The Most Pressing Science & Faith Question tournament has reached the final round; scroll down or click here to vote between now and midnight EDT on Sunday (April 11). We're going to take a break from answering these questions while I line up other folks to offer their perspectives. This week, I'd like to address some omissions from the bracket. Arguably, the most pressing science & faith questions of the moment have to do with religiously motivated COVID-19 vaccine refusal. I left out pandemic topics in part because I … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Immunization is a Team Sport
public health
Science Corner: Recognizing the Discovery of Hepatitis C
Having spent a little time looking at the Ig Nobel prizes, let's give some attention to this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded equally to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice "for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus." Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted by direct blood contact, such as a blood transfusion or sharing of needles for intravenous drug use. Knowing that the virus exists, how it is transmitted, and how to detect it has significantly increased the safety of our blood … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Recognizing the Discovery of Hepatitis C
Science Corner: Loving One’s Neighborhood
Since my job is in the public health sphere, and since I have training on the biology of infectious diseases, it seemed like I should comment on the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, I wasn't sure I had anything to add. I don't have special access to case counts the rest of you don't; my recommendations aren't any different than what you'd find on the CDC website or in reporting like this segment from CBS Sunday Morning. What I do have, I suppose, is a little insight into our public health system which I thought … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Loving One’s Neighborhood
Science Corner: Governing By Osmosis
Osmosis has long been part of our metaphorical repertoire for describing the spread of knowledge. The implied passivity no doubt rankles some teachers, and the reappropriation of a fairly precise term for such nebulous purposes confounds some scientists. Diffusion is a more generic and so perhaps more appropriate concept to be used analogically, which is exactly the approach used for modeling how health policies spread through society. The general notion of policy adoption as a diffusion process actually seems to be … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Governing By Osmosis