Author: David Shiffman

Another science journalism fail from CNN

Posted on By David Shiffman 11 Comments on Another science journalism fail from CNN
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CNN’s reporting of science issues is admittedly not the best around, but a story on their website this morning looks like it was written by a fifth grader. First of all, the headline is absurd. “Science figures out”? Really? How about something like “researchers determine”? “cats display a mastery of physical dynamics that leaves their … Read More “Another science journalism fail from CNN” »

Wanted: An audience to learn about shark conservation

Posted on By David Shiffman

Recently, Andrew shared a video of me Skyping into a sixth grade class to talk about sharks. Long time readers and Twitter followers know that I regularly speak to local schools, community groups, conservation organizations, and even churches. I really enjoy speaking to the public about sharks, and since most of my speaking requests come from people who have previously seen one of my talks, it seems that people enjoy hearing about them from me.

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An open letter about climate change to soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner

Posted on By David Shiffman 46 Comments on An open letter about climate change to soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner
Conservation

Dear Representative Boehner,

Congratulations on your party’s recent election victories. Your speech at the end of the night was particularly touching, and your personal story is inspirational. The election results do seem to signify that many Americans are not happy with how the Democratic party has been running Washington, and some change will likely be good for the country. As a scientist, however, I am deeply troubled by some of what I’m hearing about the new Republican House majority, particularly about global climate change policy.

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Great diagrams of science: What are they doing to those animals?

Posted on By David Shiffman 7 Comments on Great diagrams of science: What are they doing to those animals?
Science

The stereotype of a scientific diagram is a complex, dry, boring graph. While many earn this reputation, a few make can make people do a double-take. Most of these explain research methods involving live animal test subjects. A few of my favorites are shown below.

It is important to note that these images do not show animal abuse of any kind. All of the experimental procedures shown below were approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees because they are the best way to answer important questions about these animals. They were carried out by highly respected professional scientists, and some led to breakthroughs that change how we think about the natural world. They also happen to be quite funny if you view them out of context.

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Shark Science Monday: Jim Gelsleichter discusses how pollution can affect sharks

Posted on By David Shiffman 4 Comments on Shark Science Monday: Jim Gelsleichter discusses how pollution can affect sharks
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The latest Shark Science Monday features University of North Florida researcher Jim Gelsleichter discussing how industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals that we let into the environment can negatively affect sharks. Leave a question for Jim in the comments and either he or I will get back to you. ~WhySharksMatter

Ethical Debate: Evolution, the big easy, and putting your money where your mouth is

Posted on By David Shiffman 26 Comments on Ethical Debate: Evolution, the big easy, and putting your money where your mouth is
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One of my favorite parts of being a scientist is attending conferences. In addition to getting feedback on your research from leaders in your field and staying current on other people’s work, conferences are a lot of fun. When the daily sessions end, it’s basically a bunch of cool people who share your interests looking to have a good time after a long day. While most people (including myself) care more about the knowledge transfer than the celebrations (exhibit A- I’m going to a conference in Minnesota next summer) , I’ve known more than a few people who have chosen not to go to certain conferences because the host city was “boring”. This makes it all the more surprising that the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), one of the largest scientific societies in the United States, announced that their 2011 conference would be held in Salt Lake City and not New Orleans (as had originally been proposed).

Guess which city this celebration took place in? Image from NowPublic.com

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