Public beliefs about science and tech across the world

In a new study, we analyzed survey data from fifty-four countries, examining country-level and individual-level differences in beliefs about science and technology.

The gene editing conversation: Public dialogue will require major investments

In 2014 biochemist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California at Berkeley awoke from a nightmare that would shift the focus of her world-class scientific career. Two years earlier, with her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier, now director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, Doudna had achieved one of the most […]

Evolution in the college classroom: Facilitating conversations about science and religion

Sept. 1, 2017 — For most American college students, their first serious encounter with the theory of evolution may come as part of an introductory biology course. As surprising as this might sound, the unfortunate reality is that in many high schools across the country evolution is often avoided or covered superficially as part of […]

The mindfulness movement: How a Buddhist practice evolved into a scientific approach to life

A brief history of the movement’s origins, how it gained scientific legitimacy, and its rising popularity.

Pope Francis climate advocate: Reframing the debate

January 15, 2015 —Warning of “unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem,” Pope Francis in an encyclical to be released this week (and already leaked) calls for aggressive action to combat climate change and other environmental problems. In the special papal letter addressed to the world community, Pope Francis is expected to emphasize the deep moral imperative for […]

Universities in the Anthropocene: Engaging students and communities

January 28, 2015 —There is a growing movement among writers, scientists, and scholars to pin a new label on our modern era. According to these thinkers, pressing environmental problems like climate change are a sign that we have crossed a major threshold in Earth’s long history, entering a unique stage in geological time that requires a […]