Biology in the News Explained

Conservation works — for economics

Sustainability is not just an ecological concept, it's an economic one. Are we making progress on fisheries?

Will we manage to create sustainable fisheries?

There is hope for the future of fish as for once the U.S. leads the way in dealing with an important global environmental problem.

Anti-terrorism policies take money away from invasive species prevention

Few people realize that biosecurity funding put in place after 2001 was at the expense of protecting our borders from another major threat to our society: invasive species.

“Job-killing”: the new shorthand for any measure to protect long-term economic or environmental health

It's official: Any environmental regulations -- or any regulations favoring long term conservation or economic stability for all at the expense of maximized short term profits for a few individuals -- are "job-killing", and therefore an evil liberal plot.

Progress in getting our genes back from biotech companies

The U.S. government finally has taken the position that unmodified genes are a "natural product" that are not patent-eligible. The District Court rules soon on the class-action suit that should return to you the 20% of your genome now owned by corporations.

Torn: The “Conflict of Modern Motherhood” is all about guilt

A review of the book “Torn: True Stories of Kids, Career & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood”, edited by Samantha Parent Walravens (May, 2011).

End all energy subsidies

The easiest way to cut through petty energy politics, and talk about the real issues we need to address, is to eliminate all energy subsidies, whether green or dirty.

Death Panels Return!

The American Society of Clinical Oncologists is trying to go behind Sarah Palin's back. That's a start.

We’re paying to destroy fisheries as fast as we can

The UN Environment Programme report makes clear with numbers what we are dealing with to save the dysfunctional fishing industry. Simply, we have to start spending money building stocks, instead of destroying them.

Reliance on high-tech imaging = short-cut medical care?

Medical lawsuits are only one of several reasons that patients are overscreened using high-tech medical technology. It's time that everyone recognized that there are a lot of reasons for and problems associated with overscreening.

The cost implications of health care reform

You may not realize it amid all the angry cacophony, but there are two sides to the question of whether health care reform will help the economics of the United States.

A good day for science and medicine

Myriad Genetics has rightly lost the lawsuit by plaintiffs trying to undo their right to patent genes. But given the makeup of our courts after eight years of President Bush, is their any hope for defending ourselves against the current pro-corporation onslaught?