Authored by Eric Lumsden At the time of Kim Jon-nam’s assassination there was very little buzz surrounding the methods employed to kill him. Most of the media attention focused on the assassins, including the fascination with one woman’s ‘LOL’ shirt. Both claimed to be confused, thinking they were on a reality show. The White House was slow to issue a statement and news outlets followed suit with little focus on the seriousness of the infraction. Of course the facts were reported, but very few articles provided context for just how serious the organophosphorus (OP) nerve agent VX is. Some articles,...

Authored by Eric Lumsden Tyler Cowen published a blog post this morning highlighting a study that shows the average age of scientists has increased from 45 to 49 over a 17 year span. This coincides nicely with a piece I wrote earlier this month outlining why younger scientists need to take a bigger stand on advocacy, specifically the section discussing the plateauing of funded grants and the increased age of primary investigators. More senior faculty members are hanging on to their jobs longer while, simultaneously, grant funding is stagnating. The study points out this ‘crowding out’ of younger scientists and...

Authored by Eric Lumsden It’s a confusing time to be a scientist. While we strive for balanced conclusions dependent on evidence, the world around us picks and chooses what to believe. Facts are changed or lied about, graphs are pulled out of context or manipulated to alter their meaning, snowballs are brought inside the capitol to prove the globe is not warming. Individuals unfamiliar with the scientific method pick the “correct” science based on what supports their ideology, clinging to ‘their science’ and shouting down conclusions from the opposition. Overwhelmingly agreed upon principles suddenly become topics of debate when politics...

Authored by Benjamin Wolfson By misunderstanding the role of regulation in science and drug discovery, Trump puts the public at risk. At his first speech in front of both houses of Congress last night, President Trump used Megan Crowley, a survivor of Pompe’s Disease, as a prop to promote his goal of cutting regulations across the Government. As infants, Megan and her brother Patrick were both diagnosed with the neuromuscular disorder Pompe’s Disease. Frustrated with the lack of treatment options, their father John Crowley left his management position at Bristol-Myers Squibb to be the CEO of Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, a company...