Science in the Blogosphere

In honor of this month’s political theme, I decided to survey the most political part of the world: the blogosphere. Blogging has been around for a while, it was the beginning of Web 2.0’s deluge of user-generated content. Anyone can start a blog but in my opinion, the best sites come from writers with specialized knowledge writing about their favorite topics. And when it comes to scientists, the topics seem to be science, politics, and skepticism (leaving aside mundane matters of everyday life that almost no blogger can resist writing about). If you can get past the posts on housecleaning and oil changes, science blogs have much to offer. They provide a forum for scientists to explain their research and the research of others in their own terms, targeting the audience of their choice. Blogs let scientists speak before a reporter asks a question. In fact, speaking as a former journalism student, journalists use blogs to find opinionated experts or areas of contention to write about.

Blogging can also be a useful exercise for the reluctant author. Sitting down to write once or twice a day about science or an ongoing political debate helps keeps the feeling of writing fresh in the mind. Depending on the audience, blogging can also help a researcher practice finding words to describe their research in common terms, a priceless skill.

For some, blogging is an outlet for scientific awe. It’s just a way to get to say: this finding is amazing! Can you believe how this works? Finding a good blog can be tough because it is about more than just reading good writing. The comments of an engaged and informed community around the blog add so much more.

The easiest science blog community to navigate is ScienceBlogs (part of Seed Media), a group of over 70 bloggers covering topics in the life sciences, physical science, medicine, and technology. ScienceBlogs doesn’t rank its writers, but the name does guarantee that the author has something of a science background. The front page of the site is a great place to catch up on what the science-minded segment of the blogosphere is currently discussing. Aggregation sites like this provide a place to scan headlines or delve deep into the latest debate.

Adventures in Ethics and Science is a popular site on ScienceBlogs. The author is both a philosophy professor and Ph.D. in chemistry. Her interesting posts on ethical dilemmas in biology stimulate wide ranging discussions among thoughtful commenters. See her post on the relationship between peer review and gaining truths via science for a taste of the discussion.

ScienceBlogs has political category, and clicking will bring up all posts marked “politics” from the last day or so. The expected topics such as evolution versus creationism/intelligent design, global warming, and stem cell research appear, but many ScienceBlog authors also pontificate on the gamut of politics, from the presidential race to USDA rulings.

P. Z. Myers, a biology professor at the University of Minnesota, writes one of most popular science blogs on the internet, Pharyngula, and is not afraid of treading contentious territory such as atheists’ rights and intelligent design. Visit for your daily dose of outrage or cephalopod. For more on the evolution “debate,” check out the Panda’s Thumb.

Mostly, if politics comes up in science blogs it’s lab politics, office politics, small time politics. But navigating tenure, funding, publishing, and managing a lab can be tricky. One blogger, A Natural Scientist, does a good job doling out advice on choosing a lab, running a lab on the cheap, and what to expect from a realistic advisor.

It’s hard to find consistent “science blogging,” a spot where the authors spend all their time reading research reports and handing down a considered opinion. Most blogs are a mix of personal information and science chat. Recently, a new service called ResearchBlogging.org has come on the scene. ReseachBlogging.org filters ScienceBlogs members’ posts on journal offerings and presents them all in the same place.

Blogs hosted by journals, or related to their networks, are another safe bet when it comes to seeking out like-minded science fiends. Discover magazine is home to several bloggers that cover the latest general science news. Nature Network’s bloggers are also wide ranging. Once you find something you like, check out the “blog roll” or list of blogs the blog author likes, and you are off into uncharted science blogging territory. You can find links to these blogs in our blogroll in the right-hand column.

This article will appear in the hard copy of ASBMB Today but it's appearance here blog gives readers an opportunity to respond. What do you think about science blogging? Do you think blogging could help professors interact with their students or the community? Where do you spend your internet time? If you have comments on the bloggers mentioned here or want to suggest your own favorite, email me at tekkie@asbmb.org or respond to this article with a comment.