Questions That Blur Political Party Lines Archives | Issues in Science and Technology

Restructuring the Military

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

After more than five years of war in Iraq and almost seven in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is facing a crisis not seen since the end of the Vietnam War. Equipment shortages,… Read More

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Be Careful What You Wish For: A Cautionary Tale about Budget Doubling

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Sometime in the near future, with timing dependent on the economy, the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other competing demands for government money, Congress will substantially boost R&D spending. It… Read More

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Reexamining the Patent System

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Is the patent system working? It depends on whom you ask. Which industry, upstream or downstream firms, public companies or small inventors? Opinions are plentiful, but answers supported by data are few.… Read More

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Reducing Proliferation Risk

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

The use of nuclear energy to produce electricity is expanding worldwide, and as it does the danger that nuclear weapons will also be developed is increasing as well. Historically, most of the… Read More

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Third-Generation Biotechnology: A First Look

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

In May 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a draft environmental impact statement for the use of genetically engineered fruit flies and pink bollworms in plant pest control programs. According… Read More

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Strengthening the Global Environmental Treaty System

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

The global environmental treaty-making system—the set of mechanisms by which countries fashion agreements to promote more sustainable development—is not working very well. More than 400 multilateral agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol… Read More

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A National Renewable Portfolio Standard? Not Practical

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

A discussion of renewable energy seems to addle the brains of many sensible people, leading them to propose policies that are bad engineering and science or have a foundation in yearning for… Read More

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Archives – Fall 2008

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

DENNIS ASHBAUGH, Marlyn, Mixed media on canvas, 74 × 80 inches, 2000.
Marlyn
Dennis Ashbaugh was among the first contemporary artists to incorporate genetic imagery into his work. His large-scale paintings… Read More

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Creating a National Innovation Foundation

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

The issue of economic growth is on the public agenda in this election year in a way that it has not been for at least 15 years. Policymakers have thus far been… Read More

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Predicting the future

Issues — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Predicting the future of the global human community often seems to be a fool’s errand. The track record of futurism is notoriously deficient; mid-20th century prognostications of life in the early 21st… Read More

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