the-BA : News in brief

Vanessa Spedding is the Shorts editor

Call for presidential science debate
A coalition of scientists, academics, politicians and journalists is calling for a public debate between US presidential candidates on the environment, medicine and health, and science and technology policy. The group, which includes 20 Nobel Laureates, wants the US to explore its priorities on the many policy issues which have science and technology at their heart. Read more at the Science Debate 2008 website.

Royal Society calls for open discussion on nuclear waste
The Royal Society has called for an open discussion with the public on nuclear waste, informed by the best science and technology, and for a more comprehensive set of measures to tackle rising emissions from the transport sector. The call follows publication of the government’s Energy Bill, which sanctions the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations. See Royal Society news item.

Government policy on science centres

The government has responded to a report on the funding of science and discovery centres from the then Science and Technology Select Committee. DIUS (The Department for Innovation, Universities and Schools) will commission independent research into science centres’ effectiveness in encouraging young people to enter science and influencing public perception of science issues, as part of its review of the existing Science and Society work. See 'Science centres under threat' and
DIUS publications.

New journal for astronomy communicators
The International Astronomical Union has launched a new journal, Communicating Astronomy with the Public, in response to increasing demand for resources, opinion and information on how to communicate the workings of the Universe more effectively to the public. It will be published quarterly in print and online.

Risky business
Gordon Brown has appointed a new Risk and Regulation Advisory Council to improve the way government understands and manages risk to the public. Its remit includes improving the quality of dialogue with the public on risk issues. Read more on the interim webpage.

Show me the way to genome...
An exhibition on the human genome is beginning a tour of science centres around the UK. Confirmed venues are Explore @Bristol to the end of August, followed by six-month stints at the Centre for Life in Newcastle and the Glasgow Science Centre. Designed to provoke questions and stimulate debate, Inside DNA encourages visitors to explore issues around genetics and ethics.

Healthy food – fast
Researchers have shown that European consumers can make healthy food choices faster when nutritional information is provided in simple front-of-pack formats than detailed Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) scores. The study, conducted by Unilever consumer scientists and published in the journal Appetite, found almost ten seconds more were needed to evaluate products with GDA scores.

The Big Experiment
National Science and Engineering Week in March will see the first episode of The Big Experiment, a six–part TV series about a class of teenagers from East London exploding their misconceptions about science. Their experience of the curriculum includes leaping off a 40-foot scaffold, suspended only by helium balloons, and climbing into a phone box to be struck by lightning.

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	March 2008