Climate ChangeAugust 1, 2022
Carbon-Reduction Plans Rely on Tech That Doesn’t Exist
Instead of scaling up renewable energy, researchers promote unproved ideas
Stories by Naomi Oreskes
Naomi Oreskes is a professor of the history of science at Harvard University. She is author of Why Trust Science? (Princeton University Press, 2019) and co-author of The Big Myth (Bloomsbury, 2023).
Climate ChangeJuly 1, 2022
Science Needs to Shrink Its Carbon Footprint
Greenhouse gas emissions from research damage climate
EducationJune 1, 2022
Predatory Journals That Publish Shoddy Research Put People’s Lives at Risk
Doctors may accept spurious claims about medical treatments, and invalid studies wrongly influence public policy
PolicyMay 1, 2022
It’s Time for Science to Take Down Bullies in Its Own Ranks
Academics too often use intellectual attainment to excuse abusive behavior. That needs to stop
ConservationApril 1, 2022
60 Years after Silent Spring Warned Us, Birds—and Humanity—Are Still in Trouble
Data show alarming declines in wildlife but also point to ways to save it
CultureMarch 1, 2022
Popular Health Claims, Such as a Woman’s Fertility Dropping at Age 30, Are Wildly Overblown
People should be skeptical of big claims based on only one study and dig a little deeper
Climate ChangeFebruary 1, 2022
New Nuclear Power Plants Are Unlikely to Stop the Climate Crisis
These plants take too long to build and bring online, and we don’t have that much time
Climate ChangeJanuary 1, 2022
Eating Less Red Meat Is Something Individuals Can Do to Help the Climate Crisis
Our climate problem is big, but a person’s diet change can make an impact
DiversityDecember 1, 2021
Once Shunned in Antarctica, Female Scientists Are Now Doing Crucial Polar Research
Women are investigating critical climate crisis problems such as the stability of giant ice sheets
OpinionNovember 29, 2021
Seeking Certainty on Climate Change: How Much Is Enough?
Two physicists object to a Scientific American essay calling for an end to one climate report. A science historian counters that the report has done its job
Climate ChangeNovember 1, 2021
IPCC, You’ve Made Your Point: Humans Are a Primary Cause of Climate Change
It’s time to redirect your major focus to how we deal with the problem
PolicyOctober 1, 2021
Scientists: When Talking to the Public, Please Speak Plainly
Jargon is appropriate when you’re speaking with colleagues, but it’s a turnoff for the rest of us
PolicySeptember 1, 2021
The Lab-Leak Theory of COVID’s Origin Is Not Totally Irrational
Unfortunately, its strongest proponent was, which tainted its reception
PolicyAugust 1, 2021
Why Bad Science Is Sometimes More Appealing Than Good Science
Researchers cite studies that can’t be replicated weirdly often
PolicyJuly 1, 2021
If You Say ‘Science Is Right,’ You’re Wrong
It can’t supply absolute truths about the world, but it brings us steadily closer
PolicyJune 1, 2021
The Reason Some Republicans Mistrust Science: Their Leaders Tell Them To
GOP officials have been denigrating the government, including government scientists, for decades
OpinionJune 1, 2021
That ‘Obama Scientist’ Climate Skeptic You’ve Been Hearing About ...
His track record on getting climate science right is extremely poor
BehaviorMay 1, 2021
Making Vaccines Is Straightforward; Getting People to Take Them Isn’t
Our instincts are unreliable about which problems are easy to solve and which are hard
PolicyApril 1, 2021
Scientists Should Admit They Bring Personal Values to Their Work
Value neutrality among researchers is a myth that hurts the public trust of science
PolicyMarch 1, 2021
Expert Opinion Can’t Be Trusted if You Consult the Wrong Sort of Expert
The failure of the U.S. to respond appropriately to the pandemic could have been predicted if anyone had bothered to ask social scientists
BehaviorFebruary 1, 2021
Scientists Need to Be Kinder to One Another
Mutual criticism in research is necessary, but it needn’t be nasty
Space & PhysicsJanuary 1, 2021
Exploring Space Can Unite the U.S.—but Not in the Way You Might Think
Survey show that Americans want NASA to monitor climate change and asteroid threats, not land astronauts on the moon
PolicyDecember 1, 2020
To Understand How Science Denial Works, Look to History
The same tactics used to cast doubt on the dangers of smoking and climate change are now being used to downplay COVID
PolicyNovember 1, 2020
Scientists Failed to Use Common Sense Early in the Pandemic
The WHO’s initial advice not to wear masks in the fight to contain COVID sowed dangerous confusion