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The Savvy Scientist
The Savvy Scientist dives into the ethics, issues and innovations brewing in the world's most advanced research institutions.
John Rennie
John Rennie
Columnist, Science
John Rennie is the former editor-in-chief of Scientific American. He has written for IEEE Spectrum, New York Times and The Economist and has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, NPR and Minnesota Public Radio. He has spoken at the World Business Forum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wharton School of Business, University of Tennessee and Middlebury College and is an adjunct instructor at New York University, editor at large for Txchnologist.com and contributing editor to ecomagination.com. He is based in New York.
John Rennie
John Rennie works as a freelance reporter, writer, editor, and lecturer for a variety of publications and organizations, including the websites Txchnologist.com and ecomagination.com, both of which are sponsored by GE. He is also an adjunct instructor in journalism for New York University. (Lists of his affiliations and clients can be found here.) In the unusual event that his writing mentions a company or organization for which he currently provides or previously provided any editorial or marketing services, he will disclose that fact. He will also do the same should he cover any companies in which he holds stocks or other investments.
He writes for SmartPlanet, but is not an employee of CBS.
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The Tupac hologram, virtual Ebert, and digital immortality
Computer simulations are already bringing back versions of the dead and restoring lost faculties. How far can they go?
2 | May 15, 2012 3:00am |
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Tomorrow's nanobots today
Future medical nanotechnology won't look robotic. Instead, think very smart particles that usefully imitate life.
3 | May 1, 2012 3:00am |
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Invisible aliens: they're not life as we know it -- yet
Figuring out how to identify strange new forms of life on other planets may help to reveal some overlooked forms on this one, too.
10 | April 17, 2012 3:00am |
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Building brains: toward a do-it-yourself guide
Remarkably simple structural and developmental principles may ensure the human brain has exactly the right balance of complexity and order.
April 3, 2012 3:00am |
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The rights of dolphins, chimps, and other nonhuman persons
Certain creatures probably deserve legal standing as more than animals. Whether they can get it is a more complicated question.
21 | March 20, 2012 3:00am |
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The galactic train wreck of dark matter
Theories about dark matter struggle to make sense of new observations. Is it unexpectedly sticky or a dead end?
17 | March 6, 2012 3:00am |
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Ford cars on the highway to health
The automaker's new digital health initiative aims to watch out for its passengers' well-being -- and not just while they're behind the wheel
3 | February 28, 2012 3:00am |
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Infectious proteins on the brain: Alzheimer's and prions
Deadly proteins spread from brain cell to brain cell in Alzhiemer's disease, which prompts scrutiny of possible deep similarities to prions
February 21, 2012 3:00am |
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What comes after antibiotics?
With decades of misuse gradually ruining the life-saving drugs, science is searching for new ways to kill dangerous bacteria.
7 | February 14, 2012 3:00am |
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Where SETI meets Intelligent Design
Scientists searching for aliens disagree with anti-evolution zealots about the odds of life in the universe, but they all hope to recognize signs of deliberate design
4 | February 7, 2012 3:00am |
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Improbable evolution: how life beats the odds
Under the right circumstances, evolving organisms can make astonishing leaps in capability -- which could be the key to gauging the threat from emerging diseases.
5 | January 31, 2012 2:23am |
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Throwing rocks at CO2
This follow-up to last week's column on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere considers ways to exploit the earth's own capacities to absorb the gas.
3 | January 24, 2012 3:00am |
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Why not scrub CO2 from the sky?
Inexpensive carbon-capture systems may soon be able to pull excess CO2 out of the open air faster than burning fuels can add it. Yet coping with global warming will still be a challenge.
14 | January 17, 2012 3:00am |
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The overdue death of cyberspace
The word "cyberspace" once seemed ever-present in popular tech writing. Its gradual disappearance reflects how well society has adjusted to ubiquitous networking.
January 10, 2012 3:00am |
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What to expect of science in 2012
Expect new insights into new worlds, ongoing controversies, final answers on some lingering mysteries from 2011, and a chance of solar stormy weather
January 3, 2012 3:00am |
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Super flu and antibiotic abuse: no consistency on biosecurity
While the government asks flu scientists to censor themselves in the name of national security, it backs away from an obvious way to help prevent further drug resistance in deadly bacteria.
1 | December 27, 2011 3:00am |
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Cloning vs. conservation
Cryonics and cloning offer a way to "save" the environment while letting wildlands disappear. Is that a viable strategy for protecting nature, a flawed fantasy, or a Swiftian modest proposal?
9 | December 20, 2011 3:00am |
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Particle of doubt: the Higgs boson and scientific uncertainty
Inconclusive news about a possible physics breakthrough may be frustrating, but the uncertainty at the heart of all science deserves respect.
5 | December 13, 2011 3:00am |
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Mind games on global warming
Our natural human tendency to reject uncomfortable ideas probably interferes with action on climate change. But politics, not psychology, is the real obstacle to progress.
20 | December 6, 2011 3:00am |
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How many genomes do you have?
More than one unique genome can probably be found among your body's cells. Science is still trying to determine what that variation might mean for your health.
2 | November 29, 2011 3:00am |