On the Subject of Science

Many of us cast votes based on religion, economics, war, peace, international relations and many other factors. But I bet very few pay attention to candidates' knowledge and application of science. Some presidential administrations have been friendly to scientists and researchers, other not so much.

To find out more about this year's slate, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is inviting the top four presidential candidates (Clinton, Obama, McCain and Huckabee) to a science debate slated to take place in April. So far, none of the contenders have accepted.

I hope they all do; science is a big deal. From stem cells to forensics to space tourism and more, the present and the future will be shaped by the state of our scientific knowledge. Knowing how the candidates stand on the issue of government science (entities such as CDC, NOAA, NSF and others) is vitally important.

There's more from MSNBC science blogger Alan Boyle here.

Columbus Sails a New Ocean

After two months of delays, the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Thursday on a mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis is carrying a $2 billion science lab called Columbus. The module will be joined to the ISS to increase working space and broaden the scope of science experiments carried out by the ISS crews.

From MSNBC: Test your shuttle knowledge.

Valentine's Day is next Thursday. Of course, there is no science to relationships. But by gum, there can be science in relationships: here's a list of Valentine's Day chemistry experiments for those science wonks in love.

Mercury, Milestones and the Music in Your Head

Yesterday, January 31, marked the 50th anniversary of America's first satellite, Explorer 1. The four-foot long tube-shaped satellite was built at Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal. Find out more about Explorer 1 from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NPR science correspondent Robert Krulwich filed one of his delightfully inventive pieces for Morning Edition on Tuesday, this one about a woman whose brain hallucinated sounds. Listen to her tale and see what it tells us about the amazing human brain at NPR.org.

NASA's MESSENGER space probe flew past Mercury on January 14, beaming back some impressive images of the closest planet to the Sun. What those first images show us is already helping to rewrite the history (and present understanding) of the planet and its space environment. Get more at Science@NASA.