Science In Action

Who runs science?


Listen Later

The Lancet this week features a paper calling for a financially sustainable network of influenza labs and experts across Europe. Marion Koopmans was one of the 32 expert signatures, and she describes how Europe needs to learn some lessons from the model developed previously in the US. The ongoing worries around avian H5N1 would be a great example of why funding for that sort of frontline strategic science needs not to be reliant on ad-hoc, potentially political, funding grants.

This weekend, a conference is taking place in Asilomar, CA, to mark 50 years since the 1975 conference there at which scientists developed some rules and guidelines around the future practice of genetic science. The historic Asilomar conference is celebrated by many as the moment scientists first demonstrated that they could spot risks, and self-regulate their activities, around novel and disruptive technologies. Author and scientist Matthew Cobb of the University of Manchester, and Shobita Parthasarathy of the University of Michigan discuss how perhaps other perspectives on the Asilomar legacy should be considered.

Presenter: Roland Pease

Producer: Alex Mansfield
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Image: Herbert Boyer (UCSF) and Paul Berg (Stanford) at a conference at Asilomar, February 26, 1975. Credit: Peter Breining/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Science In ActionBy BBC World Service

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

315 ratings


More shows like Science In Action

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,422 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,809 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

606 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

759 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

809 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,655 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

406 Listeners

5 Live Science Podcast by BBC Radio 5 Live

5 Live Science Podcast

111 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

85 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,745 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,073 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

894 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

971 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

79 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,064 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,042 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

718 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

238 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

353 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

400 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,167 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

705 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,983 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

108 Listeners