Using animations in science communication
June 10, 2015Can short animations be used for effective science communication, asks guest-blogger Queen Alike, Public Health Specialist at the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine (NLM).
American universities: reclaiming our role in society
June 1, 2015American universities are facing a crisis of relevance. There is, quite simply, a growing tension between their internal cultures and their role within society. But the good news is that a growing number of us academics are taking this issue head on, exploring a broader range of models for ...
Lubchenco – Delivering on Science’s Social Contact
May 5, 2015In 1998, then-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dr. Jane Luchenco called for a “New Social Contract with science”. She argued that, in the face of emerging challenges, scientists needed to rethink their roles and responsibilities within society. Next Wednesday she will ...
A new home for Risk Innovation
April 29, 2015Five years ago, I joined the University of Michigan School of Public Health as Director of the U-M Risk Science Center. It’s been a good five years. However, last year, the good folks at Arizona State University made me an offer I couldn’t refuse – the opportunity to ...
The Poetry of Innovating Responsibly
April 24, 2015What have technology innovation, haiku, and this summer’s blockbuster-in-waiting Jurassic World got in common? The answer: a short book of haiku on responsible technological innovation that a group of colleagues helped put together last summer.
No New York Times, wearable computers couldn’t be as harmful as cigarettes!
March 18, 2015I was taken aback- to say the least – by an article from the New York Times that crossed my Twitter feed today that suggested wearable electronics like the new Apple Watch could be has harmful as smoking. I have to wonder whether the author actually read the International ...
Solving public health challenges through innovation
March 16, 2015Last Thursday, the second annual University of Michigan Innovation In Action competition concluded, with six stunning student pitches for startups that could make a significant dent on the health and well-being of communities. It was a great example of what can be achieved at the intersection of public health, ...
Dunkin’ Donuts ditches titanium dioxide – but is it actually harmful?
March 12, 2015In response to pressure from the advocacy group As You Sow, Dunkin’ Brands has announced that it will be removing allegedly “nano” titanium dioxide from Dunkin’ Donuts’ powdered sugar donuts. As You Sow claims there are safety concerns around the use of the material, while Dunkin’ Brands cites concerns over ...
Toxicologists are Freakin’ Awesome!
March 10, 2015Risk Bites is going to be at the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering Expo this year (Saturday March 21st – be there!). I’ll be there as part of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) annual meeting, sharing the SOT stand. Given the toxicology theme, we have a ...
Responsible Innovation, and the (nano) entrepreneur’s dilemma
March 5, 2015Responsible innovation is a great concept – it embodies ideas around ensuring our inventiveness works for the long term good of society, without inadvertently throwing up more problems than it solves. But to entrepreneurs and others trying to make ends meet while launching a new product or idea, it ...
Responsible development of new technologies critical in complex, connected world
March 4, 2015The World Economic Forum’s 2015 top 10 emerging technologies reflect the tremendous potential of technology innovation. Yet to build a resilient tech-based future, we need new ideas, new research and new tools that will enable us to realize the benefits of technology innovation, while keeping us a safe distance ...
Have you ever wondered …?
February 27, 2015Have you ever wondered if green potato chips are safe to eat? Or whether peeing in the swimming pool is a good idea? Or what makes something toxic? Risk Bites has a snazzy new poster aimed at raising awareness of the video channel to K-12 students (and their teachers). Please do download the PDF (just click the ...
The science of “anti-vaccination” – a great primer from SciShow
February 20, 2015Yesterday, Hank Green and the YouTube channel SciShow posted a particularly good video on the anti-vaccination movement. Unlike many commentators from within the science community, instead of vilifying parents who don’t get their kids vaccinated – or are hesitant about doing so – Green takes a science-grounded look ...
Measles mortality rates – 2008-2011 outbreak, France
February 4, 2015Yesterday, I posted a piece examining the oft-quoted mortality rate for measles of one to two deaths per thousand cases of infection. Today, I want to look at what can be learned from more recent and more comprehensive dataset – this one from the 2008-2011 measles outbreak in France. In the early ...
What is the risk of dying if you catch measles?
February 3, 2015If you catch measles, what are your chances of dying? When I was a kid, measles was one of those things you were expected to catch. I had it when I was five, and must confess, I don’t remember much about the experience. I do remember being confined to bed. And ...
Is novelty in nanomaterials overrated when it comes to risk?
February 2, 2015Novelty and nanotechnology are deeply intertwined. The search for nanostructure-enabled materials has driven research funding in nanotechnology for well over a decade now; the exploitation of novel properties has underpinned the commercialization of nanomaterials; and concerns over potential risks has stimulated widespread studies into what makes these materials harmful. Yet ...
Emerging technologies must be developed responsibly
January 22, 2015From smart phones to cancer cures, we depend on technology innovation more now than at any point in human history. Yet in a cruel twist of irony, emerging technologies that could help improve lives and protect the environment may ultimately end up doing more harm than good. That is, unless ...
World Economic Forum highlights risks of emerging technologies
January 15, 2015The challenges of governing emerging technologies are highlighted by the World Economic Forum in the 2015 edition of its Global Risks Report. Focusing in particular on synthetic biology, gene drives and artificial intelligence, the report warns that these and other emerging technologies present hard-to-foresee risks, and that oversight mechanisms need to more ...
Are quantum dot TVs actually better for the environment?
January 7, 2015Earlier this week, The Conversation reported that, “The future is bright, the future is … quantum dot televisions.” And judging by the buzz coming from this week’s annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that’s right – the technology is providing manufacturers with a cheap and efficient way of producing the next ...
Bad luck and cancer – did the media get it wrong?
January 2, 2015The chances are that, if you follow news articles about cancer, you’ll have come across headlines like “Most Cancers Caused By Bad Luck” (The Daily Beast) or “Two-thirds of cancers are due to “bad luck,” study finds” (CBS News). The story – based on research out of Johns Hopkins University ...