Vanessa Spedding is the Shorts editor

Full support for women at York 

The Chemistry Department at the University of York has become the first to receive an Athena SWAN golden award for its commitment to furthering the careers of women in science. Three other departments at York have silver awards; the university also provided this year’s Rosalind Franklin award winner, Professor Ottoline Leyser from the Department of Biology. http://www.york.ac.uk/

Public opinions on energy 

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has published the note Public Opinion of Electricity Options. The polls and studies upon which it drew suggest a widespread desire for energy efficiency and demand reduction measures. They also stressed public awareness of the need for long-term lifestyle changes and the possible benefits of a public policy debate. http://www.parliament.uk/docume
nts/upload/postpn294.pdf 

Not enough support for the seas

Marine research is under-appreciated, uncoordinated and under-funded, according to the Science and Technology Select Committee’s report Investigating the Oceans. It calls for a new marine science agency to raise public awareness of marine issues and to bring together public sector funders of marine research, universities and other organisations benefiting from such work. www.publications.parliament.uk/p
a/cm/cmsctech.htm

Voluntary code for nanobusiness

An initiative to develop a set of principles outlining good practice for businesses that work with nanotechnologies and their applications has been instigated by the Royal Society and three other partners. The Responsible Nanocode, a draft of which was available for public consultation through autumn, will be published early in 2008. http://www.responsiblenanocode.
org/.

YouTube for scientists 

A content-sharing web portal that enables scientists to present technical papers and videos is up and running thanks to three US partners: the Public Library of Science, the National Science Foundation and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. ‘SciVee is about the free and widespread dissemination and comprehension of science,’ explains the portal. http://www.scivee.tv/

Final words on embryos and tissues

The government has taken into account a Scrutiny Committee report on its draft Human Tissue and Embryology Bill. The bill will not replace the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and Human Tissue Authority with a new regulatory body but will allow inter-species embryos under HFEA license. This aligns with the majority public view: an earlier survey showed that 61 per cent think that human-animal embryos should be permitted. http://www.dh.gov.uk/

Consulting on European research

The Europe-wide public consultation on the European Research Area (ERA) has revealed widespread support for the concept and its priorities. However, some felt excluded by the narrow framework of the consultation, including a group called European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES). It wants a focus within the European research agenda on the needs of developing countries. http://ec.europa.eu/research/era
/index_en.html and www.efb-central.org/eagles 

One side of synthetic biology 

A report on the governance of synthetic biology released by the US-based J. Craig Venter Institute, one of its strongest proponents, fails to address societal concerns and failed properly to consult civil society, according to campaign organisations the ETC Group and the Sunshine Project. See http://www.sunshine-project.org/, http://www.etcgroup.org/ and, for the report, http://www.jcvi.org/