Welcome to the 2020 Science Archive
2020 Science started life in 2007 as a nanotechnology blog written by Andrew Maynard on SafeNano. In the following years it developed into a personal blog addressing emerging technologies, responsible innovation, risk, science communication, and the intersection between science and society more generally.
Andrew made he decision to wind the blog down in 2019 as his focus and writing developed in new directions. This archive contains most of the original posts (there have been occasional clean-ups of content). For more recent articles etc. please visit andrewmaynard.net. And thanks for visiting!
BROWSE THE ARCHIVE
This is Environmental Health Science
We've just posted a new video about the University of Michigan Environmental Health Science department that I'm quite pleased with. It's aimed at students who may be interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the environmental health sciences (and perhaps don't know...
Building trust between academics and journalists
As an academic, speaking with reporters can be nerve wracking. The gut-wrench is palpable as you click on the article that follows, unsure of whether the person you spoke with has got it right, or created a train wreck with your name splattered all over it. Building...
Ebola virus: Insights from University of Michigan Experts
Over the past several weeks, we've been posting articles on the ebola outbreak from University of Michigan experts. As concern continues to grow over the outbreak, we've collected these together on the Risk Science Center Ebola Virus Topic Page, and will continue to...
Could playing sports on artificial turf be bad for your health?
Most artificial turf these days incorporates rubber granules formed from recycled tires. They make an effective and environmentally friendly playing surface. But can the substances they contain also be bad for the health of players? A major report from NBC News this...
(Some of the) most engaged research scientists on Twitter
Science Magazine has just released an update of it's list of Twitter's most popular researchers - now expanded to "100 of the most followed scientists on the social media platform". Having played around with the data, here's an alternative listing, based on the...
Nano silver and ebola: Show us the data, or remove claims (FDA)
On September 23, the Food and Drug Administration sent Rima Laibow and Ralph Fucetola at the Natural Solutions Foundation a warning letter claiming that their allegedly nano (colloidal) silver based "Dr. Rima Recommends™ The Silver Solution" product violates the...
Info on ebola risks from the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan School of Public Health has posted a number of resources on the current ebola outbreak on its website, including a series of interviews with experts on risks and concerns. These are well worth checking out for clear and informed information...
Color My Poop Beautiful – now on video
Back in August, I gave a talk on colored poop and other "tales of technological derring do" at the Ann Arbor We Make Health Fest. Videos and photos from the day are now available over on the Health By Design website. Here's my talk - it draws on three stories from...
Interactively visualizing major health risks
Visualizing risk, NHS style It maybe because I hang out too much in the US these days, but I've only just come across this rather excellent Atlas of Risk from the UK National Health Service: Visualizing causes of death The Atlas uses a highly intuitive visualization...
So you want to write better science blog posts …
Anyone can blog about science. But it takes effort and diligence to blog well. When I was teaching the Mind The Science Gap blogging course at the University of Michigan, it became clear early on that, no matter how enthusiastic or knowledgeable you are, there...