Public understanding of science bibliography: November 1999
A monthly round-up of books, reports and articles collated by the Wellcome
Library's Information Service. 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 special libraries.
This bibliography will appear on the psci-com web site
http://omni.ac.uk/psci-com/
Books and reports
Bybee, R.W. Achieving scientific literacy: from purposes to practices.
Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann 1997 265pp ISBN:0433071343 Subject headings:
Science-Study and teaching-United States
Seargeant, J. and Steele, J. Consulting the public: guidelines and good
practice.
London: Policy Studies Institute 1998 276pp ISBN: 085374727X . Subject
headings: Public administration; Decision making; Citizen participation;
Sjoberg, S. and Kallerud, E. (eds.) Science, technology and citizenship:
the public understanding of science and technology in science education and
research policy. Rapport 7/97. Oslo: Norwegian Institute for Studies in
Research and Higher Education 1997 180pp ISBN: 8272183249. Subject headings:
Science; Public opinion; Norway
Farago, P. Science and the media. Science and engineering policy series
(Series ed. Massey, H. and Dainton, F.) Oxford: Oxford University Press 1976
95 pp ISBN: 0198583249. Subject headings: Science in mass media;
Communication in science
Krieghbaum, H. Science and the mass media. New York: New York University
Press 1967 242pp
Subject headings: Science in mass media; Communication in science
Weissmann, G. The Woods Hole Cantata: essays on science and society.
New York: Doo, Mead 1985 230pp ISBN: 039606187. Subject headings:
Biology-Social aspects;
Wulff, K. M. (ed.) Regulation of scientific inquiry: societal concerns with
research. AAAS selected symposium series: 37 Boulder, CO.: Westview Press
1979 222pp ISBN: 0891584927. Subject heading:
Research-Law and legislation; Social aspects; Moral and ethical aspects
The Human Genome Project and the public [ Special Issue]
Public Understanding of Science Vol 8 No.3 July 1999
Contents
The Human Genome Project and public policy
The Human Genome Project is a massive government and privately funded
undertaking to sequence the entire human genome and discover all 80,000
human genes in less than 15 years. As the project nears completion the
ramifications of public availability of this vast amount of information are
likely to pervade society. The legal, ethical and social issues raised by
the genome project and associated biological research are expected to have
a profound and long lasting impact on daily life. How society deals with
the many emerging issues involved in genetic privacy., designer babies, and
the transformation of medical care among others will be a major focus of
public and governmental discussion in the next decade
Glen A Evans Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.161 -168
How the public understands genetics: non-deterministic and
non-discriminatory interpretations of the ``blueprint'' metaphor
Critics have worried that recent mass media coverage of genetics encourages
genetic determinism and discriminatory attitudes in the public. They have
identified the "blueprint" metaphor as one major component of public
discourse that encourages such undesirable public opinions. To assess public
interpretations of popular discourse about genetics, this audience study
exposed 137 college students to sample genetics news articles and asked for
their interoperations of the "blueprint" metaphor and of genetics in
general. A larger group, the plurality, offered non-deterministic
interpretations and perspectives on genetics. A small minority offered
discriminatory interpretations, whereas a plurality offered explicit
anti-discriminatory interpretations and opinions. Non-deterministic views
were based on interpretations of the "blueprint" that understood genes as
operating in a partial and probabilistic fashion, and that interpreted genes
as malleable through individual will or technological intervention.
Celeste M. Condit Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.169-180
<http://www.iop.org/Journals/featured/pu1999008030302>
African-American responses to the Human Genome Project
Data generated by the Human Genome Project are expected to have a powerful
impact on how we view human biodiversity. Given the history of past
biomedical and quasi-genetic abuse inflicted upon Americans of African
descent, it is significant that African-Americans have been at the forefront
of calls for a variation-inclusive Human Genome Project database and for
full participation in all aspects of the project. As articulated in the 1994
Manifesto on Genomic Studies among
African-Americans, historically and demographically representative genomic
sampling is directly linked to the potential for social justice and equal
access to the project's anticipated value. Now, as the Human Genome Project
turns its attention to the collection and evaluation of human sequence
variation, it is important to concurrently develop research strategies that
foster inclusion and collaboration and produce benefits that are accessible
to all who have paid for the project's success.
Fatimah Jackson 8, 3, July 1999 p.181-191
Genetic testing and the moral dynamics of family life
American families are a segment of the public that will feel the impact of
the Human Genome Project most acutely but they are also one of the least
well studied segments with regard to that impact. Three sets of ethical
problems, in particular, deserve more scrutiny: the effect of increased
genetic risk assessment on family members' willingness to assist their kin
discover mutually incriminating genetic risks, its impact on the candor with
which extended families communicate within themselves about
their genetic health risks, and its influence on the ways that families seek
to protect the interests of their most vulnerable members. In each of these
areas, anecdotal experience already shows how genetic testing can undermine
a family's commitment to its own interdependence in these ways, and that
traditional, multigenerational, sessile families are likely to experience
more disruption than either blended families or ``virtual families'' linked
primarily through electronic communication.
Eric T. Juengst Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.193-205
Faith meets the Human Genome Project: religious factors in the public
response to genetics
Providers of genetic services need to be broadly aware of the role that
religious beliefs can play in the public's understanding of genetic
information and of the choices that are posed. This paper identifies three
religious themes that tend to arise when religious people, especially
Christians, are involved in genetic testing and pre-symptomatic diagnosis.
The first theme of fate and freedom leads to the prediction that religious
people will be less likely than others to ascribe fatalistic or
deterministic
powers to genes but will want to maintain room for human and divine freedom,
and that perhaps they will err too much in this direction. The second theme,
having to do with religious community, suggests that religious people will
experience a tension between the need for genetic privacy and the desire to
share personal concerns with their faith community. Third, religious people
regard the unborn with respect, even if not all regard the fetus as a
person. Those who accept abortion for genetic reasons are likely to grieve
the loss and to look for rituals to mark the value of the life that was not
continued.
R. Cole-Turner Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.207-214
Genetic privacy, discrimination, and the U.S. Congress
Advances in genetics research have fueled public debate over the use of
genetic information about individuals and families by health insurers. Fears
of discrimination based on one's genetic inheritance have prompted various
private and public sector groups to press for restrictions on access to and
use of genetic information in health insurance decisions. As a result, the
U.S. Congress has considered several pieces of legislation that would impose
such restrictions. This paper discusses the merging of several factors that
are responsible for placing and maintaining this issue on the congressional
policy agenda.
Mark S. Frankel Pub Und Sci 8, 3, 1999 p.215-222
The use of genetic information and public accountability
With the explosion in new technologies that heralded the end of the 20th
century, enabling the rapid gathering and analysis of genetic information
from humans and the multitude of other organisms with which they interact on
this planet, we are now in a position not only to understand the details of
everyone's genetically determined features, but to manipulate them to our
own design. The implications of the power of such knowledge are indeed
profound, demanding that the developers and users f the technology spawned
by this revolution apply it according to the terms of a new social contract
to be negotiated with the public at large. The means by which industries and
medical practitioners educate the public consumers, and the mechanisms by
which the public, through the institutions of democratic government and
other modes of communication, makes its concerns and desires a functional
part of the equation, are being determined. To establish processes for both,
with the flexibility to accommodate individual and collective values that
are highly time-dependent, is a major challenge of the 21st century.
Applications of genetic data are examined with respect to professional
responsibility, the possibility of deliberate misuse, the principle of
autonomy, and distributive justice.
Burke K. Zimmerman Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.223-240
Experts and the public: a needed partnership for genetic policy
Scientists are wary of public participation in policy that influences the
work of scientific discovery and technological application. In the area of
genetic science this is particularly troublesome. The science and its
applications are extremely complex. How the public can play a part in
guiding the process is not clear. Yet genetic possibilities affect
individuals and social groups intimately and the exercise of social
responsibility for policies is imperative. A solution lies in effective
partnership between scientific experts and the general public within the
framework of representative democracy. Goals of education,
information transfer, and community building point to methods for public
participation. The community meeting approach used in the development of
health care priorities in Oregon is highlighted. Obstacles to participation
come from our weak sense of community, widespread political alienation,
endemic cynicism, and problems of social voice.
Michael J. Garland Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.241-254
Articles-Public understanding of science
Bibliography
A bibliography of recent scholarly publications on (1) public attitudes
regarding science and technology, (2)the role of the mass and interactive
media in science, health and risk communication, and (3) science and
technology museums, zoos, and natural history centers.
Pub Und Sci 8, 3, July 1999 p.263-266
Articles-Public attitudes and participation
Public consulted on preimpalntation diagnosis
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Advisory
Committee on Genetic Testing are consulting the UK public about whether and
how preimplantation genetic diagnosis should be employed to help couples
with serious genetic disorders in their families. The public consultation
report is available on the Internet at http://www.hfea.org.uk/
BMJ 319 20 November 1999 p.1320 See also Guardian 16 November 1999 p.11
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7221/1320/bhttp://www.newsunlimited.
co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,103959,00.html
<http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7221/1320/b>
We don't play God we only advise
An article written by one of the lay members of the Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority (HFEA), outlines the role of the organisation and its
influence on policy.
Daily Telegragh 23 November 1999 p.30
If scientists are no longer loved and respected , it's their own fault, says
Robert Matthew's: 'they have spent so long stuck in their labs that they
just have no idea how people think.
Focus December 1999 p.31
Public invited to join the genetic debate
The US government is setting up a series of public meetings on the future
of genetically modified foods. The role of the public consultation on the
issue in other countries is also outlined.
Chemistry and Industry 1 November 1999 p.825
Public input on biotechnology wanted
A public consultation exercise by the Independent Biotechnology Advisory
Council (IBAC) is being undertaken by New Zealand to gather public views on
biotechnology.
HRC Newsletter October 1999 p.3
Australian biotech strategy under debate
The Australian government has launched a biotechnology discussion paper
aimed at increasing public awareness and understanding of biotechnology. The
paper can be accessed on the Web at http://www.isr.gov.au/ba
Outlook on Science Policy November 1999 p.112
Research results and the French public
According to a Deloitte and Touch survey of public attitudes towards
science, 69 percent of the French public are interested in the results of
medical research. The poll, sponsored by the Centre for the Training and
Development of Journalists (CFPJ) and the French Science Writer's
Association, was commissioned to map the growing demand for full disclosure
of research results concerning the new biotechnologies.
Outlook on Science Policy November 1999 p.119-120
Biotech companies take on critics of gene-altered food
An article reports on the steps being taken in the US by biotech companies
to counter the growing public concern over genetically modified food.
New York Times 12 November 1999 p.1265
Articles-Science and ethics
Too little, too late
An article considers the implications of Britain's Freedom of Information
Bill for a variety of areas, including medical and scientific research,
examining issues such as commercial confidentiality. See also Editorial p.3
New Scientist 2212 13 November 1999 p.29-21
Rotblat pushes for an ethics oath
Sir Joseph Rotblat's campaign for a Hippocratic oath for scientists is
stirring up an international debate on science ethics. Sir Joseph argues
that scientists cannot shirk responsibility for their work and how it might
be applied, and that they should be required to take an oath on graduation
that they will 'do no harm'.
THES 1411 19 November 1999 p.4 See also Science 286 19 November 1999 p.1475
Articles-Science communication
Opinion-makers
The Wellcome Trust, with the OST, have commissioned MORI , a market research
firm, to interview 1600 scientists on their perceived role in society and
their attitudes to the media. Results are expected in July 2000.
Science 286 29 October 1999 p.879
Take another look
An editorial by Stephen Jay Gould, president elect of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), on the need for
scientists to reach a much wider cross section of society. He instances the
annual AAAS meeting as a good example of how to successfully put across
science simply to a mass audience.
Science 286 29 October 199 p.899
Articles-Science the media
What makes science news newsworthy
An articles discusses media reporting of scientific 'breakthroughs' and
calls for a science journalism that matures beyond merely capitalising on
the public's enthusiasm for science to generating a true appreciation and
understanding of science.
The Scientist 22 November 1999 p.12
<http://www.the-scientist.library.upenn.edu/yr1999/>
Articles-Science and art
Art to science
An article review Invisible Body an innovative exhibition which has been
developed from the collaborations of twelve and twelve leading medical
scientists, now showing at Whitley's Shopping Centre in London.
Hot Shoe International Nov/Dec 1999 p.4-5
Articles-Science museums
Natural history boffins to be put on show
A 27million project to bring Natural History Museum scientists into the
public eye has been unveiled. The Darwin Centre is to be constructed
alongside the Waterhouse Building, and will permit visitors to watch some of
the 300 experts who work at the museum, and discuss their research with
them. Phase one of the project is already funded, and is scheduled to open
summer of 2002.
THES 1411 19 November 1999 p.2
Sharing science
Sara Hilton, design manager for the Discovery Centre at Millennium Point
Birmingham, writes on sharing knowledge and collaboration between science
centres, citing ECITE , the Wellcome Trust's Science Centre Network and
Science Museum information-sharing initiatives as examples.
Museums Journal November 1999 p.21
Karen John-Pierre
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