The Canary of the Canary - The Great Lakes and Climate Change

The lakes they are a-changin'... NYT Energy & Environment story here details how The Great Lakes are indicators of climate change severity.

Also, to follow more energy and environment news from the New York Times, check out The Green blog.

Making Science Fun?

One way to lure people in and educate them on science topics is to make it fun. And what's fun for scientists? Taking a quiz! The folks at Pew Research have developed an interesting and quick science quiz to measure science knowledge. You can also compare your results with a thousand or so randomly selected others.

Deep Conversation equals Happiness?

Taking a look at this study from the University of Arizona, as reported by Roni Caryn Rabin of the New York Times, one may or may not come away with questions regarding its findings.

The subjects were college students (not uncommon) but the report goes on to mainly highlight a single "happiest" person. Does this article do a good job of explaining both the results of the study and its inherent limitations? Do the results suggested here align with your personal experiences with "deep" vs. "superficial" conversation as related to your own happiness?

Public Health Pariah or Saving Grace to Struggling Parents?

Jenny McCarthy has sparked praise and controversy for her popular stance as just another mom taking on the medical system to combat a nebulous disease. Is she a good spokesperson for autism? The disease has no clear cause or single type of effective treatment.

Are McCarthy's methods of raising awareness for an issue like autism good even if the science behind her claims is a little unclear? This TIME magazine story covers the story. Does TIME provide a balanced portrayal of McCarthy and of the disease itself?

Michael Pollan talks about food, healthcare, and his new book Food Rules - An Eater's Manual.

The author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan, discusses the link between healthcare and diet, the dangers of processed foods, the impacts of industrial agriculture, and his sixty-four rules for eating.

“The markets are full of what I call edible food-like substances that you have to avoid,” says Pollan. The radio/TV show Democracy Now! recently aired an excerpt of the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. and then spent the rest of the show talking with author/activist Michael Pollan.