Carbon nanotubes: the new asbestos? Not if we act fast.
Mix carbon nanotubes and asbestos together (metaphorically) and you get an explosive mix—at least if news coverage of the latest publication coming out of Professor Ken Donaldson’s team is anything to...
View ArticleBlogging the demise of science journalism
This week’s edition of Nature includes a thought provoking piece by Geoff Brumfiel on the decline of mainstream science journalism and the rise of science blogging. The big question: Can one replace...
View ArticleAre we ready for synthetic biology?
A new report looks at the challenges of regulating first generation products of synthetic biology. At the J. Craig Venter Institute, scientists are on the verge of creating a living organism from...
View ArticleConfessions of a “media hog”
There are some things they don’t cover in media training, like giving interviews while suffering from stomach flu, talking to reporters thousands of miles away while on a dodgy cell phone connection,...
View ArticleScience influence on Twitter
This is by way of a quick follow-on to yesterday’s post on the number of people on Twitter following science-focused users. As was pointed out, just logging the number of followers someone has on...
View ArticleCultural smokescreens
50 years on, have we missed the point of C.P. Snow’s “Two-cultures?” 50 years ago, long before Richard Dawkins coined the term “meme,” the British scientist, public figure and novelist Charles Percy...
View ArticleThe long shout
In the long run, does art trump science? Lateral communication—sending information from point to point around the world—is so fast and efficient these days that we tend to take it for granted. But how...
View ArticleRoll over nanotechnology, synthetic biology is coming!
So you’re looking for a new technology concept—something that will stimulate research funding, make a buck or two, and maybe save the world—at least for another year or so. What do you need? Here’s a...
View ArticleNanotechnology: From nano-novice to nano-genius in 13 steps
Back in April, the folks at the PBS station THIRTEEN asked me to answer 13 questions on nanotechnology and the environment for their website feature Green Thirteen. The questions ended up covering...
View ArticleTo tweet or not to tweet – social media and the scientific meeting
Should live tweeting and blogging from scientific meetings be controlled? Back in May, Daniel MacArthur – a researcher and blogger – wrote a number of on-the-spot blogs on the Cold Spring Harbor...
View ArticleGeoengineering: Are we grown up enough to handle it?
If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to unite global warming “denialists” on both sides of the aisle, it’s geoengineering – the intentional planet-wide manipulation of the environment. At least, you...
View ArticleA cautious thumbs up for synthetic biology from the UK public
According to a new public opinion survey from the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, the great British public is cautiously enthusiastic about the emerging field of synthetic biology. Last summer, the...
View ArticleThe biggest science-art project in history?
Okay, so there may be a dash of hyperbole there, but following up on the success of his Exquisite Corpse of Science project (see my previous post), Tim Jones is hatching an ambitious plan to create the...
View ArticleIs nanotechnology poised for the ride of its life?
In the wake of a new study linking “nanotechnology” to two deaths and five additional cases of lung disease, the emerging technology of the ultra-small could be in for a rough ride. Yet the real risk...
View ArticleTen things everyone should know about nanotechnology safety
Asked to conclude the Fourth International Conference on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health in Helsinki this year, I rather rashly came up with the above title for my talk—thinking...
View ArticleGeoengineering the climate: A clear perspective from The Royal Society
Initial reflections on the new Royal Society report “Geoengineering the climate: Science, governance and uncertainty” After many months’ hard work, the Royal Society’s much-anticipated report on...
View ArticleHooked on science – ten things that inspired me to become a scientist
How exactly did I get hooked on science? It’s not something I’ve thought about too much before. But an invitation to discuss how to inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists and...
View ArticleWant the low-down on nanotechnology safety? Try these ten helpful resources
Where’s the best place to look for down to earth information on nanotechnology safety? Surprisingly, given how much time I spend speaking and writing about the subject, I don’t think I have ever sat...
View ArticleSo you’re curious about nanotechnology…
Curious, concerned or just plain confused about nanotechnology? The new website Nano & Me might be just what you are looking for. Funded in part by the UK department of Business, Innovation and...
View ArticleDo scientists encourage misleading media coverage?
As scientists, how we love to rail against the incompetence of the media. As self-proclaimed keepers of the truth, we decry – usually rather vocally – the misinterpretation and misuse of our precious...
View ArticleRethinking the world – World Economic Forum style
For the next three days I will be participating in and blogging from the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai. If last year’s summit – described as the “World’s largest...
View ArticleHooked on tech – ten alternative perspectives on technology innovation
2020 Science is something of a labor of love – it’s a website where I explore my thoughts and ideas surrounding the interface between science, technology and society beyond the constraints of my “day...
View ArticleTen emerging technology trends to watch over the next decade
Ten years ago at the close of the 20th century, people the world over were obsessing about the millennium bug – an unanticipated glitch arising from an earlier technology. I wonder how clear it was...
View ArticleNo Small Matter – a taste of the nanoscale
To accompany the review just posted of Felice Frankel and George Whitesides’ book “No Small Matter: Science on the Nanoscale” the authors kindly allowed me to post this series of excerpts. What I...
View ArticleDavos 2010 wrapup – inspired by youth
Well, I’ve survived my first “Davos” and lived to tell the tale. I feel I should write about how profoundly important and influential these meetings are (and without a doubt, they are). But it’s two...
View ArticleWhy we need technology ratchets
A lot of things keep me up at night – everything from the trivial (“did I remember to brush my teeth?”) to the to the profound (“does it matter?” ). But recently, I’ve been plagued more than usual in...
View ArticleMaking sense of nanotechnology – a piece of cake!
The quality’s a bit flaky, but I thought I would upload this video for a bit of fun. It’s the first – and possibly the last – time I will simultaneously attempt to unravel the mysteries of...
View ArticleA spectator’s guide to I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here!
If you want to participate in the rather fab science event I’m A Scientist, Get me Out Of Here I’m afraid you are out of luck – unless you happen to be one of the 100 scientists and 8000 teenagers...
View ArticleJust how risky can nanoparticles in sunscreens be? Friends of the Earth respond
Last week, I posed Friends of the Earth a challenge – “What is your worst case estimate of the human health risk from titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreens?” Georgia Miller of...
View ArticleI’m A Scientist 2010 ends, and the winner is…
An hour or so ago, the final winners of I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here were announced. To my surprise, I made it to the last two standing in the Silicon Zone yesterday, and have been on the edge...
View ArticleTexas Instruments Graphing calculators – essential math teaching aid, or a scam?
Last September regular readers of 2020 Science will recall that I was somewhat taken aback at having to fork out $100 for a Texas Instruments graphing calculator as my son started 7th grade math. One...
View ArticleKnitting science
Sitting in a meeting on informal science education recently, I was intrigued to see a respected academic working on her knitting. And she wasn’t the only one. Now I may have had a something of a...
View ArticleTen weeks to save the world: Nature does the Singularity University
You’ve heard the rumors and read the hype – but what really goes on at the Singularity University, based at the NASA Ames campus in Silicon Valley? Nature’s Nicola Jones recently went along to take a...
View ArticleInternational Handbook on Regulating Nanotechnologies – sneak peak of contents
Back in the mists of time, I was approached with a crazy proposition – would I help co-edit a book on nanotechnologies regulation! In a moment of weakness I said yes, and a little more than two and a...
View ArticleBasic research and personal responsibility
Dan Sarewitz has a rather provocative commentary in Nature this morning, where he suggests that proposals to increase basic research may be good politics, but questionable policy. The headline alone is...
View ArticleA bluffer’s guide to Risk Science in the 21st century
A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati under the slightly provocative title “Small Gods and the Art of Technology Innovation”. The talk is now available on-line...
View ArticleDavos 2011 – Committed to changing the state of the world
Cross-posted from the Risk Science Blog. As it did last year, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos has left me with a daunting task – how do I summarize the highlights of the meeting in a...
View ArticleThe New Toxicology of Sophisticated Materials: Nanotoxicology and Beyond
Cross-posted from The Risk Science Blog Several months ago, I was asked by a colleague if I fancied co-authoring a review on nanotoxicology for a copy of Toxicological Sciences celebrating the 50th...
View ArticleLarry Brilliant: Enabling sustainable humanity through getting serious about...
Cross-posted from the Risk Science Blog [audio: http://umrscblogs.org/audio/SustainableHumanity_Brilliant_Intros_110316.mp3,...
View ArticleRadiation-Crazed Zombies in Anti-Vaccine Hand-Washing Health Scare – Possibly
OK so it’s a slightly misleading title, but I did want to draw your attention to the rather splendiferous Risk Science Blog. When I took over as Director of the University of Michigan Risk Science last...
View ArticleThe science of VidCon – Connecting with Science & Engineering through YouTube
Where I cover science at this year’s VidCon YouTube convention, take a look at science and engineering more broadly on YouTube, and suggest that for next year’s VidCon the organizers should bring...
View ArticleContagion, plausible reality and public health: In conversation with Larry...
Blockbuster movies aren’t usually noted for their scientific accuracy and education potential. But since its release last week, Steven Soderburgh’s Contagion seems to be challenging the assumption...
View ArticleVidCon 2012: Online learning is where online music was five years ago
YouTube is gearing up to transform the way we learn. At least that’s the message that came across loud and clear at this morning’s VidCon breakout panel on education. In an overflowing room of well...
View ArticleJumping the gap between a US and UK high school education
Tomorrow, my 16 year old daughter is leaving her home in the US for the UK. She’ll be there for the next two years while she studies for her A levels. It was a heart-rending decision for my wife and I...
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