The latest

a fond farewell to the anthropocene

A Fond Farewell to the Anthropocene

In February 2024, an international scientific committee voted against creating a new geologic time period called the Anthropocene. The move, coming after two decades of debate, dashed the hopes of many in the environmental community who wanted a scientific endorsement of the notion that human-driven changes had shifted the trajectory of the planet. Although it was disheartening to many, Ritwick Ghosh believes this rejection should not be considered a setback for an ambitious environmental agenda. It is, rather, an opportunity to reflect and learn.Read More

Editor’s Journal

Looking across the clam flat and the remains of a fishing weir toward the tidal marsh at Squirrel Point, Arrowsic, Maine. Photo by Lisa Margonelli.

Mud, Muddling, and Science Policy

Climate policy has traditionally been a concern for national and international policymakers. Today it is increasingly a local matter, as every town and hamlet begins to craft a response. For the scientific enterprise, the devolution of big policy to small places poses new challenges around establishing spaces for democratic decisionmaking, building knowledge to inform those decisions, and effectively linking the two.Read More

Science Policy IRL

Amanda Arnold Sees the Innovation Ecosystem from a Unique Perch

In the latest Science Policy IRL, we explore another sector of science policy: private industry. Amanda Arnold, vice president of governmental affairs and policy at Valneva, a private vaccine development company, talks about the role industry plays in the science policy enterprise and what she has learned about the US innovation ecosystem from working across sectors.Read More

Higher Education

Tools That Would Make STEM Degrees More Affordable Remain Unexamined

Tools That Would Make STEM Degrees More Affordable Remain Unexamined

Reducing student debt in the long term—especially for marginalized populations—requires making college more affordable in the first place. Unfortunately, current policy tools used to manage the cost of tuition and fees across the ecosystem of US higher education are falling short. Read More

Artificial Intelligence

Don’t Let Governments Buy AI Systems That Ignore Human Rights

Don’t Let Governments Buy AI Systems That Ignore Human Rights

Government procurement regulations in the United States do not require AI vendors bidding for government contracts to conduct assessments for the quality of data used to build their products, or for their products’ potential bias, risk, and impact. Merve Hickok and Evanna Hu argue that it’s time to set strict procurement requirements on this transformative technology.Read More

In Focus

An AI Society

Artificial intelligence is reshaping society, but human forces shape AI. Getting governance wrong could mean narrowing cultural narratives, de-incentivizing creativity, and exploiting workers. In a new collection of 11 essays, social scientists and humanities experts explore how to harness the interaction between AI and society, revealing urgent avenues for research and policy.

Art by Amy Karle.Read More

The Spring Issue

Spring 2024 ISSUES Cover


As decisionmaking moves toward the state and local levels, science leaders will need to understand how the landscape of opportunity is shifting and build the capacity to answer questions posed by specific geographic communities. 

Join the Conversation

Social Media

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Podcast

Listen to The Ongoing Transformation for conversations with today’s most exciting thinkers.

See Episodes

Forum

Read responses to our published essays from experts around the world.

Read Forum

Attend Events

Connect with our dynamic community of experts and policy-makers.

See Events

Forum

In response to essays published in Issues, our readers weigh in on critical topics in policy related to science, technology, and society.

Online Exclusives

Oppenheimer

The Slippery Slope of Scientific Ethics

For students of science policy, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s work on the Manhattan Project is a quintessential case study in the ethics of science. What does the biopic about the scientist get right or wrong, which issues does it interrogate, and what does it elide?Read More

Film Review

No Ordinary Documentary

By the time they’re diagnosed, most ALS patients have only months or a few years to live. There are no cures and few effective treatments. But DC lawyer Brian Wallach, who knew nothing about ALS before his diagnosis, sought to make treatment a policy priority. A new documentary chronicles his remarkable success.Read More

Human Development

The Camouflaged Metaphysics of Embryos

Last summer, the Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion in the United States. The ramifications of that decision continue to play out across interpretations of the whole human reproductive process, including in health care and technology. Jane Maienschein sees opportunities for thoughtful reflection and crafting of better informed, more nuanced policies.Read More

The ISSUES Interview

Tristan Harris

“The Complexity of Technology’s Consequences Is Going Up Exponentially, But Our Wisdom and Awareness Are Not.”

Tristan Harris, a technology ethicist and the cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology, talked with Issues editor Sara Frueh about the challenge of online misinformation, ways to govern artificial intelligence, and a vision of technology that strengthens democracy.Read More

News

Creativity During COVID

cpnas creative responses archive

A Time Capsule of Creative Responses to the Pandemic

Creativity often flourishes in stressful times. A remarkable collection of creative responses from individuals, communities, organizations, and industries is now available to explore in a new archive.Read More

Browse our recent issues