What You Should be Reading

Science News

We have been subscribers to Science News for many years. It’s essential weekly reading around our place because it helps us keep up with all the threads of science research and track new discoveries. Even though I’m mostly interested in astronomy and space science, it’s in my best interests to keep up with all sciences because, at some level, every scientific discipline and area of study is related to every other one. So, astronomy may get me the study of stars, and planetary science may take me to the planetary exploration front, but it’s also true that advances in chemistry, physics, and paleobiology for example, will also be related to stellar formation and the creation of planets. In addition to a number of peer-reviewed research papers, Science News was one of the magazines whose archives I turned to when I took on a project earlier this year to write a series of exhibits about the effects of climate change for the California Academy of Sciences. Their articles helped point me in the direction of further reading.

This the August 30 cover for a fascinating article on how volcanoes affect climate and have done so in the past. But there are many more intellectual riches inside this issue, including a link to a VERY cool page where you can explore the elements that make up the universe via video demonstrations. It’s called The Periodic Table of Videos, and as reported in Science News, you can spend hours entertaining yourself with visions of elements being dabbled with by experts.  There’s lots more inside this magazine, which I think is a must-read for anybody who wants to become better informed about science research and its uses. You can subscribe to a tree-based version, or become a member at the Science News online site. On top of all that, the magazine is edited by one of my favorite science journalism colleagues, Tom Siegfried. I’ve known him for a good number of years; we’ve sat in press conferences together at American Astronomical Society meetings. With Tom in charge, the magazine’s in good hands. Check it out!