Science writing news

Before trying to repair his sailboat, Jonathan Waldman had given little thought to rust. He soon learned why the Pentagon calls rust “the pervasive menace.”

After more than four years, 2,000 posts, and incredible responses from the scientific community, Adam Marcus and Ivan Oransky announce that their organization has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to expand the work of Retraction Watch. The goal of the grant — $200,000 per year for two years — is to create a comprehensive and freely available database of retractions, something that doesn’t now exist.

News from Iceland is both cool and hot, as Alexandra Witze discovered while exploring the history and impact of the eruption of the island’s Laki volcano more than 200 years ago.

Tuesday, April 15, is the deadline for filing Form 1040 for calendar year 2014. It can prove expensive to miss the deadline because the law authorizes the Internal Revenue Service to impose a substantial, nondeductible penalty. Generally, the penalty is five percent of the balance due (the amount that remains unpaid after subtractions for taxes previously paid through withholdings from wages and quarterly payments of estimated taxes). The IRS charges five percent for each month, or portion of a month, that a 1040 is late.

As genomic science fiction becomes science fact, Dennis Meredith explores in fiction the ramifications of developing genetically engineered pets, including exotic crosses, like cogs, dats, and hamakeets, and an alluring iridescent blue cat.

The NASW Education Committee is again sponsoring its annual mentoring program during the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Jose, Feb. 12-16. We will pair mentors with students in graduate science writing programs or with undergraduates who have demonstrated a serious interest in science journalism. Use the "read more" link to learn more and apply as either a mentor or a student.

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American Heart Association travel stipends

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Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics

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