Dr. Simon Says Science

Changes Coming Soon

Think We Don't Need to Worry About Nuclear War Anymore? Think Again #nuclearwar #hardcorehistory #history #InternationalAffairs

Castle-Bravo detonation (March 1, 1954). The most powerful nuclear test in US history. (image from wikimedia commons) Even though I listen to many, many podcasts, I rarely feel the need to recommend one. However, this particular story is one that is powerfully relevant to today even it may not seem so. It is about the shadow that we all live under, a shadow that that we rarely contemplate, a…

The Problem with Vivitrol #opioid #treatment #vivitrol #pharma

(https://www.vivitrol.com/opioid-dependence/what-is-vivitrol) Fascinating post by guest contributor Amy Dunn, graduate student at the Rockefeller University! What is Vivitrol®? This question is posed in countless ads depicting attractive young people across target states, such as MA, NY, NJ and PA. The ads do little to answer the question – instead just giving a drug name and a website.…

DOL Rule May Impact Postdoc Pay and More in S&T Weekly Summary 28 #SciencePolicy #S&T #science #publicpolicy

Check out our August Recess Guide so you can petition your local congressperson on science and technology and other policy issues! It’s your 1st amendment right to hold your congressperson accountable. Don’t let them relax while they’re on recess! Also, the Week 28 in Science and Technology Policy Newsletter from RISE Stronger  is now out! (Sign up for the Weekly S&T Summary here.) I contributed…

Weekly Science Policy Summaries from RISE Stronger (Week 27) #SciencePolicy #RISEStronger #Science #Policy

I recently became involved with the science advocacy group RISE Stronger. The group’s Mission is to “To build a dynamic, strategic movement of politically engaged communities that demand a responsible and accountable government which serves the interests of the people.” One component of organization is the Science and Technology Working Group, which acts as a watchdog group for science in…

Senate Rebukes Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Medical Marijuana #medicalmarijuana #jeffsessions #warondrugs #senate

(from wikipedia.org) Since taking over at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been attempting to reignite the “War on Drugs” (for example, he issued a memo to federal prosecutors calling for the them to seek the harshest possible sentence when dealing with low-level drug offenders, the exact opposite of Obama-era guidance). Sessions now has his sites on state-run…

Response to the June 2017 New Yorker Article on the Opioid Epidemic #opioid #heroin #epidemic #newyorker

At this point, I would think that knowledge about the vastness and seriousness of the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic, the biggest threat to American health and well being since the HIV/AIDS epidemic, would be common knowledge. Of course, given the abundance of shiny Internet things to tantalize easily distracted Americans, this is unfortunately not necessarily the case. Thankfully the…

How to Fight the Trump Agenda #NoTrump #NeverTrump #Resist #Drumpf

Happy President’s Day! At least it should be… Sadly, the history of the Office has already been cheapened by the antics of one Donald J. Trump (and the white supremacists that whisper in his ear). As expected, the Trump White House is already embroiled in turmoil and scandal. But don’t think that he’ll being getting impeached anytime soon. Our Democracy is a fragile thing and on today, I hope we…

5 Facts on the Opioid Epidemic: National Drug and Alcohol Fact Week #NADFW #opioids #addiction

Spilled prescription medication — Image by © Mark Weiss/Corbis Well, I’m a little late to the punch on this one but National Drug and Alcohol Facts week has been going and ends tonight. This public awareness campaign is now in it’s seventh year and is all about shattering the myths about addiction.I might as well throw my belated hat in the ring and share 5 facts about the opioid epidemic. Fact…

The Science of Sexual Orientation #LGBT #Science #Psychology #Research #PublicPolicy

(from psychologicalscience.org) Happy New Year! I figure I’ll kick things off with something a little different than my usual science of addiction posts. My new job deals with supporting LGBT rights in the developing world and there’s a lot of work be done! In fact, as of June 2016, 77 countries or territories criminalize homosexuality and 13 countries or territories penalize homosexual behavior…

Rapping About Replication #science #replication #psychology

Last year, a paper came out in the journal Science that made waves in the scientific community and the public at large (it was even voted the #5 most publicly cited paper of 2015 by Altmetric). So why am I writing about a paper over a year old and one that has already received plenty of public attention? Well, because this paper is a huge deal. Why you may ask? One of the most important words in…

Update: Changes to site, Cocaine review article #cocaine #addiction #washingtondc #aaasstpf #lgbti #usaid

Good-bye NYC!(Photo © Derek Simon 2015) Change is coming! After a several month hiatus, I’m happy to be posting again! I wanted to announce that I recently switched fields from basic neuroscience research to a fellowship position in the LGBTI Office at the US Agency for International Development (USAID)! This means good-bye NYC and hello Washington DC! It also means that the scope, style, and…

The Consequences of Childhood Abuse Last Until Adulthood-What are the Implications for Society? #neuroscience #policy

(© Derek Simon 2015) One of the great questions in the addiction field is why do some people become full-blown addicts while other people can use drugs occasionally without progressing to anything more serious? One part the answer definitely has to do with the drug itself. For example, heroin causes a more intensely pleasurable high than cocaine and people that try heroin are more likely to…