Legislators make policy based on the information at hand, which isn’t always the latest scientific findings.
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Researchers want real-world impact. Lawmakers want programs that work. The public wants to benefit from taxpayer-funded research. Building a bridge from academia to legislatures is key to all three.
Data replication is an integral part of the scientific process, which proper research data management can improve.
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The phrase ‘research data management’ might make your eyes glaze over, but it’s actually this behind-the-scenes work that allows for large-scale scientific discoveries and collaborations.
Participants in biobank studies are often asked for broad consent to use their data.
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Biobanks collect and store large amounts of data that researchers use to conduct a wide range of studies. Making sure participants understand what they’re getting into can help build trust in science.
Under 10% of political donations from academic scholars go to Republican causes.
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It’s tempting to focus on the minority of Americans who hold negative views about scientists. But blaming others for their lack of trust won’t build the relationships that can boost trust.
The American flag flies at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 14, 2022, after President Biden ordered flags lowered to commemorate 1 million American dead due to COVID-19.
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Your willingness to get a vaccination is tied to your political party. And that may have deadly consequences.
A crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic lends urgency to scientific research, putting researchers under pressure to produce.
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Scientists can be asked to help find solutions during disasters. A study of how archaeologists worked on the problem of looting during the Syrian war offers lessons for science done during crisis.
Protesters at an anti-vaccine rally in Pennsylvania in August 2021.
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Republicans are four times as likely as Democrats to say they’re not going to get the COVID-19 vaccine. What’s behind the polarization of who trusts or denies science?
When the scientific establishment gets involved in partisan politics, surveys suggest, there are unintended consequences – especially for conservatives.
Overselling slim results can get research findings into the hands of news consumers.
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Breathless press releases, over-interpreted meta-analyses and other ‘crud factors’ mean that weak research results can get overhyped to the public. It’s time for a cultural change in the social sciences.
Trust in online systems varies around the world.
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Around the world, people are both increasingly dependent on, and distrustful of, digital technology. New research suggests ways this conflict could unfold.
Science itself needs to be put under the microscope and carefully scrutinised to deal with its flaws.
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We are observing two new phenomena. On one hand doubt is shed on the quality of entire scientific fields or sub-fields. On the other this doubt is played out in the open, in the media and blogosphere.
Scientists have a lot to contribute – and a lot to lose.
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The scientific community enjoys one of the highest levels of trust among American institutions. But engaging in the political arena during a contentious election season comes with dangers.
There’s more to it than political beliefs.
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Social scientists investigate when and why liberals and conservatives mistrust science. The apparent split may be more about cultural and personal beliefs than feelings about science itself.