It is more than 25 years since the geneticist Walter Bodmer penned his report into the Public Understanding of Science, which exposed how feebly researchers conveyed their work to non-scientists. Among the PUS retrospectives will be a July (2nd-3rd) conference at Kingston University, which will ask the question: how much science should academics expect a layperson to know? Should the citizen’s canon be just enough to make everyday decisions on issues like health and nutrition, or should we demand that they know their arsb from their elb-1*?
The Nuclear Industry Association has lured attendees to its Nuclear New Build 2011 gathering in Westminster on 5th-6th July by claiming: “They say timing is everything.” Indeed it is, because Germany, a nation not known for technological backwardness, is scrapping nuclear power by 2022. As ministers, regulators and engineers meet to discuss the possibility of erecting power stations across Britain, Germany’s dramatic decision—which follows Japan halting its nuclear expansion plans in the wake of the Fukushima disaster—is sure to figure highly on the agenda.
There are nervous times ahead for AstraZeneca (AZ), Britain’s second-biggest drug maker. In July, the US Food and Drugs Administration will decide whether to approve Brilinta, its blockbuster blood-thinning drug. The decision has been delayed several times amid fears that aspirin dampens its effectiveness; although the drug has been approved for Canada and the EU (including Britain), AZ has pulled it from France after discussions with health agencies there stalled. Brilinta could make AZ up to $2bn a year, plugging a revenue hole as some of its other drugs, such as the antipsychotic Seroquel, come out of patent. The smart money is on approval but with cautionary labelling, which could limit its appeal.
*the human arsb gene produces an enzyme that breaks down large sugar molecules, while the nematode worm’s elb-1 gene helps cell division.
The Nuclear Industry Association has lured attendees to its Nuclear New Build 2011 gathering in Westminster on 5th-6th July by claiming: “They say timing is everything.” Indeed it is, because Germany, a nation not known for technological backwardness, is scrapping nuclear power by 2022. As ministers, regulators and engineers meet to discuss the possibility of erecting power stations across Britain, Germany’s dramatic decision—which follows Japan halting its nuclear expansion plans in the wake of the Fukushima disaster—is sure to figure highly on the agenda.
There are nervous times ahead for AstraZeneca (AZ), Britain’s second-biggest drug maker. In July, the US Food and Drugs Administration will decide whether to approve Brilinta, its blockbuster blood-thinning drug. The decision has been delayed several times amid fears that aspirin dampens its effectiveness; although the drug has been approved for Canada and the EU (including Britain), AZ has pulled it from France after discussions with health agencies there stalled. Brilinta could make AZ up to $2bn a year, plugging a revenue hole as some of its other drugs, such as the antipsychotic Seroquel, come out of patent. The smart money is on approval but with cautionary labelling, which could limit its appeal.
*the human arsb gene produces an enzyme that breaks down large sugar molecules, while the nematode worm’s elb-1 gene helps cell division.
