ADDITIONAL SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/SOCIETY ISSUES

FURTHER ISSUES

No Taking Sides book can possibly cover all the controversial issues in its chosen field. This is certainly true for Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Science, Technology, and Society. In recognition of this fact, and to help instructors seeking additional material for their courses and students seeking term paper topics, here are 20 additional issues of recent, current, and/or lasting controversy, each with one or more pertinent readings. There are, of course, dozens of other issues, and for each issue there are many other readings.

Is cold fusion fact or fiction? See John R. Huizenga, Cold Fusion: The Scientific Fiasco of the Century (Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1992); Edmund Storms, "Warming up to Cold Fusion," Technology Review, May/June 1994, pp. 19-29.
Does violent behavior have biological roots? See Richard Stone, "HHS 'Violence Initiative' Caught in a Crossfire," Science, October 9, 1992, p. 212-3; Tabitha M. Powledge, "The Genetic Fabric of Human Behavior," BioScience, June 1993, pp. 362-367; Jane Ellen Stevens, "The Biology of Violence," BioScience, May 1994, pp. 291-294; Charles C. Mann, "Behavioral Genetics in Transition," Science, June 17, 1994, pp. 1686-1689.
Did a meteorite impact kill off the dinosaurs? See Alan R. Hildebrand and William V. Boynton, "Cretaceous Ground Zero," Natural History, June 1991, pp. 47-52; Vincent E. Courtillot, "What Caused the Mass Extinction? A Volcanic Eruption," Scientific American, October 1990, pp. 85-92.
Could another meteorite nail US? See Peter Tyson, "Comet Busters," Technology Review, February/March 1995, pp. 22-30.
Can people be frozen immediately after death in hope of future revival? See Morton Schatzman, "Cold Comfort at Death's Door," New Scientist, September 26, 1992, pp. 36-39; Pete May, "Death Wish," New Statesman & Society, August 30, 1991, pp. 18-19; Jacob Sullum, "Cold Comfort," Reason, April 1991, pp. 22-29.
Can we keep all carcinogens out of our food? See "The Delaney Clause: Point/Counterpoint," Al Meyerhoff, "Let's Reform a Failed Food Safety Regime," Clausen Ely, "An Obscure EPA Policy Is to Blame," EPA Journal, January/February/March 1993, pp. 42-45.
Is cutting back on environmental regulation "Environmental Realism"? See Charles J. DiBona, "The Era of Environmental Realism," Vital Speeches of the Day, February 15, 1995, pp. 266-68.
Is it possible or wise to issue earthquake warnings? See Richard A. Kerr, "Seismologists Issue a No-Win Earthquake Warning," pp. 742-743, "Good Forecast, but Missed Prediction," p. 743, Science, October 30, 1992.
Should human beings be cloned? See John J. Conley, "Narcissus Cloned," America, February 12, 1994, pp. 15-17.
Is there a link between the environment and national security? See Peter H. Gleick, "The Clear Connections," pp. 16-21, Daniel Deudney, "Muddled Thinking," pp. 22-28, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, April 1991.
Can memories of childhood abuse be suppressed? See Bruce Bower, "Sudden Recall," Science News, September 19, 1993, pp. 184-186; Bruce Bower, "The Survivor Syndrome," Science News, September 25, 1993, pp. 202-204; Minouche Kandel and Eric Kandel, "Flights of Memory," Discover, May 1994, pp. 32-38.; Elizabeth E. Loftus, "Creating False Memories," Scientific American, September 1997, pp. 70-75.
Does homosexuality have a biological cause? See Simon Levay and Dean H. Hamer, "Evidence for a Biological Influence in Male Homosexuality," pp. 44-49, and William Byne, "The Biological Evidence Challenged," pp. 50-55, Scientific American, May 1994. See also Simon Levay, The Sexual Brain (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993); and Christine Gorman, "Sizing up the Sexes," Time, January 20, 1992, pp. 42-51, on differences between male and female.
Is science admissible in court? See Peter J. Neufeld and Neville Colman, "When Science Takes the Witness Stand," Scientific American, May 1990, pp. 46-53; Eliot Marshall, "Supreme Court to Weigh Science," Science, January 29, 1993, pp. 588-590.
Can there be such a thing as "artificial" life? See Steven Levy, Artificial Life, Pantheon, June 1992; Steven Levy, "A-Life Nightmare," Whole Earth Review, No. 76, September 21, 1992, pp. 34-47; M. Mitchell Waldrop, "Artificial Life's Rich Harvest," Science, August 21, 1992, pp. 1040-1042.
Are "environmental estrogens" feminizing human males? See Richard Stone, "Environmental Estrogens Stir Debate," Science, July 15, 1994, pp. 308-10; Janet Raloff, "The Gender Benders," Science News, January 8 1994, pp. 24-27; Janet Raloff, "That Feminine Touch," Science News, January 22, 1994, pp. 56-59; and Bette Hileman et al., "Chlorine Industry Running Flat Out Despite Persistent Health Fears," Chemical & Engineering News, November 21, 1994, pp. 12-26.
Should we be trying to improve the human species? See "Eugenics Now," in Walter Truett Anderson, Evolution Isn't What It Used to Be: The Augmented Animal and the Whole Wired World (San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1996), pp. 104-109.
Should law enforcement agencies be permitted to eavesdrop on computer communications? See Dorothy E. Denning, "The Case for 'Clipper,'" Technology Review, July 1995, pp. 49-55, and Mike Godwin, "A Chip Over My Shoulder: The Problems With Clipper," Internet World, July 1994.
Should smallpox be completely eradicated? See Brian W. J. Mahy, et al., "The Remaining Stocks of Smallpox Virus Should Be Destroyed," Science, November 19, 1993, pp. 1223-24, and Wolfgang K. Joklik, et al., "Why the Smallpox Virus Stocks Should Not Be Destroyed," Science, November 19, 1993, pp. 1225-26.
What is scientific misconduct? See Donald E. Buzzelli, "The Definition of Misconduct in Science: A View from NSF," Science, January 29, 1993, pp. 584-585, 647-648, and Howard K. Schachman, "What Is Misconduct in Science?" Science, July 9, 1993, pp. 148-149, 183.
Is irradiated food safe to eat? See Andrzej E. Olsyna-Marzys, "Radioactivity and Food Preservation," Nutrition Reviews, June 1992, pp. 162-165, and Donald B. Louria, "Zapping the Food Supply," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 1990, pp. 34-36.
Does God have a place in scientific explanation? See Kenneth R. Miller, "Life's Grand Design," Technology Review, March 1994, pp. 24-32.

You can find additional recommended reading at this site. Also, try these links to related topics, from the NCSU Program on Science, Technology, & Society: