About Science in the News
Don't have time to scan more than 30 media outlets for the latest science news? Let Sigma Xi do it for you. Science in the News Daily, delivered free directly to your e-mail address, is a concise daily news roundup that will keep you up-to-date on the latest developments in the fast-paced world of science and technology. Subscribe or cancel your subscription at any time via the link above.
Science in the News Daily seeks to inform about important scientific developments, shed light on what research makes news and how it's covered by the media and show how research interacts with policy and society at large. It is essentially an electronic version of the science section - now a rarity among daily newspapers - available to scientists, students, journalists, educators and anyone else with an interest in science. And it's free!
In addition to keeping subscribers up-to-date, one of the main purposes behind Science in the News is to give Sigma Xi members (scientists and engineers) some insight into what information on science and technology the general public is receiving via the mainstream media.
Sigma Xi does not endorse the items that appear in Science in the News Daily, nor the science they report. Our goal is to provide a mirror image of the news. This means the bulletin may occasionally include an article that some readers take issue with for one reason or another. Keep in mind that Science in the News is merely the messenger.
We tend to favor news reports based on studies published in peer-reviewed journals, but also seek to include science news items of general interest. A wire story (AP, UPI etc.) on science carried by multiple newspapers is obviously very much "in the news," and therefore likely to be included in our bulletin. Sigma Xi is not responsible for the content of these news stories, including the views and opinions expressed in them.
Sometimes science news reports have public policy facets, which some subscribers have objected to on the grounds that they are "overly political." However, Sigma Xi has had a longstanding interest in the intersection of science and society, and the impact of public policy on federal research funding in the U.S. makes it of more than passing concern.
Here and there, a few subscribers have complained about the amount of attention climate change receives in our bulletin. But as long as the mainstream news media are covering the topic, it would run counter to our purpose to exclude it.
We encourage our subscribers to let science journalists and their editors know when they have done a good job and when they have gone astray. That kind of feedback has been an excellent byproduct of the service over the years, especially when provided by Sigma Xi members who have specialized knowledge to share.
To register any complaints, kind words or questions about subscriptions or content, or to learn how to receive an RSS feed of Science in the News to add to your own Web content (see example here), please e-mail cblackburn at sigmaxi.org.
Interested in using Science in the News in the classroom?
Science teachers at many levels report that this daily roundup of science news stories is a valuable teaching tool that helps keep current research and its outcomes and implications in front of students. It can help reinforce that science is always a work in progress, moving forward in increments, and that all results are tentative. The service also tries to include items that explicate about the process of science.
What they’re saying:
A young faculty member juggling new obligations:
I love your service! I'm always up-to-date, even though, as a new faculty member, I don't have time to peruse the daily press myself. Thanks millions!
An industry researcher:
Just wanted to thank you for this invaluable service. I look forward to it every day and have learned a great deal from it, despite the fact that I read regularly over 20 journals!
A professor teaching both career- and non-career-track college students:
"Science in the News" is consistently the most welcomed item in my Inbox - timely and interesting and especially amenable to dissemination among friends involved in science education. For my purposes as a teaching scientist, it couldn't be better!
A science communicator:
Just wanted to say thank you for what I think is the best compendium of science news done by anybody, anywhere. Thank you!!
For more information, please contact Charles Blackburn (cblackburn at sigmaxi.org).