From Scientific American, a special issue on Origins, including a report on a conference on the science of origins; and an article on mysterious origins: 8 phenomena that defy explanation. Cosmic Vision: A new generation of giant telescopes will carry the eye to the edge of the universe. From The Economist, in praise of astronomy, the most revolutionary of sciences; and a look at a battle between Big Science and human hunches. More and more on The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. Michael Shermer on what skepticism reveals about science. A review of Sciences from Below: Feminisms, Postcolonialities, and Modernities by Sandra Harding. Want more women to study science? Hire more female professors. Does science foster a universal culture? Julian Huxley thought so, and wrote this into the mandate of the UN — what happened? In the future, doing science is like blogging. From THES, do academic journals pose a threat to the advancement of science? Why don’t Americans understand science better? Start with the scientists. Why America is flunking science: Don't just blame poor education for our nation's scientific illiteracy — but our politics and pop culture. A review of Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum's Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future (and more and more).
