Vanessa Spedding is the Shorts editor
Delivering on nanotech?
The Council for Science and Technology is reviewing the government’s progress on the commitments outlined in its response to the Royal Society/Royal Academy of Engineering report, Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties. The review will assess if (and how quickly) it is delivering on these commitments and how its actions are affecting public perceptions and national competitiveness. Written submissions are accepted until 2 October. See here.
Seeking views on GM crop planting
The government has started a public consultation to help establish an acceptable basis for growing GM crops in the UK. Views are sought on how to address the proximity of GM to conventional or organic crops; possible compensation for farmers whose non-GM crops become contaminated with GM DNA; and the need for a GM crop register. The deadline for responses (see here) is 20 October 2006.
Artificial life under scrutiny
A coalition of 35 international organisations has called for public debate, regulation and policing of the rapidly advancing field of synthetic biology, which entails manipulating DNA to construct novel, artificial life forms. The coalition says that self-governance by the synthetic biologists themselves – as advocated here – is inadequate for countering the possible social, environmental and bio-weapons implications. See http://www.etcgroup.org/
Happy Birthday to the BA
The BA celebrates its 175th anniversary this September. Founded in 1831 to help reverse what Charles Babbage described as the ‘decline in science’ in the country at the time, its history is noted for having hosted meetings where the words ‘scientist’ and ‘dinosaur’ were coined and where the first demonstration of wireless transmission was given.
Exposing science teaching trends
The House of Lords science and technology committee will report in autumn on its inquiry into school science teaching. It is investigating how to attract and retain science teachers, variations in the quality of teaching and the effects of curriculum changes and other factors. Meanwhile government is planning to rank schools according to their performance in GCSE science as well as in maths and English.
Web centre for maths teachers
The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) is now up and running at http://www.ncetm.org.uk/. Funded by the government to the tune of £15 million, the centre is described as a ‘vital tool’ that will provide mathematics teachers with support and professional development. It will also enable the creation of networked communities of teachers and local collaborations.
Could drugs and sport mix?
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is conducting an inquiry entitled ‘Human Enhancement Technologies in Sport’. It will focus on the scientific and ethical case for allowing different human enhancement technologies (HETs), including drugs, genetic modification and technological devices, to be used to enhance sporting performance, as well as ways to minimise the use of illegal HETs at the 2012 Olympics.
Queries over Trident replacement
The House of Commons Defence Committee has reported on ‘The Future of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent’. It concludes that the UK must examine the relevance of nuclear deterrence and must also consider the potential implications of any technical dependencies upon the US. The committee welcomed the government's promise of an open debate but expressed disappointment that the Ministry of Defence refused to participate in the inquiry.