Jeff Danner

To celebrate Election Day, here is a quick Common Science guide to understanding polling results.  In order to keep people interested in their coverage, most national news organizations have steadfastly described presidential...

I expect nanotechnology to bring about noteworthy advances in science and technology over the next 50 years.  Nanotechnology is based on the surprise and unique properties of materials which are between one and one hundred...

This is the second installment of my review of science topics which deserve better treatment in the presidential election than they have received.  Follow this link to start with part I.   Climate Change   The events of 2012...

In order to help secure a peaceful and prosperous future, national policies on energy, the environment, and public health need to be based on good science.  Sadly, during the current presidential election there has been little...

By the 1970s, we pretty much thought we had the world figured out.  You name it – quantum physics, black holes, DNA, plate tectonics, evolution, space travel – we knew all there was to know about it.  (Though to be...

  Given that last fall I wrote a four-part series on influenza and the human immune system, you can probably guess that this is a topic that fascinates me.  (If you would like to go back and read it, here are the links, Part I,...

This is the third and final installment of my series on nuclear power.  I covered the basic science in Part I and the challenges of waste management in Part II. This week I will discuss nuclear power plant safety and share my...

When I started writing about nuclear power last week, I was planning on a two-part series.  As I started Part II, it quickly became apparent that a three-part series would be needed to keep the segments at manageable lengths. So...

I’ve written quite a few columns about electricity generation, but until this week have left nuclear power out of the conversation.  Given that nuclear power currently generates 14% of the world’s electricity, I thought it was...

I am often disappointed with the quality of reporting on energy issues in the national media.   The recent slate of reports on reductions in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from many U.S. power plants converting from...