Issues in Science and Technology

The AI Expertise Paradox Are early-career professionals—whose output benefits most from AI today—going to be prepared to lead their fields in an AI-driven future?

On “productive struggle” and the AI expertise paradox: “The tools that enable novices to perform more like experts simultaneously make them less likely to become experts.”

Christopher Cotton & Lydia Scholle-Cotton respond to our podcast with labor economist David Autor: issues.org/ai-expertise...

Our January #FutureTenseFiction story is here! Read @andrewliptak.com’s “Deficiency Agent,” which follows a Marine whose role in an AI-led decision loop is to “root out any weirdness the AI might spit out” on the battlefield.

A Texas-Sized, Texas-Shaped Approach to Biomedical Research Texas voters have approved billions to study cancer and dementia, embracing the idea that biomedical research is a force for public good.

I'm very excited to share our new article "A Texas-Sized, Texas-Shaped Approach to Biomedical Research" in @issuesinst.bsky.social issues.org/texas-resear... @stpolicy.bsky.social @bakerinstitute.bsky.social

A Texas-Sized, Texas-Shaped Approach to Biomedical Research Texas voters have approved billions to study cancer and dementia, embracing the idea that biomedical research is a force for public good.

“Learning that Texas champions a progressive funding regime for biomedical research may come as a surprise,” @kennethmevans.bsky.social, Kirsten Matthews, & Heidi Russell write. But the state’s bipartisan funding model can help other state-led social contracts for science. issues.org/texas-resear...

The “Terrible Engine of Destruction” That Inspired Federal Science Funding What can we learn about the relationship between science and the American public from the story of plagues of locusts in the 1870s?

A fascinating read that everyone should check out! “By looking more closely at the locust, the enterprise can begin to examine how power people, powerful interest, and ideologies affect the landscape of science”

@issuesinst.bsky.social issues.org/locusts-fede...

The “Terrible Engine of Destruction” That Inspired Federal Science Funding What can we learn about the relationship between science and the American public from the story of plagues of locusts in the 1870s?

Terrific article that offers a different and much needed perspective on the development of the US social contract for science, and also previews our upcoming article on Texas state biomedical research policy in @issuesinst.bsky.social issues.org/locusts-fede...

“There Are Two Possible Futures for American Science.” The Simons Foundation president talks about science philanthropy, the future of the research enterprise, and remaining hopeful.

Simons Foundation president David Spergel recently spoke to @issuesinst.bsky.social about the future of science philanthropy: https://issues.org/american-science-simons-spergel-interview/ #science #math #philanthropy

Making AI Chatbots Safer J. B. Branch discusses what AI chatbots are, what the companies behind these AIs are doing, and how they might be regulated.

A recent Issues in Science and Technology interview with J. B. Branch takes a look at AI chatbots, their impacts on users — including teens and the elderly — and how companies and policymakers can protect vulnerable populations.

Read or listen: https://ow.ly/tihm50XOrvp

Applications close December 30. Apply here: asu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ASUSta...

This is an ideal position for an early-career person in journalism, publishing, policy, or academia who’s interested in the intersections of science, technology, society, and policy. Attention to detail, enthusiasm for audience building, and a discerning eye for arguments and facts are crucial.

ISSUES is hiring! We’re looking for an Assistant Editor, based in Phoenix, to support editorial operations: producing and optimizing articles for web, copyediting, fact-checking, creating for social media, assisting with podcast and event production, and more. We all wear many hats! And so will you.

A Brief Note From the Guy on the Table A traumatic brain injury gave me a crash course in a dysfunctional insurance bureaucracy and the wondrous healing powers of superglue.

“How did the system come to use superglue to fix my brain? Who in the world would do such a thing?”

Physician and science policy scholar Robert Cook-Deegan shares lessons he learned from “being the guy on the operating room table”: issues.org/subdural-hem...

What Is Fiction’s Role in Imagining Better Social Policies? Join us for a conversation on how social scientists, advocates, and policy makers can use fiction to imagine better futures.

and on THURSDAY all three editors will be in conversation with @issuesinst.bsky.social @edfinn.bsky.social @craigcalhoun.bsky.social in what promises to be a fascinating virtual event - join us! issues.org/event/what-i...

Can We Cool Down Data? | Future Tense Fiction The energy demands of data centers—accelerated by AI—are steering us toward disaster. Could biology help bring us back from the brink?

Wrote a short opinion piece for
@issuesinst.bsky.social in response to a science fiction story by E.G. Condé about the inescapable heat death of all our data. Can biology help us slow this thermodynamic destiny? Thanks to @imaginationasu.bsky.social for the invitation:

issues.org/futuretensef...

Better Biosecurity for the Bioeconomy David R. Gillum makes the case for a National Biosafety and Biosecurity Agency to deal with evolving biosecurity threats.

A recent Issues in Science and Technology piece explores how creating a National #Biosafety and #Biosecurity Agency that oversees the entire research life cycle can help manage risks and build public trust while allowing scientists to continue doing good work.

Read: https://ow.ly/Tgpc50Xt8AG

In case you missed it, the 5th and final-for-this-season episode of NOT NOW BUT SOON, the podcast I host at @issuesinst.bsky.social, came out yesterday! Search "The Ongoing Transformation" to find the series wherever you get your podcasts or click below ⬇️

Thursday, November 13. 5:00 PM ET. Henry and Bryna David Lecture 2025. Beware the Funhouse Mirror: How Social Media Misleads Us About Public Opinion. Jay Van Bavel. To the left is a headshot of Jay Van Bavel.

How does social media distort our understanding of what the public thinks? Join us on November 13 for the 2025 #DavidLecture with Jay Van Bavel, PhD about how technology and psychology interact to create a funhouse mirror version of public opinion: https://ow.ly/uaPk50XiyHF

Of Pandas and Science Curricula Twenty years ago, a landmark court case held that intelligent design cannot be taught in science classrooms. What lessons does it offer for conflicts in education?

In 2005, the Panda Trial held that intelligent design cannot be taught in science classrooms. 20 years later, @monyab.bsky.social revisits the trial and the people involved, finding insights into conflicts around community, religion, science, and education. Read the story: issues.org/science-curr...

Coser y Cantar | Future Tense Fiction Gabriela Damián Miravete’s Future Tense Fiction story explores labor, fast fashion, and the textile industry.

Our new #FutureTenseFiction story is here! “Coser y Cantar” by Gabriela Damián Miravete, translated by Will Vanderhyden, explores fast fashion, AI, and corporate accountability. Read it here: issues.org/futuretensef... #speculativefiction

Better Biosecurity for the Bioeconomy David R. Gillum makes the case for a National Biosafety and Biosecurity Agency to deal with evolving biosecurity threats.

“There is no question that oversight of high-consequence biological research is needed. But what kind, and how much?”

David Gillum makes the case for a National Biosafety and Biosecurity Agency: issues.org/biosecurity-... #biosafety #biosecurity

IS

My opinion on the decline of our national pandemic preparedness and risks to biosecurity in @issuesinst.bsky.social @nationalacademies.org

issues.org/unprepared-p...

Better Biosecurity for the Bioeconomy David R. Gillum makes the case for a National Biosafety and Biosecurity Agency to deal with evolving biosecurity threats.

Great new article by David Gillum in @issuesinst.bsky.social
Better Biosecurity for the Bioeconomy

issues.org/biosecurity-...

Not Now, But Soon: Losing Your Country Nasir Andisha, Afghan ambassador to the UN, shares the story of what it’s like to lose his nation, but continue to advocate for its people.

NEW EPISODE DAY! In this edition of NOT NOW BUT SOON, I talk to my friend Nasir Andisha, ambassador and permanent representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, where he represents the people—not the current government—of a country that has been navigating disaster for decades.

AI Companions Are Not Your Teen’s Friend Despite broad agreement that teens should be protected from threats posed by AI companions, federal regulation is dangerously limited.

“Examples of chatbots promoting antisocial behavior, violence, and self-harm have multiplied across platforms since large language models came into wide usage,” @jbbranch.bsky.social writes. Read his piece on regulatory pathways for enforcing AI safety standards: issues.org/ai-companion...

A new article in Issues in Science and Technology explores a new directive to build a #nuclear reactor on the Moon, why past U.S. #SpaceNuclear programs have failed, and what is needed to ensure that this time is different.

Read: https://ow.ly/PqjR50XhOTm

No Longer Free of Strings Federally funded science now comes with strings attached—scientists must understand what happened before they can respond.

The much-discussed “social contract” between science and the federal government, once described by physicist Harvey Brooks as “free of strings,” is now “clearly defunct,” @lisamargonelli.bsky.social writes in her Editor’s Journal for the Fall ISSUES. issues.org/science-soci...

Three Months on the Way to FAIR When NIH announced caps on indirect costs, the Joint Associations Group (JAG) developed a new FAIR model for handling F&A costs.

The story of how, in three months, 10 research organizations developed a new model for funding indirect costs—and of a $26 slice of carrot cake—as told by Kelvin Droegemeier, Barbara Snyder, @scipolguy.bsky.social, Nancy Andrews, Willie May, Kurt Marek, & Farin Kamangar: issues.org/indirect-cos...

Field Notes on Moving Focused Research Organizations Forward Lessons from four years of building a new kind of focused scientific organization to create fundamental technologies and accelerate discovery.

What does it take to identify critical science & tech capability gaps—and then build organizations dedicated to addressing them?

@adammarblestone.bsky.social, @anastasiag.bsky.social, Mary Wang, & @josephfridman.bsky.social on creating @convergentresearch.bsky.social: issues.org/focused-rese...

A Strategy for Building Space Nuclear Systems That Fly Bhavya Lal and Roger M. Myers assess what it will take for NASA to design, build, and deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030.

“History shows that when it comes to space nuclear power, the United States is far better at setting goals than seeing them through.”

@b-lal.bsky.social and Roger Meyers on what it will actually take to get a high-powered nuclear reactor working on the Moon by 2030: issues.org/space-nuclea...

A Coordinated Approach to Cannabis Policy and Product Safety The United States urgently needs a coordinated approach to regulating cannabis use that prioritizes product safety and patient well-being.

Also see Max's new #SciPol piece in @issuesinst.bsky.social on improving cannabis analytics, health, and safety in the United States: issues.org/coordinated-... 🧪