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Another New Scibling

Deborah Blum has plugged herself into the Borg, and brought her blog Speakeasy Science along with her for the ride. She says: Although my most recent book, The Poisoner’s Handbook, is about murder and the invention of forensic toxicology in the early 20th century, my earlier works have focused on primate research, the science of [...]

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Deborah Blum has plugged herself into the Borg, and brought her blog Speakeasy Science along with her for the ride.

She says:

Although my most recent book, The Poisoner's Handbook, is about murder and the invention of forensic toxicology in the early 20th century, my earlier works have focused on primate research, the science of affection, biology of gender differences, and even a 19th century scientific quest to prove that we live on after death. Does this variety of interests suggest a short attention span? Well, maybe. But it's more that I'm fascinated by the intersection of science and society - how each changes the other - and by the very human story of science itself. All my books seek to explore that terrain in different ways. The last three focus on moments in the history of science as a way of looking at ideas that have changed the way we think.

This blog is about such moments - past and present - that illuminate the way we think about our world. It may focus on research from the past. It may be about current investigations. It may concern tales from my books, from those already published to works in progress. I welcome all comments, suggestions, and blog ideas.


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Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.

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