Monthly Archives: April 2012
Away from the Bench: Science on Ice
Hugo Schmidt talks to Pierre Dutrieux and Paul Holland about science at the South Pole. Although the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) no longer has to worry about Nazi raiders, life in it is still tough. From its conception as a World War II survey post, to studying melting caused by global warming, the BAS calls [...]
Posted in Earth & environment, Physical sciences Leave a comment
Science & Policy: Preparing for the Unknown
Tim Middleton examines risk and uncertainty in policy-making. “There are known knowns…there are known unknowns…but there are also unknown unknowns—there are things we do not know we don’t know.” — Donald Rumsfeld Donald Rumsfeld was talking about weapons of mass destruction, but his remarks are just as pertinent in other spheres of policy-making. In 2009, [...]
Posted in Science and Policy 1 Comment
Perspective: The Genome Generation
Nicola Stead reveals what we have learnt from a decade of the human genome. The decade since the publication of the human genome sequence has seen an explosion in the sequencing of genomes. Prior to its release in 2001 only 42 other genomes, mostly of low complexity, had been sequenced, and of these only 4 [...]
Posted in Life sciences Leave a comment
Behind the Science: The Grand Question
Helen Gaffney explores the many-sided life of Cambridge scientist Joseph Needham. In 1952 Joseph Needham, along with a team of five other internationally respected scientists, was commissioned by the World Peace Council to investigate the allegation that the US was using biological weapons in China and Korea. Whilst the majority of the Western world put it down [...]
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Arts & Science: Dreaming up Science
Beth Venus looks at how thought experiments have explained scientific phenomena. It is a misconception that the poet is more of a dreamer than the scientist. Yet a huge range of crucial and inspired thought experiments—the exquisite dreams of scientists—have signposted scientific progress in almost every field. In particular, insights gleaned from mental laboratories [...]
Posted in Mathematics, Physical sciences Leave a comment
History: From Herbs to Hormones
Vicki Moignard explores how approaches to contraception have evolved over time. It’s impossible to know when we made the connection between sex and conception. It has been suggested that the domestication of animals during the 10,000 years since the last ice age alerted us to our own biology, while the Bible speaks of Eve’s pregnancy [...]
Posted in Life sciences, Medical & clinical Leave a comment
Focus: Higher, Faster, Stronger
BlueSci explores the role of science in pushing the boundaries of human physical ability. The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 marked a new era for modern sports, with hundreds of athletes coming together to compete in Athens. One hundred and sixteen years later, the games have evolved, with thousands of athletes representing [...]
Feature: Turbocharged Thinking
Camilla d’Angelo asks whether society will become dependent on brain‑enhancing drugs to function. In the last 20 years, medicine and neuroscience have made great strides towards a better understanding of the brain and improved treatment of mental health disorders. These achievements have been accompanied by a host of socio-economic effects. We have witnessed, for example, [...]
Feature: Type ‘L’ for Love
Jordan Ramsey reveals how computers are being used to simulate love and investigate our choice of life partners. From the first kiss to that last vow, each person’s relationship trajectory is unique. At least, that’s what we tend to think after swearing off men, women, or both for the sixth or seventh time. Demographic age-at-first-marriage [...]
Posted in Feature Articles, Life sciences, Mathematics, Technology 1 Comment
Weird & Wonderful: Issue 24