• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

How do you keep up with science?

Alwar

The Architect
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
922
MBTI Type
INTP
Like many of you, I love reading about advancements in science that pop up in mainstream news, as well as seeing whats on LiveScience.com etc. Sometimes I'll pick up a copy of Scientific American that catches my eye, but it's pretty random because I enjoy almost any field. I'd like to have a good consistent stream of general science topics to stay up to date. Plus, it's just a pain for me to read for extended periods from a monitor.

Are there any major magazines or journals that you subscribe to like Nature, Scientific American etc?
 

ygolo

My termites win
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,986
I used to subscribe to Nature...that was a really good way...but expensive.

Of course, Popular Science, Scientific American, and American Scientist are all good too. I read them at the book store... But Nature is a cut above, in my opinon.
 

wildcat

New member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,622
MBTI Type
INTP
Like many of you, I love reading about advancements in science that pop up in mainstream news, as well as seeing whats on LiveScience.com etc. Sometimes I'll pick up a copy of Scientific American that catches my eye, but it's pretty random because I enjoy almost any field. I'd like to have a good consistent stream of general science topics to stay up to date. Plus, it's just a pain for me to read for extended periods from a monitor.

Are there any major magazines or journals that you subscribe to like Nature, Scientific American etc?
Want to keep up?
Forget the news. It is about yesterday.
In science, what is new is not in the news.
 

Litvyak

No Cigar
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
1,822
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I've subscribed to a magazine called "Life and Science", not very well known in my country. And there is the Mensa IJ, which has some interesting articles once in a while.

Forget the news. It is about yesterday.
In science, what is new is not in the news.

What do you mean?
 

Risen

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
3,185
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
9w8
I've subscribed to a magazine called "Life and Science", not very well known in my country. And there is the Mensa IJ, which has some interesting articles once in a while.



What do you mean?

I think he means the scientific discoveries that get reported on the news are of fairly old research that has usually permeated the scientific community for quite some time before reaching the public awareness.
 

Ivy

Strongly Ambivalent
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
23,989
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6
TED talks mostly.
And now I need to subscribe to Nature, since ygolo said it was good.
 

ajblaise

Minister of Propagandhi
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
7,914
MBTI Type
INTP
I read Popular Science and Popular Mechanics occasionally, but mostly I'll peruse websites like New Scientist, Live Science, and the science section on MSNBC when I need to get my science fix.
 

Moiety

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
5,996
MBTI Type
ISFJ
I got my minions. They inform me of any significant or interesting advancements.
 

A Schnitzel

WTF is this dude saying?
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
1,155
MBTI Type
INTP
I'm not up to date old science, never mind any new discoveries. I'd suggest people buy some good modern scientific writing to help understand the complete picture. New news articles are only snippets. What's the point of reading a page long article about a breakthrough in neuroscience when you've never read any books about neuroscience?

Not that I'm claiming that reading science news is bad, but I think people who just read news articles are missing out.
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,741
MBTI Type
INfj
TED talks mostly.
And now I need to subscribe to Nature, since ygolo said it was good.

I think Nature is about as current as you can get for summarizing current hot research areas simply because it is written for the scientific community. But the information in nature is rather dense, not your typical light reading. Correction... Nature is not a magazine, it's a scientific journal. I only understand sections relevant to my background on Nature... the mathematics/modelling/physics component gets a "hmmm" interesting out of me. The journal Science I find tailors to a more general population of scientists. That might might for a more enjoyable (understandable) read than Nature.
 

Willfrey

New member
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
615
MBTI Type
IsTP
I often peruse the 'Geek' section of Drew Curtis' FARK.com

It offers entertaining little headlines and links to sites with articles. Usually you'll get it straight from the horse's mouth, for instance learning about Jupiter's new impact spot the day the discovery went public. Then a few days later they find that white spot on Venus. (They're both going to the free clinic today... *uncontrollable nerd snicker*)
 

Alwar

The Architect
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
922
MBTI Type
INTP
Thanks for the suggestions. Right now I pretty much just pursue topics that are referenced in books I read, or like I mentioned earlier, if I happen to come across an article I'll research from there until I understand whatever it is. Sometimes the related studies are free and you can download the PDF and print them which I love.

I didn't realize Nature was so expensive.
 

LostInNerSpace

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
1,027
MBTI Type
INTP
I usually see something on a news site and search for more articles. I love Wikipedia. I can drill down into topics for hours. I like discovery channel, history channel. PBS.
 

Nonsensical

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,006
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7
BILL NYE

THE SCIENCE GUY.

billnye.jpg


IF ANYBODY KNOWS WHAT UP, IT'S THIS GUY. ^^
 

EcK

The Memes Justify the End
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
7,708
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
738
I have a direct up and down link to the OverMind.

overmind.png
 

violet_crown

Active member
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
4,959
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
853
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
The only way to keep up with science is to kill all the scientist. This heliocentric bullshit has gone on far far too long.
 
Top