What I'm Reading (Nov. 7)

Although the election is now “over,” its downstream fallout will continue for some time. Those of us engaged in communicating science will have to live with the impact of those who did and did not endorse.

“Scholars who study science communications and perceptions of science say that the decision to endorse a candidate risks further entrenching the idea that science is a partisan issue. 

“Science has always been political, and it will always be political,” said Scheufele. But partisan, he says, means ‘that we actually align our thinking with one party.’” 

I continue to claim that for science, the noun, the facts remain objective and transparent. On the other hand, science, the verb, the translation of those data points into policy has always been political. From Stat, although a bit late, How science journals are confronting the ‘existential’ question of politics this election

“I’ve always been a gadget freak, and some things are just wonderful!” Julia Child

The Smithsonian now has an exhibit of those gadgets collected over the years of cooking. Spoiler alert: there is a microwave. See the Tools and Gadgets From Julia Child’s Kitchen That Reveal How the Beloved Chef Cooked

This week, I wanted to share two videos. 

“In 1922, a relatively obscure ancient Egyptian pharaoh became an international sensation when a team led by the British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, who reigned from roughly 1332-1323 BCE. The discovery marked the first time a pharaoh’s tomb had been entered essentially unlooted and untouched.”

From Aeon, What did the first people who entered Tutankhamun’s tomb see?

I lived in lower Manhattan for several years, just a few blocks from the 911 Memorial. To be honest, I have walked past it many times but have never gone to the Museum, knowing that it remains too emotionally charged an event for me to relive. But then I ran across this video that portrays the Memorial’s day-to-day.