovation Agenda in...

Commuting in America.(REAL NUMBERS)
January 1, 2007... Everybody has ideas about how to solve traffic congestion, but the job is trickier than it seems, as a new report examining recent trends in computing patterns makes clear. Commuting in America III, published in October 2006 by the National...

The end is near.(The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity by James Lovelock. New York: Basic Books, 2006, 177 pp. At age 87, James Lovelock remains the indefatigable proponent of the Gaia hypothesis, which depicts Earth...

Moonstruck.(The Dark Side of the Moon: The Magnificent Madness of the American Lunar Quest)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Dark Side of the Moon: The Magnificent Madness of the American Lunar Quest by Gerard J. DeGroot. New York: New York University Press, 2006, 320 pp. Once this history of the Apollo program reaches its stride in chapter six, it...

Dump deterrence? Not yet.(Beyond Nuclear Deterrence: Transforming the U.S.-Russian Equation )(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Beyond Nuclear Deterrence: Transforming the U.S.-Russian Equation by Alexei Arbatov and Vladimir Dvorkin. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2006, 200 pp. In Beyond Nuclear Deterrence, Alexei Arbatov and...

Transparency in jeopardy.(Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age by Alasdair Roberts. New York: Cambridge University Press, 334 pp., 2006. Alasdair Roberts provides an excellent sense of the history and key issues of efforts to hold governments...

Blue Mesa, Utah.(James Sanborn's sculpture)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... James Sanborn is noted for his work with American stone and related materials that evoke a sense of mystery and the forces of nature. He is probably best known for the Kryptos sculpture installed at Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in...