Home | Neorenaissance - A blog from the intersection of science, politics and the creative culture

Dramatic Photos of Glacier National Park Then and Now

Congress debates climate change that images make plain

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Aug 03, 2012

Beyond these Orwellian arguments, for a true taste of problems inherent in this discussion tune in to the exchange that happened as Boxer brought the first portion of the hearing to a close.

Organizations List Top Science & Environmental Questions Obama, Romney Should Tackle

In an age of growing antiscience politics, fifteen US science and engineering organizations take a stand

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Jul 19, 2012

Fifteen of the top U.S. science and engineering organizations today released a list of the most important science policy questions that presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Mitt Romney should be debating on the campaign trail.

The Vulnerable Heart of Machismo

Book Review: Cures for Hunger by Deni Béchard

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | May 16, 2012

A gripping, evocative memoir of the writer's childhood love for his criminal but all-too-human father

Science: a force for freedom and human rights

Thoughts on the passing of Fang Lizhi, science humanitarian

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Apr 19, 2012

Chinese physicist Fang Lizhi wrote of science and freedom and paid for it with his own.

Republican Meteorologist says 'keep track of who the deniers are today'

Poking a Hornet's Nest

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Mar 31, 2012

My recent Op-Ed gave me a chance to summarize how I feel about the politicization of climate science in recent years - how it's become a bizarre litmus test for conservatism.

A Message from a Republican Meteorologist on Climate Change

Acknowledging Climate Science Doesn’t Make You A Liberal

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Mar 28, 2012

You can’t prove that any one of Barry Bonds' 762 home runs was sparked by alleged steroid use. But it did increase his “base state”, raising the overall odds of hitting a home run. You can’t point to any one weather extreme and say “that’s climate change”, but a warmer atmosphere increases the potential for historic spikes in temperature, and more frequent weather extremes.

Americans Deserve a Presidential Science Debate

In an age when the major US challenges revolve around science, we deserve candidates who will share their views on it

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Mar 19, 2012

America needs and deserves a president who can show that he or she understands the importance of basing public policy on the best available evidence, as the founders intended.

Cherry Blossoms, Ice Boxes, BMWs, and Climate Change

The way to counter antiscience thinking is to make science concrete. Hot enough for you?

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Mar 18, 2012

The way to counter antiscience thinking is to make science concrete. Hot enough for you?

Academic Freedom Wins In Cuccinelli Climate Case

Supreme Court Tosses Virginia Attorney General's Attack on UVA and Michael Mann

By Shawn Lawrence Otto | Mar 02, 2012

In a big win for academic freedom over the forces of creeping authoritarianism, the Virginia Supreme Court today sided with the University of Virginia in its fight against Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's investigation of former UVA climate scientist Michael Mann.