Science

WASHINGTON, D.C.—They marched for science, and at first, they did so quietly. On Saturday, as thousands of people started streaming eastward from the Washington Monument, in a river of ponchos and umbrellas, the usual raucous chants that accompany such protests were rarely heard and even more rarely continued. “Knowledge is power; it’s our final hour,” said six enthusiastic people—to little response. “What do we want? Science! When do we want it? After peer review!” shouted another pocket of marchers—for about five rounds.Scientists are not a group to whom activism comes easily or familiarly. Most have traditionally stayed out of the political sphere, preferring to stick to their research. But for many, this historical detachment ended with the election of Donald Trump.His administration has denied the reality of climate change, courted anti-vaccine campaigners, repeatedly stated easily disproven falsehoods, attempted to gag government … [Read more...] about How the March for Science Finally Found Its Voice

Researchers have rediscovered an elusive deer-like animal species which had been lost to science for almost three decades. The silver-backed chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor) is a small species of ungulate—a diverse group of mammals with hooves which includes deer, horses, camels, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and many others—that is only known to live in Vietnam. Prior to the latest findings, the last recorded silver-backed chevrotain was a specimen killed by a hunter in 1990. However, a team of scientists has now photographed a living individual of the species in the wild, proving that that the long lost animal has not been wiped out, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The finding is a rare piece of welcome news for conservationists in an age when species around the world are going extinct at an alarming rate. However, the researchers—led by An Nguyen from non-profit Global Wildlife Conservation … [Read more...] about Elusive Deer-Like Species Which Had Been Lost to Science for Three Decades ‘Rediscovered’ by Researchers

The inner workings of a libertarian thinktank working to discredit the established science on climate change have been exposed by a leak of confidential documents detailing its strategy and fundraising networks. DeSmogBlog, which broke the story, said it had received the confidential documents from an "insider" at the Heartland Institute, which is based in Chicago. The blog monitors industry efforts to discredit climate science. The scheme includes spending $100,000 for spreading the message in K-12 schools that "the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain - two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science", the documents said. It was not possible to immediately verify the authenticity of the documents, although Heartland issued a statement on Wednesday claiming at least one document was fake, and that it was the victim of theft and forgery. However, Anthony Watts, a weathercaster who runs one of the most prominent anti-science blogs, … [Read more...] about Leak exposes how Heartland Institute works to undermine climate science

A libertarian thinktank devoted to discrediting climate change received funds and other support from major corporations including some publicly committed to social responsibility, leaked documents reveal. The inner workings of the Heartland Institute were laid bare on Tuesday night after an "insider" emailed confidential documents detailing its strategy and fundraising network to DeSmogBlog, which monitors industry efforts to discredit climate science. Much of Heartland's work to discredit climate change is funded by a single anonymous donor, the papers reveal. However, a 2012 fundraising plan also indicated that Heartland has in the past received funds from a host of major corporations for other projects – including companies that publicly support action on climate change. Along with tobacco giants Altria and Reynolds America, and drug firms GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Eli Lilley, major corporations have given over $1.1m in the past two years to the institute, and are planning … [Read more...] about Climate science attack machine took donations from major corporations

(CNN)A tiny deer-like creature about the size of a rabbit has been photographed in the wild for the first time in three decades in southern Vietnam, delighting conservationists who feared the species was extinct. The silver-backed chevrotain, also called the Vietnamese mouse deer, was last recorded more than 25 years ago when a team of Vietnamese and Russian researchers obtained a dead chevrotain from a hunter. The animals were found in area where hunting with wire traps in common place. "For so long, this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination," said Vietnamese biologist An Nguyen, an associate conservation scientist with Global Wildlife Conservation, a nongovernmental organization, and a PhD student with the LeibnizInstitute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. "Discovering that it is, indeed, still out there, is the first step in ensuring we don't lose it again, and we're moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it," he said in a statement. … [Read more...] about Tiny deer-like animal thought lost to science photographed for first time in 30 years