The Scientific Activist
Encyclopedia
The Scientific Activist is a blog
that covers science
, politics
, and science policy, run by Nick Anthis, a graduate student in biochemistry and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford
. The Scientific Activist gained international recognition in February 2006 when it published information that led to the immediate resignation of Bush Administration
NASA
appointee George Deutsch
. Deutsch—who had been accused of censoring scientific information at NASA—claimed to have graduated from Texas A&M University
on his résumé, but Anthis discovered that Deutsch had not, in fact, completed his degree there.
The Scientific Activist was founded on January 11, 2006, and was originally hosted by Blogger
. It gained early attention for its coverage of Oxford's vocal animal rights
movement, and it continued its coverage as the pro-research Pro-Test
movement was formed. On June 9, 2006, The Scientific Activist moved to ScienceBlogs
.
In July 2006, The Scientific Activist was named one of Nature's
"Top five science blogs."
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
that covers science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, and science policy, run by Nick Anthis, a graduate student in biochemistry and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. The Scientific Activist gained international recognition in February 2006 when it published information that led to the immediate resignation of Bush Administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
appointee George Deutsch
George Deutsch
George Carlton Deutsch III was a press officer of the United States space agency NASA. He was appointed to the position by George W. Bush, having previously worked in the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign "War Room" and on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee....
. Deutsch—who had been accused of censoring scientific information at NASA—claimed to have graduated from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
on his résumé, but Anthis discovered that Deutsch had not, in fact, completed his degree there.
The Scientific Activist was founded on January 11, 2006, and was originally hosted by Blogger
Blogger (service)
Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Up until May 1, 2010 Blogger allowed users to publish...
. It gained early attention for its coverage of Oxford's vocal animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
movement, and it continued its coverage as the pro-research Pro-Test
Pro-Test
Pro-Test is a British group that promotes and supports animal testing in medical research. It was founded on January 29, 2006 to counter SPEAK, an animal-rights campaign opposing the construction by Oxford University of a biomedical and animal-research facility, which SPEAK believes may include a...
movement was formed. On June 9, 2006, The Scientific Activist moved to ScienceBlogs
ScienceBlogs
ScienceBlogs is an invitation-only blog network and virtual community. It was created by Seed Media Group in 2006 to enhance the public understanding of science. , ScienceBlogs hosted 75 blogs dedicated to various fields of research. Each blog has its own theme, specialty, and author and is not...
.
In July 2006, The Scientific Activist was named one of Nature's
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
"Top five science blogs."
External links
- The Scientific Activist, current site
- The Scientific Activist, original site (archives January 11—June 21, 2006)