Science & Technology

In response to death threats by a Muslim group against Trey Parker and Matt Stone for portraying Mohammed dressed as a bear in a South Park cartoon—and in defense of the freedom of speech, on which civilized society depends—Dan Savage of The Stranger has pronounced May 20, 2010 “Everybody Draw…

James Oberstar, a representative from Minnesota, is attempting to rewrite the Clean Water Act so that the government has control of all waters—not just those that are navigable. This includes everything from puddles and ponds to irrigation ditches. Investors Business Daily points out that farmers should be concerned. “The Oberstar…

"Let them discover the kind of doctors that their system will now produce. Let them discover, in their operating rooms and hospital wards, that it is not safe to place their lives in the hands of a man whose life they have throttled. It is not safe, if he is…

A recent story in the New York Times draws attention to recent legislative attempts by creationists to force public schools to “teach the controversy” between evolution and creationism, and between the man-made global warming hypothesis and criticisms of it. Two recent developments have pushed the creationists to draw parallels between…

Daniel Wahl reviews Newton and the Counterfeiter: the Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest Scientist, by Thomas Levenson.

David H. Mirman reviews Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, by Neil Shubin.

Tells the story of a little-known scientist whose independence, innovations, and passion for his work spawned an agricultural revolution that saved hundreds of millions of people from starvation.

Shows how the establishment of private waterways, and the protection of property rights therein, would solve myriad pressing problems, from water pollution to depleting fish stocks to disputes about rights-of-way.

Shows that although veterinary and human medicine are extremely similar in terms of quality of care, the freer market for the former makes it substantially more affordable and accessible than the latter.

Identifies and concretizes various ways in which government interference in health care precludes doctors from honoring their promise to use their best judgment in treating their patients.