http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/ A blog about life, past and future. Written by DISCOVER contributing editor and columnist Carl Zimmer. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:51:30 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12977 Paul Donnelly Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:22:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12977 Brian, I suspect a combination of selection bias and the large number of options. Respondents weren't asked to rank their selections, so all we know is that Space Science and Exploration is in many people's top five. The options ranked just under it are education and a whole bunch of bio stuff that I could see certain segments of the population either not being interested in or being against. It's easy for a generally well-liked field to beat out a controversial one, even if most respondents are most passionate about another area of research. Brian, I suspect a combination of selection bias and the large number of options. Respondents weren’t asked to rank their selections, so all we know is that Space Science and Exploration is in many people’s top five. The options ranked just under it are education and a whole bunch of bio stuff that I could see certain segments of the population either not being interested in or being against. It’s easy for a generally well-liked field to beat out a controversial one, even if most respondents are most passionate about another area of research.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12939 Carl Zimmer Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:46:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12939 Cyrano: Maybe I wasn't clear--it's here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/85927/what-matters-most-to-you-c Cyrano: Maybe I wasn’t clear–it’s here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/85927/what-matters-most-to-you-c

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12938 cyrano Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:43:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12938 Where's the link to take the poll? I went to the Academy site and still had no success. Where’s the link to take the poll? I went to the Academy site and still had no success.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12937 The Third Bit » Blog Archive » The National Academy Would Like to Hear From You Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:55:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12937 [...] Carl Zimmer: the US National Academy of Sciences would like you to fill in a two-minute survey about what [...] [...] Carl Zimmer: the US National Academy of Sciences would like you to fill in a two-minute survey about what [...]

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12935 Brian Beatty Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:24:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12935 Although I think the survey could be more detailed, I think it is really informative about what in science today interests the public. The fact that Energy is the cause of most concern isn't surprising, but I think it is surprising that space exploraiton is of more interest than healthcare costs, biodiversity and extinction, ocean health, and so many others. Even though I am actually quite interested and supportive of space exploration, I wonder why so many people find it such a high priority? Does anyone else have thoughts on this? Although I think the survey could be more detailed, I think it is really informative about what in science today interests the public. The fact that Energy is the cause of most concern isn’t surprising, but I think it is surprising that space exploraiton is of more interest than healthcare costs, biodiversity and extinction, ocean health, and so many others. Even though I am actually quite interested and supportive of space exploration, I wonder why so many people find it such a high priority?
Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/comment-page-1/#comment-12933 Dick Schmidt Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:45:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/12/19/the-national-academy-of-sciences-wants-to-hear-from-you/#comment-12933 Having worked in analytical labs for 30 years, I have concluded that science has been reduced to poorly understood "models" which at best are wild guesses about a particular subject. The most worrysome are the climate models which attempt to explain a system which is so complicated that there is no way to account for all the variables that need to be included in the models. I have the distinct feeling the some of the folks have an agenda and are not really interested in the truth. I call them "Chicken Littles". I happen to believe that this earth is a lot more robust than we give it credit for. Having worked in analytical labs for 30 years, I have concluded that science has been reduced to poorly understood “models” which at best are wild guesses about a particular subject. The most worrysome are the climate models which attempt to explain a system which is so complicated that there is no way to account for all the variables that need to be included in the models. I have the distinct feeling the some of the folks have an agenda and are not really interested in the truth. I call them “Chicken Littles”. I happen to believe that this earth is a lot more robust than we give it credit for.

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