Teens and young adults across the country are dying from vaping. Yet, the Trump administration has chosen not to take the appropriate steps to fix this pandemic. Read more >
Jacob's Latest Posts
Chandra Oh/Unsplash
Are Your Children Vaping? On Vaping and a Need for Science-Based Policy
February 13, 2020 1:45 PM EDT
David Everett Strickler/Unsplash
What Should the Next President do to Restore Science to Decisionmaking?
January 29, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Today, we’re releasing a new report, Presidential Recommendations for 2020: A Blueprint for Defending Science and Protecting the Public. In this report, we outline a suite of recommendations that the next president can take to protect the health and safety of the public through restoring science to government decisionmaking processes. The report focuses on strengthening three major principles underlying science-based decisionmaking: independence, transparency, and free speech.
Another Attack on Endangered Species Escalates Need for New Legislation
December 17, 2019 2:12 PM EDT
The Trump administration is no stranger to attacking protections for endangered species, the implementation of the process by which endangered species are afforded protections by the federal government, the science underpinning that process, or the piece of legislation that spells all of these processes out and has resounding bipartisan support (i.e., the Endangered Species Act). And there are lots of endangered species at risk of losing their much-needed protections such as the American burying beetle, Chinook salmon, and (still) the polar bear. This is all happening as scientists continue to provide evidence that Earth is currently experiencing a sixth major extinction event. Read more >
Original work by Laurel Raymond
Introducing Federal Scientist (now under the Trump administration) Barbie™!
November 27, 2019 12:51 PM EDT
For 60 years, Barbie has inspired children of all ages to grow up and become whatever they want to be: an astronaut, a journalist, or even a mechanic! Now there’s a barbie to inspire the next generation of scientists who want to work in the government and attempt to make a difference in the world. Introducing federal scientist Barbie! Read more >
The endangered Houston toad. US Fish and Wildlife Service
New Analysis Shows Government Lacks Plans to Save Endangered Species from Climate Change
November 18, 2019 11:03 AM EDT
Today, a new analysis published in Nature Climate Change shows that the US government doesn’t have many plans to conserve hundreds of endangered species that are at-risk of being affected by climate change. The analysis finds that 99.8% of the 459 US animals listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are at risk of having their populations further decrease under a changing climate. However, the two agencies in charge of managing conservation of these species, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), have plans to manage the effects of climate change for only 18% of them. Read more >