Scientific Inquiry

A new policy will allow the U.S. national parks to share in the profits of private companies whose scientific breakthroughs are based on organisms harvested there.

Nov 30, 2009 - Sara E. Lewis

Natural tickling cannot be duplicated in the laboratory. As a result, research on tickling has been limited by the experimental methods chosen.

Nov 3, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Medicine is often seen as an experimental science, and the use of placebos is common practice. But what happens when the proposed treatment relies on fake surgery?

Oct 24, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Hypothesis Testing is used to check whether there is or is not likely to be a difference between one or more data sets. It is the cornerstone of all statistical testing.

Oct 19, 2009 - Martin Bell

Some people seem compelled to undertake terrifyingly inane exploits that lead to them paying the ultimate price.

Oct 19, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

At the Doctors' Trial, Nazi physicians claimed that their medical abuses should be excused as they had acted no differently than U.S. doctors. Was their allegation true?

Oct 17, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

For almost 40 years, the U.S. Public Health Service studied syphilis in African American men without telling them that they were being experimented upon.

Oct 9, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Researchers are finding evidence that people associate white with moral purity and black with its opposite.

Oct 9, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

A ceremony is held at Harvard University to parody the prestigious Nobel Prizes to honour more dubious achievements than those recognized in Stockholm.

Oct 8, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

The Nuremberg Code of 1947 set forth 10 basic principles regarding human experimentation, but the medical profession needed something less legalistic and more practical.

Oct 6, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Nearly 20 years after the Nuremberg Code, a New York physician named Chester Southam injected live cancer cells into patients without their consent.

Oct 5, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Handwriting analysis claims that personality can be understood by examining the individual components of handwriting. Does it work or is it just pseudoscience?

Oct 1, 2009 - Andy Luttrell

With the rise of Adolf Hitler to power, the Nazis allowed German physicians to conduct unethical medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners.

Sep 26, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The need to respect authority is ingrained from an early age, but sometimes blind obedience to authority has a destructive influence on ethics and moral decision making.

Sep 17, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

When you get a writing job that needs to be researched it is best to include more than one method of data analysis. This article provides an overview of good practice.

Sep 15, 2009 - Marc Latham

By 1933, German medicine had become increasingly politicized as physicians openly endorsed National Socialism as a means to purge society of undesirable influences.

Sep 11, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The Nuremberg Code (1947) is considered the starting point for human experimentation ethics, but strict guidelines and medical regulations existed in Germany before 1933.

Sep 10, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Prior to the adoption of the Nuremberg Code, most human experimentation was performed on vulnerable people who were least likely to give voluntary consent for research.

Sep 8, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Techniques that allowed for the rapid determination of the order of the nucleotide bases in a molecule of DNA started a new era in scientific research.

Sep 2, 2009 - Kenneth Rosen

The simpler the explanation the better. This theory is otherwise know as KISS. It is also the basis of Occam's razor. This is a theory about evidence and method.

Aug 27, 2009 - George Garza

Zabdiel Boylston, the first American surgeon, is remembered for introducing variolation to Colonial America despite strong opposition from the local medical profession.

Aug 25, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

For centuries, so-called "stigmatics" have amazed believers with their miraculous wounds, but skeptical analysis points to fraud.

Aug 25, 2009 - Jenny Ashford

The Age of Enlightenment promoted reason and scientific knowledge, but sometimes new medical treatments were suggested by influential patients and not physicians.

Aug 24, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Following the advances proposed by Avicenna in the 11th century, medical experimentation languished during the Middle Ages and throughout the Age of Reason.

Aug 24, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Following the decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations, the next major advance in medical experimentation came from a Persian physician named Avicenna.

Aug 23, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The practice and ethics of human experimentation is not a modern phenomenon, but has origins in ancient medicine and culture.

Aug 23, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The medical profession existed for thousands of years before the first code of medical ethics was accidentally developed in 1794.

Aug 21, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Two universities have concluded through mathematical modelling that zombies would beat humans in combat.

Aug 18, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

Although the Pernkopf Atlas has been used by physicians for almost 70 years, allegations about the artists and the models have raised disturbing ethical questions.

Aug 16, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Harness the power of water pressure by learning to calculate molecular content.

Aug 11, 2009 - Sarah Mikula

Scientific knowledge advances rapidly and changes lives. These publications will keep you up-to-date, without soaking up too much time.

Aug 5, 2009 - Philip McIntosh

Matlab is one of the most popular, powerful statistical software programs available. Running a basic t-test in Matlab helps determine significance between groups.

Aug 2, 2009 - Sarah Mikula

A general introduction to intellectual property rights (IPR), which summarizes the types of IPR and its relevance in today's world.

Aug 1, 2009 - Jitesh Iyer

The use of animals for scientific research is a controversial topic. There are, however, a number of committees involved in ensuring the ethical treatment of animals.

Jul 25, 2009 - Roberta Goli

Statistical tests help establish the reliability and significance of experimental data

Jul 13, 2009 - Dennis Holley

Modern science was born with the realization that hypotheses must be tested with valid experiments that yield trustworthy data.

Jul 13, 2009 - Dennis Holley

Investigative science should be viewed as a cyclic, not linear endeavor.

Jul 12, 2009 - Dennis Holley

In simplest terms, science is the search for natural truths.

Jul 11, 2009 - Dennis Holley

Interested in fresh water ecosystems? Captivated by minerals and gems? If so, the EcoTarium is the museum where guests are are encouraged to learn.

Jul 1, 2009 - Andrea Lettic

Identifying specific pieces of DNA in a complex mixture is readily accomplished using a method developed by Dr. Edwin Southern, and the technique bears his name.

Jun 16, 2009 - Kenneth Rosen

Scientists are trained to employ logic to examine and test claims. While science and religion have, at times been in opposition, some attempt to marry these concepts.

Jun 15, 2009 - Paul Bertolone

Many would argue that science and faith are incongruent, even at odds. Logic and rational examination of religion could possibly bridge gaps and foster understanding.

Jun 15, 2009 - Paul Bertolone

The recently discovered induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells, seem to be just as promising as embryonic stem cells without any of the ethical drawbacks.

May 21, 2009 - Katherine Brind'Amour

A California-based experiment seems to show that dogs know when their owners are on their way home.

May 20, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

To study the distribution and behavior of proteins in extracts prepared from cells or tissues, methods based on detection using specific antibodies are widely used.

May 9, 2009 - Kenneth Rosen

Nano is popularly considered as a revolution in science and technology, but there are controversial opinions about the future of this newly born field of study.

Apr 13, 2009 - Ali Eftekhari

Consumers can benefit from the science of nanotechnology, especially in the field of medicine, but more research is needed on the side-effects of nanoparticles.

Apr 7, 2009 - Indrani Nadarajah

Neuroscientists are getting closer and closer to unlocking the mysteries of how the human brain works.

Apr 7, 2009 - Rupert Taylor

The idea of generation of electricity from batteries powered by viruses might seem a little bit far-fetched, akin to what people read in science fiction.

Apr 3, 2009 - Mohan Alembath

Scientists over time have made incredible discoveries that have helped others understand the way the world works. Here are some of the best ones.

Mar 29, 2009 - Roberta Goli