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Making poker pay
EDITORIAL
Leave education to the experts, not creationists The right of American children to be taught sound science is at risk, but that’s democracy
education. At the same time, it is dangerous to argue that the powers of democratically elected officials should be taken away if they don’t produce the outcome you want. Yet that is what may happen in Texas. State senator Rodney Ellis and representative Garnet Coleman, both Democrats, have introduced legislation that would transfer authority for textbooks and curricula to the Texas Education Agency. Is there a way out of this impasse? One possibility is that candidates for school boards should be vetted before they stand. Another is for the pro-science lobby to engage more fully with the democratic process. After the Dover
THERE is something badly wrong with the way standards for school science are set in the US. When the Texas State Board of Education voted in new standards last week “Elected officials on state school (see page 5) it left the door ajar for teaching boards often lack any credentials creationism under the guise of science in in science or education” federally funded schools. These loopholes must be closed, and quickly. Because standards are set at state level, trial, board members who favoured intelligent students in one state might be learning design were dumped by the electorate. different science and using different Something similar could happen in Texas. textbooks than students in another. What Another possibility is to push decisions is worse, the state boards of education that further up the democratic ladder. President are responsible for standards and textbooks Barack Obama has already called for all states are made up of elected officials who need to have the same achievement standards, not have any expertise or credentials in the raising hopes that he might push for federal relevant areas of science or education. standards across all US schools. While this As we saw in the 2005 trial over teaching might provoke conservative ire, it would put intelligent design in Dover, Pennsylvania, and an end to the present situation in which an are now seeing in Texas, school boards have accident of geography can determine whether become a political battleground. Many board a child is taught valid science. members appear to be acting on behalf of Obama has already made remarkable religious groups like local churches or the changes in Washington by restoring scientific Discovery Institute, the Seattle-based standard- expertise to its rightful place in government. bearer of the intelligent design movement. Many teachers and scientists would like to see School science standards should be set by him do the same in the place where it can people who understand science and science count most: in the classroom. ■
The dangers of inhaling dubious facts FIRST we learned of the risks of smoking. Then it was the dangers of inhaling the smoke from someone else’s cigarette. Fair enough – there’s strong evidence that passive smoking increases the risk of heart attack, lung cancer and cot death. Now some smoking researchers are warning that third-hand smoke – the particles that linger on skin and clothes long after the cigarette has been extinguished – could also be a danger (see page 34). Is this a step too far? The evidence that third-hand smoke has any physiological effects is tenuous, yet much of the media – and some health organisations – reported it as fact. It is the World Health Organization’s 20th World No Tobacco Day next month, but if claims like these can’t be supported by sound science, the danger is that people will stop listening to the message. ■
Making poker pay IN JURISDICTIONS across the world, courts continue to debate whether poker is a game of chance or skill – and therefore whether it should be treated as gambling. That could soon change (see page 10). The rise of online poker means that statisticians now have vast amounts of data to analyse, and it increasingly appears that skill holds the aces. But don’t bet on poker being completely deregulated: governments will always want a slice of such a lucrative – and addictive – business. ■
What’s hot on NewScientist.com TECH Fear detector makes for the fairground ride of your life If amusement park rides never deliver the thrill level you crave, you’ll welcome new “smart rides” that can spot if a person is bored and push up the excitement levels. Watch our video of the system in action SPACE What will the sun look like when it dies? The sun will eventually slough off its outer layers, forming a shimmering “planetary nebula”. Our gallery shows the
dazzling forms the nebula could take APRIL FOOLS? Strange but true examples of current research A proposal to combine Viagra with moisturiser to make a cellulite treatment; the suggestion that men could cure their hay fever by masturbating; a correlation between geomagnetic activity and dream “weirdness”. We bring you a selection of ideas that can be most generously described as hypotheses
ONLINE PRIVACY Social networks can spill your secrets Anonymous data taken from accounts on multiple social websites can be pooled to reveal the users, researchers warn GREEN TECH Can bacteria clean up our act? A wide range of green technologies can be built using the chemical skills of bacteria – from bugs that transform cheap plastic bottles into more valuable polymers, to others that can extract hydrogen gas from water
ENERGY Ice that burns could be a green fossil fuel Natural gas trapped in water crystals could provide huge amounts of energy. If a new technology delivers as promised, it could even be emissions-free BLOG Buffy the vampirepopulation inhibitor What would prevent vampires overrunning the imagined worlds in which they exist? For breaking news, video and online debate, visit www.NewScientist.com
4 April 2009 | NewScientist | 3
Leave education to the experts, not creationists The right of American children to be taught sound science is at risk, but that’s democracy
education. At the same time, it is dangerous to argue that the powers of democratically elected officials should be taken away if they don’t produce the outcome you want. Yet that is what may happen in Texas. State senator Rodney Ellis and representative Garnet Coleman, both Democrats, have introduced legislation that would transfer authority for textbooks and curricula to the Texas Education Agency. Is there a way out of this impasse? One possibility is that candidates for school boards should be vetted before they stand. Another is for the pro-science lobby to engage more fully with the democratic process. After the Dover
THERE is something badly wrong with the way standards for school science are set in the US. When the Texas State Board of Education voted in new standards last week “Elected officials on state school (see page 5) it left the door ajar for teaching boards often lack any credentials creationism under the guise of science in in science or education” federally funded schools. These loopholes must be closed, and quickly. Because standards are set at state level, trial, board members who favoured intelligent students in one state might be learning design were dumped by the electorate. different science and using different Something similar could happen in Texas. textbooks than students in another. What Another possibility is to push decisions is worse, the state boards of education that further up the democratic ladder. President are responsible for standards and textbooks Barack Obama has already called for all states are made up of elected officials who need to have the same achievement standards, not have any expertise or credentials in the raising hopes that he might push for federal relevant areas of science or education. standards across all US schools. While this As we saw in the 2005 trial over teaching might provoke conservative ire, it would put intelligent design in Dover, Pennsylvania, and an end to the present situation in which an are now seeing in Texas, school boards have accident of geography can determine whether become a political battleground. Many board a child is taught valid science. members appear to be acting on behalf of Obama has already made remarkable religious groups like local churches or the changes in Washington by restoring scientific Discovery Institute, the Seattle-based standard- expertise to its rightful place in government. bearer of the intelligent design movement. Many teachers and scientists would like to see School science standards should be set by him do the same in the place where it can people who understand science and science count most: in the classroom. ■
The dangers of inhaling dubious facts FIRST we learned of the risks of smoking. Then it was the dangers of inhaling the smoke from someone else’s cigarette. Fair enough – there’s strong evidence that passive smoking increases the risk of heart attack, lung cancer and cot death. Now some smoking researchers are warning that third-hand smoke – the particles that linger on skin and clothes long after the cigarette has been extinguished – could also be a danger (see page 34). Is this a step too far? The evidence that third-hand smoke has any physiological effects is tenuous, yet much of the media – and some health organisations – reported it as fact. It is the World Health Organization’s 20th World No Tobacco Day next month, but if claims like these can’t be supported by sound science, the danger is that people will stop listening to the message. ■
Making poker pay IN JURISDICTIONS across the world, courts continue to debate whether poker is a game of chance or skill – and therefore whether it should be treated as gambling. That could soon change (see page 10). The rise of online poker means that statisticians now have vast amounts of data to analyse, and it increasingly appears that skill holds the aces. But don’t bet on poker being completely deregulated: governments will always want a slice of such a lucrative – and addictive – business. ■
What’s hot on NewScientist.com TECH Fear detector makes for the fairground ride of your life If amusement park rides never deliver the thrill level you crave, you’ll welcome new “smart rides” that can spot if a person is bored and push up the excitement levels. Watch our video of the system in action SPACE What will the sun look like when it dies? The sun will eventually slough off its outer layers, forming a shimmering “planetary nebula”. Our gallery shows the
dazzling forms the nebula could take APRIL FOOLS? Strange but true examples of current research A proposal to combine Viagra with moisturiser to make a cellulite treatment; the suggestion that men could cure their hay fever by masturbating; a correlation between geomagnetic activity and dream “weirdness”. We bring you a selection of ideas that can be most generously described as hypotheses
ONLINE PRIVACY Social networks can spill your secrets Anonymous data taken from accounts on multiple social websites can be pooled to reveal the users, researchers warn GREEN TECH Can bacteria clean up our act? A wide range of green technologies can be built using the chemical skills of bacteria – from bugs that transform cheap plastic bottles into more valuable polymers, to others that can extract hydrogen gas from water
ENERGY Ice that burns could be a green fossil fuel Natural gas trapped in water crystals could provide huge amounts of energy. If a new technology delivers as promised, it could even be emissions-free BLOG Buffy the vampirepopulation inhibitor What would prevent vampires overrunning the imagined worlds in which they exist? For breaking news, video and online debate, visit www.NewScientist.com
4 April 2009 | NewScientist | 3