From Seed, hundreds of multinational collaborators and scientists, and a $10 billion particle accelerator at CERN have produced a new working model for science — and for globalization; and grid computing began as a data-management solution for CERN — now, it stands to redefine collaborative problem-solving in science and beyond. Research projects waste millions or billions of euros, so is it conceivable and possible for amateurs to operate serious scientific research in their garage or at their home desk? Good scientific research often ends up making a glorious mess: Popular science tends to talk as if we have clear answers, but genuine studies constantly produce magnificently conflicting results. Writing about science poses a fundamental problem right at the outset: You have to lie. In science a diagram can describe things that transcend the written word — a single image can convey the simple underlying pattern hidden by words or equations. The truth wears off: Jonah Lehrer on the decline effect, the tendency of scientific results to shrink over time (and more). What if it turns out the Earth was flat after all? Unfortunately, science is not always cumulative. When science goes backward: John Horgan on scientific regress. Open-and-Shut Case: Do open-access journals enhance scientific progress? Most scientists in this country are Democrats — that's a problem. What makes American conservatives different from other right-wing parties around the world? It’s Al Gore’s fault.
