POST What's New
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Subscribe to Email Alerts for this pagePlease note that a new window will open up when subscribing to this service. When you have completed the subscription sign-on, click on Close to shut the window down. To receive copies of POST's publications and event notifications, please email post@parliament.uk, with 'Join POST mailing list' as the subject and your full name and address. Please indicate whether you prefer to receive electronic, paper copies or both. What's NewPublications345 - Teaching Children to Read 344 - Deforestation PodcastsThe Flip Side of Scientific Freedom Podcast Perhaps the most famous instance of where science has been used for harm is the 20th century research in physics that led to the development of the atomic bomb. Now the focus is shifting to the ethical dilemmas arising from research in the life sciences. For example, advances in brain imaging may lead to technologies that could reveal what people are thinking or feeling. The problem, how freedom of scientific inquiry should be weighed up against the possibility that the research could be used for harm, is known as the 'dual-use dilemma' the subject of a recent POSTnote. In this podcast, Chandy Nath from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), speaks to Dr Tom Douglas - Doctoral Candidate in Philosophy, University of Oxford, Professor Charles Penn - Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Medical Microbiology and Dr Michael Selgelid - Senior Research Fellow, The Australian National University, Canberra - about the role that scientists and scientific publishers have to play in tackling this problem, and to Phil Willis MP - Chair of the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Commons, on his views on where politicians fit into this. Click on the link to listen to the podcast. |
Seminars
Science, Technology and Innovation for Poverty Reduction Over a third of the world's population is affected by poverty, and lacks the resources and information to meet basic human needs, such as sufficient food, safe drinking water, sanitation, health, shelter and education. Science, technology and innovation can play a crucial role in alleviating poverty and have led to a vast array of developments, from boosting agricultural productivity, to improving livelihoods with Information Communication Technology. There is widespread awareness that science, technology and innovation can make a significant contribution to meeting key Millennium Development Goal commitments, such as halving the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. This seminar, which is organised jointly by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, the Institute of Physics and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, will showcase promising new areas of UK research in developmental sciences, covering a range of areas including mobile communications, disease control, and provision of clean water and electricity. It will also address the challenges faced in ensuring that research is focused on the needs of the world's poorest people and will explore social and cultural factors affecting the uptake of new technologies in developing countries. Attendees will have the opportunity to look at practical demonstrations and network with researchers. Places are limited and admission is by invitation. If you would like to attend please contact Chandrika Nath (nathc@parliament.uk) |
