Category Archives: science communication

Beauty as Propaganda

As Thursday approaches my excitement grows: I have the honor to teach a course in propaganda alongside my usual menu of theory and research classes. We juicily extract the essences of meaning from campaigns intended to sway your thoughts, part … Continue reading

Posted in framing, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Temper: Tantrum or Tantra?

My sister pitched temper tantrums when she was little. Martha would throw herself on the floor, pound her fists and wail like a banshee. Timing seemed to make no difference: we could be at home, at the beach or out … Continue reading

Posted in framing, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mind Different from Brain?

Consider the mind, rather than the brain. I asked readers in the last blog to think about the mind rather than the brain because Samuel Morton’s skull measurements in the 1860s asserted that American Indians have smaller skulls, hence smaller … Continue reading

Posted in framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, neuroscience, science, science communication, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Brain Full of Buckshot

In the Wild West soldiers could earn a dollar for every American Indian skull they collected. Skulls were then shipped back east so scientists could study them. One of the collectors, Samuel G. Morton, used skulls to extrapolate on personality … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nip and Tuck for Your Brain

You can get a prescription to enhance your libido and lengthen your eyelashes, so why not a pill to help your memory? That’s the discussion around our dinner table: should doctors prescribe drugs that could improve cognitive skills?

Posted in authenticity, framing, journalism, Native Science, neuroscience, science, science communication | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Confined to a Wheelchair

Sometimes messages expand our thoughts and sometimes messages narrow them. A relative pointed out journalists are fond of saying, for example, Lady Gaga is “confined to a wheelchair,” as reported recently in the Huffington Post (UK). But a wheelchair is … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Big Brother’s Reading You

We now know if you’re reading the book. At least if it’s an e-book.

Posted in framing, journalism, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Science & Lipstick

It’s the stories that draw my attention to the science and health sections of the New York Times. But what caught my eye this week was a full-page advertisement. The French cosmetics company L’Oréal honors women scientists and the ad … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, framing, journalism, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Coffee

I love the science section published each Tuesday in the New York Times. And I hate it, too. A delicious story emerged this week about folks who live on the island of Ikaria, off the mainland of Greece.

Posted in framing, journalism, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Congress Takes Anti-Science Stance

This week Congress approved the budget bill that funds science research while axing dollars for social science. Specifically political science. The news is heart-breaking for those of us who work on the softer side of science. It’s dumbfounding that anyone … Continue reading

Posted in journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , | 6 Comments