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In 1900, five of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States were due to infectious disease: influenza/pneumonia, tuberculosis, gastroenteritis, infant diseases, and diphtheria.  Today, only two of the top ten leading causes of death are due to infectious disease: influenza/pneumonia and HIV.  This miraculous advance in public health is due to antibiotics, vaccines, and proper sanitation-- things Americans take for granted.

However, it should be kept in mind that the vast majority of the world does not have access to these basic necessities.  This reality is not made clearer than when massive outbreaks of infectious disease tragically strike under-developed nations around the globe.  The most recent examples are the outbreaks of cholera in Haiti and Nigeria.

Unfortunately, these outbreaks are just a small part of the problem.  According to the 2004 Global Burden of Disease report, issued by the UN's World Health Organization, infectious disease accounted for six of the top 20 leading causes of death worldwide.  In low-income countries, infectious disease represents six of the top 10 most common causes of death.  Of course, most of these deaths were due to diseases largely eliminated from the United States and developed world.

It is sobering to realize that while the Western world is struggling to emerge from a global recession, the developing world is struggling from a lack of modern medicine.

For hundreds of years, science was largely the pursuit of an academic or otherwise erudite elite. The discoveries and inventions of Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Gregor Mendel--which were profound and revolutionary--did not significantly impact the lives of the contemporary commoners who spent their days toiling in fields or laboring in workshops. Today, however, the extreme polar opposite is true; science deeply and irreversibly impacts every person on earth.

From automobiles to airplanes, from medicine to microbes, from the internet to the iPad, and from satellites to cell phones, the dominance of science in our daily lives is practically inescapable. Anyone who panics over the lack of a wireless signal understands this concept thoroughly.

The ubiquity of science today is largely received well by the public. However, like all great human endeavors, science has had its share of controversy. It has presented us with uncomfortable truths, created shocking technologies, and even challenged our most deeply held values. It should not come as a surprise, therefore, when science takes center stage in some of our society's most fiery debates.

The goal of this site is to provide a daily digest of the most newsworthy, thought-provoking, and--yes--amusing science stories from around the globe. And never shying away from controversy, we will also feature dispatches from the intersection of science, politics, and faith. In short, RealClearScience is your portal to the most relevant science stories of the day. We hope you enjoy it.