The United States is being hit by two large foodborne illness outbreaks — first, the E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce, and now a salmonella outbreak in beef that has sickened more than 200 people. These high-profile cases underscore the inadequacy of the safety measures meant to protect our food supply. If we are serious about addressing this issue, we must implement food irradiation. Read the rest at USA Today.
Category Archives: Science: The Softer Side
Zillow Taught Us How to Sell Our Condo and It Worked Perfectly
Earlier this year, my wife and I decided to decamp from Seattle and head for the suburbs. We put our small, Northgate-area condo on the market, and it sold in less than 24 hours for $30,000 over asking price. How did we do it? Read the rest at Puget Sound Business Journal.
Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis Is About to Become a Public Health Catastrophe
Seattle faces a public health catastrophe if King County and the Seattle City Council don’t deal with the squalid conditions at the city’s homeless encampments. Read the rest at Puget Sound Business Journal.
The ‘Slow Death’ Book that Won’t Die Returns with More Fear-Mongering Junk
The book Slow Death by Rubber Duck has been updated with more pseudoscience and advice like you should smell bad and pay more for groceries. Read the rest at National Post.
After 14 years, I’ve Had It. I’m Leaving Seattle
I KNEW Seattle was no longer a place for me when I met with Debora Juarez — the District 5 City Council member I had voted for. Read the rest at the Seattle Times.
March for Science Was Just an Excuse to Attack Trump and Republicans
In Washington and cities around the country last weekend, events labeled The March for Science should have been labeled The March Against Trump. Few Republicans were invited and marchers carried signs that urged “Resist” and other anti-Trump slogans. Read the rest at Fox News.
Stephen Hawking Developed An Odd Penchant For Doomsday Fearmongering Late In His Life
He spoke with the religious fervor of a modern-day Jonathan Edwards, but instead of sinners in the hands of an angry God, we were humans in the hands of an angry universe. Read the rest at The Federalist.
Is China the World Leader in Biomedical Fraud?
Xi Jinping should be promoting evidence-based medicine, not quackery. Read the rest at Foreign Policy.
Regulation Too Often Shackles the Hands of Innovators
After biomedical scientists demonstrated that they could make dangerous viruses like influenza even more dangerous, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) implemented a three-year moratorium on funding such research. But a couple of months ago, in December, the moratorium was lifted, and a tight set of rules were put in its place, such as a mandate for oversight panels. Read the rest at Leaps Mag.
If GPS Failed, We’d Be More Than Lost
Congress should fund a land-based navigation system in case the other one goes down. Read the rest at The Wall Street Journal.