Bad luck and cancer – did the media get it wrong?
The 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...
View ArticleAre quantum dot TVs actually better for the environment?
Earlier 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...
View ArticleWorld Economic Forum highlights risks of emerging technologies
The 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...
View ArticleEmerging technologies must be developed responsibly
From 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...
View ArticleIs novelty in nanomaterials overrated when it comes to risk?
Novelty 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...
View ArticleWhat is the risk of dying if you catch measles?
If 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...
View ArticleMeasles mortality rates – 2008-2011 outbreak, France
Yesterday, 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...
View ArticleThe science of “anti-vaccination”– a great primer from SciShow
Yesterday, 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...
View ArticleHave you ever wondered …?
Have 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...
View ArticleResponsible development of new technologies critical in complex, connected world
The 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...
View ArticleResponsible Innovation, and the (nano) entrepreneur’s dilemma
Responsible 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....
View ArticleToxicologists are Freakin’ Awesome!
Risk 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...
View ArticleDunkin’ Donuts ditches titanium dioxide – but is it actually harmful?
In 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...
View ArticleSolving public health challenges through innovation
Last 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...
View ArticleNo New York Times, wearable computers couldn’t be as harmful as cigarettes!
I 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...
View ArticleThe Poetry of Innovating Responsibly
What 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...
View ArticleA new home for Risk Innovation
Five 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...
View ArticleLubchenco – Delivering on Science’s Social Contact
In 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...
View ArticleAmerican universities: reclaiming our role in society
American 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...
View ArticleUsing animations in science communication
Can 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). The...
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