Richard M. Simon (PSU): Habitus and Utopia in Science: Bourdieu, Mannheim, and the Role of Specialties in the Scientific Field. Scientists are often viewed as a homogenous bunch but, from astronomers to zoologists, there are many and varied Tribes of Science; Peter Curran goes on a mission to study their unique cultures. How scientists see each other: A visual depiction across the training stages. From NYRB, a review of Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s Life in Science by Lawrence M. Krauss and Feynman by Jim Ottaviani. A review of Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science by Michael Brooks. Why is the philosophy of science under emphasized, or even non-existent throughout K-12 scientific education? The great unknowns: Even our biggest brains can’t crack nature’s knottiest mysteries — some seemingly simply phenomena still lie beyond the veil of human knowledge. There Be Dragons: Timothy McGettigan on science as the realization of fantasy. Physicists are justly proud of the many ways that their achievements have benefited humankind, but building a light bulb or a telephone doesn’t mean that you understand its basic principles. Nobelist Steven Weinberg calls for bigger science, more taxes. Reality Bites: The science-based community once was split between Democrats and Republicans — but not anymore. Here's a glossary of scientific terms as compiled by the GOP candidates. Called anti-science, rightbloggers reply that science is a liberal plot. Given all our discussions about what is, and what is not, science it's time to return to basics — how can you tell if you are a crackpot? Convention of cranks: Why the nineteenth century’s golden age of pseudoscience may be a precursor of our own. Forseeing a Fortean Future: Why the scepticism surrounding Professor Daryl J Bem's positive psi results poses challenges for mainstream science.
