Policy & Ethics

Today, comments close on a proposed set of USDA rules changes related to approval of genetically-engineered products - and the Trump administration is honoring its commitment to using evidence-based thinking regarding agricultural policy.

"Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. And mostly what I need from you." Billy Joel, 1979

If you are a progressive in science journalism, these are boom times again. A Republican is in the White House and you have the kind of salad days for partisan scorn not available since January of 2009.(1) 

Whatever your feelings are about the death penalty, it's a pretty safe bet that you don't want to be reading this:

If you're in the mood for a little Americana, here's a treat for you, plus a chemistry lesson, which may or may not be.

Solar energy, with tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to keep it afloat, now employs more people than the fossil fuel alternative it is irrationally pitted against in media - coal. (1)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the finest institutions on the planet. Its accomplishments are far too numerous to list here, but its most famous is the effort it led to eradicate smallpox from the face of the planet.

Can someone please explain the logic here? Does this make any sense at all?

“Patients have long been aware that many unseen dollars drive medical decisions and events.”   Introduction

Medical bills are difficult to understand that makes pricing transparency an impossible dream. Here is a common sense guide to understanding these bills, especially for the uninitiated or those that see them only occasionally.