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
Want the low-down on nanotechnology safety? Try these ten helpful resources
Where’s the best place to look for down to earth information on nanotechnology safety? Surprisingly, given how much time I spend speaking and writing about the subject, I don’t think I have ever sat down and compiled such a list. But while preparing for this year’s...
Texas Instruments – transforming the world, one graphing calculator at a time (or, Where I Went Wrong With My Life)
I always thought mathematics at school was all about being taught a new language – one that helps us live in a culture built on numbers, enables scientists and engineers to understand and control the world we live in, and enriches us by revealing the underlying...
Living in a post-chemistry world – the regulatory challenges of emerging nanotechnologies
Regulators around the world are currently grappling with how to manage the possible risks associated with first generation nanotechnologies. But increasingly sophisticated nanotechnology-based products are coming – will the old regulations still cover these emerging...
Helter skelter nanotechnology
There's an absolute killer of a nanotechnology blog post over on placescope, if you are looking for something to brighten your day. It appears to be based on some old Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) press releases. But the process of translation and...
Hooked on science – ten things that inspired me to become a scientist
How exactly did I get hooked on science? It's not something I've thought about too much before. But an invitation to discuss how to inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists and engineers next week has got me thinking... Next Monday (Sept 7) I'm taking...
Geoengineering options: Balancing effectiveness and safety
An interesting aspect of today's Royal Society report on geoengineering is the attempt to rate twelve potential approaches to engineering the climate by effectiveness, affordability, timeliness and safety - and to graphically compare the approaches in terms of these...
Geoengineering the climate: A clear perspective from The Royal Society
Initial reflections on the new Royal Society report "Geoengineering the climate: Science, governance and uncertainty" After many months' hard work, the Royal Society's much-anticipated report on geoengineering was published today. Aimed at presenting "an independent...
Ten things everyone should know about nanotechnology safety
Asked to conclude the Fourth International Conference on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health in Helsinki this year, I rather rashly came up with the above title for my talk—thinking that I would find inspiration in the multitude of new research on...
Sunscreens and Alzheimer’s – solid science or scare-mongering speculation?
Could using sunscreen lead to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or other neurodegenerative diseases? The association seems far-fetched - given the amount of sunscreens, creams and lotions used every day, surely someone would noticed a link by now if it existed! Yet a press...
Graphically comparing 523 scientwists’ Twitter stats
Following on from yesterday's update on my quest to track science influence on Twitter, I've posted a bubble-chart of the August "influence stats" for all 523 scientwists in David Bradley's list over at Many Eyes. Using the chart, you can quickly explore the number of...