Tiny Bits of Silver, Used As Bacteria-Eaters, Emerge As New Health Concern

January 15, 2011–Science Survey: In the Winter issue of SEJournal, Rae Tyson reports there may well be a connection between odor-resistant socks and an emerging health and environmental concern.

A Smear Campaign Against Jane Mayer After Koch Exposé?

January 12, 2011–The media blog Gawker thinks it has uncovered a campaign to discredit the New Yorker writer after her August 2010 story on billionaires Charles and David H. Koch, who have secretly funded attacks on government regulations and bankrolled efforts to discredit settled climate science.

Ex-CIA Spook Stalks Climate Scientist Mann

January 12, 2011–A man claiming to be an ex-CIA agent is telling people they may stand to get rich if only they could come up with some dirt on scientist Michael Mann, author of the famous hockey-stick graph that shows the earth getting warm suddenly in recent years. No luck so far.

Obama Science Policy Legitimizes "Minders," PIO Interview Permissions

January 12, 2011–Anonymous White House lawyers have blacked out all information about how the administration's science openness policy was arrived at, and are fighting in court against efforts to shed light on it.

Feds Document Core Areas for Decimated Sage-Grouse

December 8, 2010–The map and report on known greater sage grouse high-density breeding populations is a starting point that can be refined with the input of state fish and wildlife agencies. But you can use it right away as you cover various land use and environmental issues.

Canada Quashing Climate Science: Critics

October 6, 2010–The press policy documents, obtained by Margaret Munro of Postmedia News, reveal scientists must get permission to talk to the press — and climate science and oil sands are off limits. Any statements on those topics must be approved by political appointees at the ministerial level.

Interior Cedes to Critics on Scientific Integrity

October 6, 2010–The revised policy puts the onus on political appointees as well as scientists, declares a presumption of openness in public access to scientific information generated at the agency, and affirms the right of scientific employees to talk to news media and investigative agencies.

Taxpayer-Funded Research Remains Available — for Now

October 6, 2010–SEJ was one of the groups that opposed HR 801, a bill by House Judiciary Chairman John H. Conyers which would allow private journal publishers to copyright scientific articles based on federally funded research.

Groups Slam Proposed Interior Science Integrity Policy

September 8, 2010–Open-government advocacy groups like Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Union of Concerned Scientists say DOI's proposal seems designed to perpetuate some of the worst science abuses of the Bush administration.

Studies: Lighten Up on Roof and Pavement Color

August 4, 2010–While not a stand-alone climate change-fighting measure, converting roofs and pavements in tropical and temperate cities of one million or more people to light-colored materials would provide the equivalent one-time benefit of eliminating two years' worth of global CO2 emissions, or eliminating the emissions of 300 million vehicles for 20 years.