Science and Technology

Why synthetic biology has the potential to reshape our lives

By Philip Shapira Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: October 28, 2015

We need to prepare for a world where synthetic biology will reshape our lives, economies and environment. But this rapidly emerging technology needs to be responsibly developed, says Professor Philip Shapira, ahead of an exciting event in Manchester next week. Synthetic biology involves combining scientific and engineering methods to redesign biological components and systems found […]

Is fracking a price worth paying?

By Paul Younger and Kevin Anderson Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: October 22, 2015

Our dependence on a constant supply of energy presents seemingly intractable dilemmas. One of these is whether fracking should be permitted. Professor Paul Younger and Professor Kevin Anderson took opposing views in a recent online debate. In the US, the recovery of underground reserves of shale gas and its extraction from solid rock through the […]

Managing new nuclear – What’s new?

By Stephen Wearne Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Technology Posted: August 19, 2015

Stephen Wearne explores lessons to be learnt from the similarities and the differences between the start of the nuclear power era in the 1950’s and now. The structure of utilities, suppliers and contractors for engineering and constructing new nuclear power stations in the UK today is very different to the structure at the start of […]

Are patients interested in pharmaceutical research?

By Suzanne Parsons and Bella Starling Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: August 12, 2015

It is important to involve patients and the public in pharmaceutical medicines research and development. Suzanne Parsons and Bella Starling examine who is interested, who is not and why. Involving patients and the public as active partners in their healthcare and in healthcare research has become an increasingly important policy issue in the last two […]

Securing the Internet

By Daniel Dresner Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: July 28, 2015

The scale and vast cost of cyber crime has been made clear in the last few weeks. Daniel Dresner suggests that stronger industrial standards may be the best response. Cyber crime is reportedly costing the UK up to £34bn each year. Within that total, personal identity fraud is rising fast and is now responsible for […]

Managing water demand

By Alison Browne Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: July 14, 2015

The water industry has tried to manage consumption through technological ‘fixes’. But only by understanding how and why water is used can demand be reduced, argues Dr Alison Browne. For many years the mismatch between the demand for water and its available supply was ‘solved’ by the industry through engineering or technological solutions, including mega-projects […]

Out of Time: Fracking in UK Energy Policy

By John Broderick Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Technology Posted: June 26, 2015

As the decision on fracking at Little Plumpton in Lancashire is delayed, Dr John Broderick of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, part of Manchester Energy, considers whether a UK shale gas industry may turn out to be an anachronism. Whether the go-ahead for fracking in Lancashire is given or not, there is little […]

Misleading reporting is damaging scientific research

By Oscar Flórez-Vargas and Michael Bramhall Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted: June 5, 2015

It is essential that scientific research findings can be reproduced independently. But, warn Oscar Flórez-Vargas and Michael Bramhall, this is often not possible. The potential for the development of new treatments for diseases is being damaged by scientific research papers that are providing insufficient, and sometimes misleading, information. The incidence of these reporting weaknesses is […]

The need for joined-up thinking on energy and cities

By Stefan Bouzarovski and Saska Petrova Filed Under: Europe, Featured, Science and Technology, Urban Posted: June 5, 2015

The EU’s new ‘Energy Union’ does not go far enough in reshaping our demand for energy, argue Professor Stefan Bouzarovski and Dr Saska Petrova. One of the ten stated priorities of the new European Commission has been the establishment of an ‘Energy Union’ – a common policy umbrella that will, says the EU, ensure “secure, […]

The Ebola virus is mutating, but is no more or less deadly, yet

By Simon Lovell and David Robertson Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Technology Posted: May 11, 2015

The Ebola outbreak has loosened its grip on West Africa, as shown by Liberia being declared free of the disease a couple of days ago. This is cause for relief, but not complacency, explain Simon Lovell and David Robertson. The 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus arose from a single case in Guinea, probably transmitted […]