This week, bloggers look at who’s making decisions about coal: At Gristmill (home of David “coal is the enemy of the human race” Roberts), Ted Nace explains how a bureaucrat’s change of one number in a spreadsheet can lead to 132 fewer new coal plants being built, but Tom Philpott warns that Appalachian coal will […]

A group of concerned universities put out a statement about how flat funding for the National Institute of Health “puts a generation of science at risk,” and the House Committee on Science and technology has been holding hearings. Naturally, science bloggers have some thoughts on this: Janet Stemwedel at Adventures in Ethics and Science explains […]

It’s been a particularly busy week in global warming news: Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients reports that unions representing EPA staff have cut off future discussion with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. Although the unions cite numerous problems with Johnson ignoring scientific and legal staffs’ advice, the release of Johnson’s ridiculous rationale for denying California’s waiver […]

The safety and sustainability of the world’s food supply has been on people’s minds lately. Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients reminds us of the tainted food problems we’ve had here over the past several years, from E.Coli-contaminated spinach and salmonella-tainted pot pies to the latest record-breaking beef recall. Tom Philpott at Gristmill brings us up […]

There’s been a lot of blogging about vaccines lately: Mark Meier at Science Progress explains how a cocaine-addiction vaccine was developed, and what questions and hurdles it still faces. Jacob Goldstein at WSJ’s Health Blog explains what this year’s mismatched flu vaccine means for next year’s production (also see Effect Measure on this year’s flu […]

Those hoping to fix the U.S.’s current healthcare system have plenty to chew on this week. Sara Robinson at Campaign for America’s Future debunks several myths about U.S. vs. Canadian healthcare (Part I here). Keep this handy for the next time someone whines that single-payer healthcare will mean rationed care. Jacob Goldstein at Health Blog […]

Bloggers react to Bush’s proposed budget: Science Progress has the totals for science-based agencies Heather Taylor at Switchboard thinks it’s lame Gerald Epstein at SEA probes a mystery $2 billion for Homeland Security R&D Climate Progress bemoans its anti-efficiency stance  Amie Newman at RH Reality Check looks at its treatment of women’s health Elsewhere:

In advance of Super-Duper Tuesday voting, bloggers have some thoughts about the Republican presidential hopefuls: Tula Connell at AFL-CIO Weblog reports that the investment firm founded by Mitt Romney is supporting a system that keeps Florida tomato workers impoverished. Michael Millenson at Health Affairs examines Mike Huckabee’s belief that tackling obesity and smoking can control […]

The science blogosphere has been particularly active this past week. The Second Annual Science Blogging Conference brought bloggers together in North Carolina, where they discussed open science, blogger ethics, gender and race in science, science communication, and more. Conference organizer Coturnix has links and videos aplenty. One thought-provoking post comes from Abel Pharmboy, who reports […]

There’s lots of good blogging this week about what our elected (and hoping to be elected) leaders are doing – or at least talking about doing – on climate change: David Roberts at Gristmill thinks it’s better to hold out for better federal climate legislation in 2009 Jonathan Pfeiffer at Science Progress reports on a […]