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Science and public bibliography: May/June 2002 A monthly round-up of books, reports and articles collated by the Wellcome Library's Information Service. Where freely available, web links have been provided to the full text document. All the below references are publicly available, for reference, in the Information Service, http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/infoserv , or from the British Library's Lending Division via public, academic or workplace libraries. As a last resort, the Wellcome Trust library operates a remote photocopying service for articles difficult to obtain elsewhere. There is an escalating charge depending on the number of pages copied. The minimum charge is £5 for copying 10 pages or less. Please contact the Information Service enquiry desk on tel. no. 020-7611-8722 or email: [log in to unmask] Books & Reports Adam , P. Genesis II. London : Little, Brown and Co., 2001, 426 p., ISBN 0316857475 Subject headings: Genetically modified foods; Fiction; Art and science Auburn, D. Proof : a play. New York : Faber and Faber, 2001, 82 p., ISBN 0571199976 Subject headings: Mathematics; Drama; Theater; Art and science Djerassi, C. and Hoffmann, R. Oxygen : a play in two acts. Weinheim ; New York : Wiley-VCH, 2001, 119 p., ISBN 3527304134 Subject headings: Chemistry; Drama; Theater; Art and science Frayn, M. Copenhagen : a play in two acts. London : Samuel French, c2000, c1998, 113 p., ISBN 0573627525 Subject headings: Physics; Drama; Theater; Art and science Fukuyama, F. Our posthuman future : consequences of the biotechnology revolution. New York : Farrarm Straus & Giroux, 2002, 256 p., ISBN 0374236437 Subject headings: Biotechnology - Social aspects; Science - Social aspects Harris, S. and Arseculeratne, S. N. (ed.) At home with the Einsteins: cartoons. Colombo, Sri Lanka : Karunaratne & Sons, c1996, 149 p., ISBN 9559098403 Subject headings: Science - Caricatures and cartoons; Communication in science; Art and science Kirkup, G. The gendered cyborg : a reader. London : Routledge in association with the Open University, 2000, 333 p., ISBN 0415220904 Subject headings: Feminism; Science - Social aspects Labinger, J. A. and Collins, H. The one culture? : a conversation about science. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, c2001, 329 p., ISBN 0226467228 Subject headings: Science and state; Science - Social aspects; Science - Philosophy Lodge, D. Thinks... : a novel. London : Penguin, 2002, 342 p., ISBN 014100021X Subject headings: Science; Fiction; Literature and science; Art and science Lundin, S. and Akesson, L. Amalgamations : fusing technology and culture. Lund : Nordic Academic Press, c1999, 137 p., ISBN 9189116070 Subject headings: Biomedical technology; Anthropology, Cultural; Science - Social aspects Macdonald, S. Behind the scenes at the Science Museum. Oxford : Berg, 2002, 293 p., ISBN 1859735665 Subject headings: Science museums; Great Britain Mayne, M. Learning to dance. London : Darton Longman & Todd, 2001, 258 p., ISBN 0232524343 Subject headings: Religion and science Mercurio , J. Bodies. London : Jonathan Cape, 2002, 348 p., ISBN 0224061976 Subject headings: Physicians; Fiction; Literature and science; Art and science Milloy, S. J. Junk science judo : self-defense against health scares & scams. Washington, D.C. : Cato Institute, c2001, 216 p., ISBN 1930865120 Subject headings: Science - Social aspects; Science - Moral and ethical aspects; Medicine Pesic, P. Seeing double : shared identities in physics, philosophy, and literature. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2002, 184 p., ISBN 0262162059 Subject headings: Science; Philosophy; Psychology; Science - Social aspects Pickover, C. A. The paradox of God and the science of omniscience. New York, N.Y. : Palgrave, 2002, 262 p., ISBN 0312294115 Subject headings: Religion and science Plotkin, H. The imagined world made real : towards a natural science of culture. London : Allen Lane, 2002, 301 p., ISBN 0713994088 Subject headings: Culture; Evolution; Science - Social aspects Pontin, K. And Hawthorne, E. Museum Fever and Represent : lessons for working with young people in museums. London : Resource, 2001? 26 leaves Subject headings: Science museums Prickett, S. Narrative, religion, and science : fundamentalism versus irony. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2002, 281 p., ISBN 0521811368 Subject headings: Religion and science; Literature and science Rinaldo, P. N. Atheists, agnostics, and deists in America : a brief history. Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. : DorPete Press, c2000, 184 p., ISBN 1890849030 Subject headings: Religion and science Sklar, L. Theory and truth : philosophical critique within foundational science. Oxford : Clarendon, 2000, 256 p., ISBN 0199251576 Subject headings: Science - Philosophy; Science - Social aspects Sonnert, G. and Holton, G. Ivory bridges : connecting science and society. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2002, 227 p., ISBN 0262194716 Subject headings: Science - Social aspects, Science and state Stannard, R. The God experiment : can science prove the existence of God? Mahwah, N.J. : HiddenSpring, c2000, 248 p., ISBN 1587680076 Subject headings: Religion and science Stansfield. W. D. Death of a rat : understandings and appreciations of science. Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2000, 360 p., ISBN 1573928143 Subject headings: Animal experimentation; Science - Moral and ethical aspects Strahler, A. N. Science and earth history : the evolution/creation controversy. Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 1999, 552 p., ISBN 1573927171 Subject headings: Evolution; Creation; Religion and science Weinberg, S. Facing up : science and its cultural adversaries. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2001, 283 p., ISBN 067400647X Subject headings: Science; Physics; Science - Social aspects Articles - Science & Public Selling science to the young. Nature Vol.417, 2 May 2002 p.1 Falling interest in science among young people is of global concern but the reasons behind the fall are well known. Science is universally acknowledged to be a difficult subject with little room in the school curricula for creativity and debate, and scientific careers are not seen as stable or financially rewarding. Brooks, M. Science's racist shame. New Scientist Vol.173, No.2333, 9 March 2002 pp.44-47 An interview with Elizabeth Rasekoala, a chemical engineer, who is concerned that western science excludes black people. She runs science clubs across Britain to teach black children and their parents how to break down the doors of the scientific establishment. She is also continually lobbying the government to do something about the issue. Heller, C. From scientific risk to paysan savoir-faire: peasant expertise in the French and global debate over GM crops. Science as Culture Vol.11, No.1 March 2002 pp.5-37 A study examining the shifting patterns in the French debate on genetically modified organisms. Initially, when the debate was framed as a risk issue, scientists were called in to evaluate the environmental and health hazards associated with the technology. However, as the debate gradually became defined as a 'food quality' issue, paysan expertise has become more important. Klintman, M. The genetically modified (GM) food labelling controversy. Social Studies of Science Vol.32, No. 1, February 2002 pp.71-91 In the debate surrounding genetically modified food, there is much controversy over whether, or how, GM food products should be labelled. This paper examines the way both supporters and opponents of GM foods have used these arguments to strengthen their respective causes. Examples are drawn mainly from the US, with some comparisons being made with certain European countries. Mercer, D. Scientific method discourses in the construction of 'EMF science' : interests, resources and rhetoric in submissions to a public enquiry. Social Studies of Science Vol.32, No.2, April 2002 pp.205-233 This paper examines the role played by competing images of scientific method in the strategies used by two of the main protagonists in an Australian public inquiry held between 1990 and 1991 which investigated the effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF). The paper also considers the way scientific method discourses can contribute to enhancing the durability of knowledge claims in legal and regulatory settings. Robins, R. The realness of risk : gene technology in Germany. Social Studies of Science Vol.32, No.1, February 2002 pp.7-35 This paper examines the material relations of risk within a dispute in Germany over the hazards of manufacturing human insulin using gene technology, and the role played by the referent 'real risk' in the technical performance of risk in that dispute. Urquhart, F. More openness needed from scientists. Scotsman Business 27 April 2002 p.21 In a speech at Aberdeen's Macaulay Institute, Roy Anderson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at London University's Imperial College, has warned that scientists must be more open and honest with the public in future if they are to restore the trust that has been lost in the handling of the BSE and foot and mouth epidemics. Articles - Public Attitudes & Participation Dissanayake, V.H.W., Simpson, R. and Jayasekara, R.W. Attitudes towards the new genetic and assisted reproductive technologies in Sri Lanka: a preliminary report. New Genetics and Society Vol.21, No.1, April 2002 pp.65-74 A survey of 36 Sri Lankan Medical Officers studying obstetrics and gynaecology on the ethical and social aspects of new reproductive and genetic technologies. The response to these new technologies was extremely positive. Issues covered included genetic counselling, prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic abortion, assisted reproduction, and the influence of ideas about re-incarnation and fate. Articles - Science Communication Communicating about biotechnology. AgBioForum Vol.4, No.3-4, 2001 This special issue discusses how consumers form perceptions about new technologies, such as agricultural biotechnology. Leading experts from media, industry, and academia provide insights from the growing field of risk analysis in order to shed light on the recent GM food debate. http://www.agbioforum.org/ Media studies for scientists. Nature Vol.416, 4 April 2002 p.461 Due to its inherent uncertainties, science can be a hard subject to translate to the public. The article argues that blaming 'sloppy' journalism is too easy and if researchers are to make their points effectively, they should learn more about how the media work. Many grant-awarding bodies now promote media training for scientists. Klotzko, A. Profile : Colin Blakemore. Scientist Vol.16, No.8, 15 April 2002 p.60 A profile of Colin Blakemore who is both a highly respected neuroscientist and, according to the Royal Society, "one of Britain's most influential communicators of science". Lee, J. What's in a name? Biologist Vol.49, No.2, 2002 p.92 Professionals, such as doctors and scientists, often seem to use unnecessarily complicated terms and jargon. Jargon can be used both appropriately and inappropriately. It can be used to create feelings of superiority or to 'sound good'. However, within scientific language there is also a need for quick, accurate and specific ways of communicating complicated ideas which often involves using jargon. Connecting with a wider audience means learning to tread this fine line between perfect accuracy and being understood. Turney, J. What is this thing called science? New Scientist Vol.173, No.2334, 16 March 2002 pp.46-47 Thomas Kuhn's essay, "The structure of scientific revolutions", is still at the heart of science studies today. This article reviews a number of important texts that discuss Kuhn's arguments about the nature of science and examines the question of what science is and what scientists actually do. Articles - Science & Art A body of language. New Scientist Vol.173, No.2335, 23 March 2002 pp.44-47 An interview with Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who created the technique of 'plastination' as a means of preserving human bodies. The bodies are part of his Body Worlds exhibition which is touring the world. Although shocking to many, von Hagens does not believe that the exhibition is gruesome. Rather, he considers it an important way of showing people their own biology. Artist or butcher? Observer 24 March 2002 p.9 Body Worlds, which opened in London in March, has attracted fury and acclaim in equal measure for its depiction of anatomy as art. In this article, a doctor and a critic pass judgement on the exhibition. Guts for the masses. Science Vol.295, 29 March 2002 p.2359 Body Worlds, a travelling exhibition of skinned and preserved human bodies in lifelike poses, opened its doors in London two weeks ago. The show is the brainchild of Gunther von Hagens, an independent anatomist who developed a "plastination" technique for preparing the specimens. Cohen, C. Sciart : an evaluation. 2002 Sciart is an experimental initiative that funds collaborative projects between artists and scientists. This report was commissioned by the Sciart Consortium and is intended as an analysis of, and reflection upon, the experiences of Sciart funded collaborations. The report is available online via the Sciart website at http://www.sciart.org/site/ under Essays. Gilchrist, J. Strength in numbers. Scotsman S2 30 April 2002 pp.8-9 A report on a collaborative project between two sisters, one an artist and the other diagnosed with the muscle-weakening condition Dystrophia myotonica, or DM, and two geneticists who are trying to find out more about the condition. Between them, they have helped produce a book simply called DM, which charts, in both text and pictures, a trip the group made to Canada to meet other DM sufferers. Henry, J. How Russell Crowe has made maths 'sexy'. TES (Times Educational Supplement), No.4475, 5 April 2002 p.9 The Oscar-winning movie "A Beautiful Mind" has raised the profile of maths and shown that it is not a subject only for boffins. Sue Sanders, president of the Mathematics Association, has urged teachers to build on the image boost that their subject has received as a result of the film. Singh, S. Eureka! Independent on Sunday Arts 14 April 2002 p.6 Mathematician Simon Singh and psychologist Richard Wiseman are about to take to the West End stage to present a science lecture double-act called Theatre of Science. Singh got the idea from the once extremely popular lectures given at the Royal Institution. During the 19th century, these lectures were considered "a hot night out". Singh and Wiseman are hoping that by presenting their lectures in a "funky, cosy, arty environment", they will inspire a similar enthusiasm for their subject. Articles - Science & Ethics Moore, R. Science, law and the pursuit of knowledge. Journal of College Science Teaching. Vol. XXXI, No. 6 March/April 2002 pp.356-358 A discussion of the similarities and differences between law and science. While both disciplines rely on a search for the truth, the author argues that in both cases, this search is sometimes restricted. In the case of the law, these restrictions can help preserve citizens' freedoms and in science, they can prevent unethical research being undertaken. Articles - Science & Media Press centre speaks up for the media shy. Nature Vol.416, 11 April 2002 pp.574-575 A new Science Media Centre has opened at the Royal Institution in London, with the aim of helping working scientists to communicate their work to the public. It plans to make available a 'science spokesperson' to provide comment on controversial areas, such as the farming of genetically modified crops. Milmo, C. The appliance of science. Independent Review 28 May 2002 p.13 In a talk given at the Cheltenham Science Festival, the BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh has attacked scientists for their attempts to control media coverage of science, particularly controversial issues such as GM foods and cloning. He defends journalists' role in analysing the advances in global science and, while he admits that the media are sometimes guilty of getting it wrong, scientists are too ready to blame journalists for their own communication failures. Articles - Science Education Life skills. Wellcome News No.30, Q1 2002 pp.12-13 A review of the Wellcome Trust's Citizenship Education in Science Stage 3 conference held in February 2002. The aim of the conference was to bring together science and humanities teachers in a discussion about how the ethical, legal and social implications of science can be taught in schools as part of the new citizenship curriculum. Cabacungan, C. and Kelly, S. The truth behind the tabloids. Science Scope Vol.25, No.6 March 2002 pp.8-11 A science teacher and an English teacher share their study programme which aims to provide students with the skills necessary to critically appraise stories in the media and to test the truth of the information for themselves, thereby becoming much more sophisticated "media consumers". Cavanaugh, T. Science fiction and science education. Science Scope Vol.25, No.6, March 2002 pp.64-69 Students tend to remember information more when it is presented in an entertaining and enjoyable way. Cavanaugh has been using science fiction to teach science for over 15 years. He believes that using science films and literature in science teaching can motivate a much wider range of students than can the traditional methods. It is also an effective way of teaching advanced and abstract topics such as mutations, radiation, ethics and rocket science. Fitzner, K. Issue-oriented science. Science Scope Vol.25, No.6 March 2002 pp.16-18 By relating science concepts to current issues in the press, Fitzner believes that it is possible to make connections between these concepts and a student's personal environment, thus making science much more relevant and easily understood. Garkov, V. Is the American approach to science education the best in the world? Journal of College Science Teaching. Vol. XXXI, No.6 March/April 2002 pp.399-401 Garkov compares the different approaches to science education between the United States and Europe. He concludes that the less structured American system, in which students are given the freedom to follow their own inclinations, is the best way to study the sciences. Jesky-Smith, R. Me, teach science? Science and Children Vol.39, No.6 March 2002 pp.26-30 In a survey of American preservice teachers, it was found that although most teachers acknowledged the importance of science in the elementary grades and that they had an interest in science themselves, they still felt insecure about their own abilities to teach science. The results of the survey point to the need for providing preservice teachers with greater science training to increase their confidence levels. Radhe, S. Star Trek physics. Science Scope Vol.25, No.6 March 2002 pp.52-57 In this imaginative article, Radhe likens science teaching to a journey in Star Trek' s space ship Enterprise. If teachers constantly stretch their students' thinking, a journey in science begins and the classroom is transformed into an atmosphere of "What are the new possibilities?" rather than the more traditional approach of simply asking "What do we have to do now?" Stewart, H. and Chudler, E. Neuroscience in the cinema. Science Scope Vol.25, No.6, March 2002 pp.76-81 Seeing and discussing how the brain is presented in movies can be an interesting, informative and dynamic way of learning about neuroscience. The authors suggest a number of ways in which this can be done and their list of films provides a good starting point from which to take the cinema of neuroscience into the classroom. Articles - Science Museums & Science Centres Fears for jobs at troubled science centre as visitor numbers struggle. Scotsman 11 May 2002 p.10 Officials are seeking £250,000 of savings for the Glasgow Science Centre due to poor visitor numbers. This has led to staff becoming anxious about job security, as they fear that up to 30 jobs could be cut. Waldegrave returns. Research Fortnight 15 May 2002 p.5 William Waldegrave has been appointed as chair of the National Museum of Science and Industry, which includes the Science Museum. As the Conservative "chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster", Waldegrave was responsible for the then newly formed Office of Science and Technology and the 1993 white paper on science. Dussek, N. Virtual reality. Museums Journal May 2002 pp.29-31 Many museums are trying to make the most of new technology to stimulate the public's interest in their displays and exhibitions. This article examines some of the techniques that are currently being used and looks at where the designers of this new museum technology are getting their ideas from. Fisher, S. The visitors and the visited. NewHeritage 02.02, 2002 pp.18-20 Qualitative research is becoming an essential tool for museums who want to gain funding and maintain visitor numbers in an increasingly competitive market. This article looks at the ways in which this research is being conducted and uses several examples, including London's Science Museum, to illustrate how useful the process can be. Graham, J. The kids are all right. Museum Practice Issue 19, Vol.7, No.1, 2002 pp.43-47 There is often little in museums for the very young. However, a better understanding of the nature of play can help museums successfully develop exhibits that cater for the needs and interests of under-seven year olds. Creating play opportunities can allow young children to play and explore ideas creatively using the collections. Morris, J. The nervous centres. Museums Journal May 2002 pp.12-13 There is concern that the growing number of science centres in the UK may end up in financial difficulties if they do not receive any funding from the government. Ecsite-UK, a network of science centres established in 2001, is lobbying a number of government departments in an attempt to highlight issue. ++++++++++++++++++ Louise Simon Information Officer Wellcome Trust Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine 183 Euston Road London NW1 2BE Telephone: +44 (0)20 7611 7316 Fax: +44 (0)020 7611 8726 mailto:[log in to unmask] The Wellcome Trust is a registered charity, no.210183. Its sole Trustee is the Wellcome Trust Limited, a company registered in England, no. 2711000, whose registered office is 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Have you visited psci-com, the searchable database of quality internet resources on the public understanding of science? Click on http://www.psci-com.org.uk ********************************************************************** 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail 2. 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