FABBS reports on items of interest to many communities – scientists, policymakers, and the public. In our news, you will see updates on science funding and policy, articles that translate research for policy, and descriptions of the research contributions of scientists at all stages of their research careers.
“How Americans Really View Science in Society”: A Necessary Conversation
October 30, 2018
On October 2nd, the Aspen Institute hosted a conversation on “Challenging the Orthodoxy of How Americans View Science in Society.” It featured a presentation by Science Counts Executive Director, Chris Volpe, followed by a panel discussion.
Dan Glickman, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute, opened the event, stressing that when the public does not understand something, they are less likely to deem it as important. Seema Kumar, the Vice President of Innovation,
read moreWhy Affirmative Action Isn’t Sufficient to Counter Racial Bias
The last few years have seen emotional conversations about race in America, including the role of racial bias in the criminal justice system. Despite the important issues these conversations have raised, we may not be paying enough attention to how variations in skin tone and other physical features affect different degrees of bias even within racial groups, according to Keith Maddox and Jennifer Perry.
In an article for Policy Insights from the Behavioral Sciences, the researchers summarize
read moreUnderstanding the Role of Genes and Environment in Substance Use and Mental Illness
October 30, 2018
We know genetics plays a role in substance use and mental illness, but to what extent is environment a factor? Or does one behavior or condition trigger the other?
These are among the questions Dr. Karin Verweij tries to answer in her studies of cannabis use and its associations with mental illness. She has performed twin studies to estimate the heritability of cannabis and ecstasy use. In a twin study the resemblance of identical twins is compared with that of
read moreMichael C. Frank Featured at NIH’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Meeting
October 30, 2018
At a recent meeting of the NIH’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee, Michael C. Frank of Stanford University spoke to attendees about the need for more big data to understand early language development in children. His talk, “Early Language Learning at Scale: Bigger Data for Language Development” was well-received. The Coordinating Committee is comprised of behavioral and social scientists from all Institutes, Centers, and Offices of the
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