Science in the Triangle

Michael Specter, The New Yorker’s science writer, has a book out, “Denialism: How irrational thinking hinders scientific progress, harms the planet, and threatens our lives,” that triggered praise and criticism. Like other authors, Specter speaks about his book – to promote it and because he gets a speaker’s fee. He has given a talk at Google and he was the keynote speaker at ScienceOnline2010 in Research Triangle Park.

ScienceOnline, which drew nearly 300 scientists and science writers who blog from as far away as Australia, attracted a large contingency of science journalists this year because of the cutbacks in the U.S. newspaper industry. But Specter in his speech said he was optimistic about the future of science writing.

Science in the Triangle couldn’t let this statement stand without questioning the author. So here is the ad hoc interview with Specter at ScienceOnline 2010: