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
Nanotechnology policy and regulation timeline
Marc Saner at Carleton University in Canada sent this timeline of key nanotech policy events to me the other day. It's probably the most comprehensive compilation of events influencing the development of nanotech policy in America, Europe and Australia I've seen to...
Power to the people – should citizens be more involved in assessing energing technologies?
Does the US need more public participation in assessing technologies and their potential impact on society, and informing decisions on their development and use? Richard Sclove - author of a new report on technology assessment - thinks yes; but only as part of a new...
Found in translation – Journalist Andréia Azevedo Soares’ take on a Brazilian nanotechnology documentary
Language is often seen as a barrier to communication. But sometimes it provides a valuable buffer between hearing, understanding and responding, and allows unique perspectives that are often drowned out to be heard. A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Brazilian TV...
TSCA reform and engineered nanomaterials
A bit of a wonky blog I'm afraid, but having seen relatively little on the recently introduced Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 and its relevance to engineered nanomaterials on the web, I thought I would post something short and sweet here. Just over a week ago, Senator...
The nanotech gamble – double or nothing?
There's a bit of a brouhaha over nanotechnology safety brewing over at AOL Online. A few weeks ago, investigative reporter Andrew Schneider posted a series of articles questioning both the safety of nanotechnology-enabled products entering the market, and the US...
The secrets of engaging teens with science
A guest blog by Sophia Collins, producer of the on-line teen science event "I'm a Scientist, Get me out of Here!" "itz hometime but we want to stay and ask questions" These are the words of a 14 year old student, at a school in inner-city London. The school has some...
White House plans a new government policy coordination group on emerging technologies
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) plans to form a new interagency group on emerging technologies, including nanotechnology and synthetic biology. The...
Cultivating ingenuity & humility in an increasingly complex world
To coincide with my move to the University of Michigan, Seed Magazine has just published a series of ten questions and answers on what I do and what motivates me as a scientist. You can read how well I fared (or didn't, as the case may be) with questions as diverse...
Making sense of nanotechnology – a piece of cake!
The quality's a bit flaky, but I thought I would upload this video for a bit of fun. It's the first - and possibly the last - time I will simultaneously attempt to unravel the mysteries of nanotechnology... while baking a cake! Filmed at the National Museum of...
Public Engagement with Nanotechnology
A guest blog by David H. Guston, Director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University. The President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST) has recently put the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) through its biennial...