Nuclear Proliferation

Ahead of this week's Parliamentary debate on Trident (mentioned in a previous post), the deputy leader of the House of Commons, Nigel Griffiths, has resigned, saying "I'm resigning with a heavy heart but a clear conscience". Comment and analysis on the story can be found on the Guardian & Times websites.

Following the resignation on Saturday of Jim Devine over the reknewal of Trident, Mr Griffith's resignation is the second by a Labour MP on the government payroll and illustrates the divisions within the party over the question of Britain's nuclear capabilities.

Nuclear Proliferation

In a letter published in yesterday's Times, Mikhail Gorbachev attacks Labour's "rush to deploy nuclear missiles" until 2050. Writing in his role as the chairman of Green Cross International, he goes on to say that the most responsible course of action would be to postpone the decision on the future of the UK's nuclear arsenal until at least after the next review of the Nonproliferation Treaty in 2010.

There will be a debate on the Trident system in the House of Commons on the 14th March. The British American Security Information Council has information on the debate, as well as details of the Defence Committee justification for procuring a replacement for Trident, all contained in their latest update.

In addition, the British American Security Information Council has a report by Dr Steven Schofield. This report puts the case for diverting resources away from nuclear submarine manufacture to a 'national needs' programme of civil R&D and manufacture.

Finally, there are a few interesting articles on the website of the Union of Concerned Scientists, looking at nuclear weapons and the weaponisation of space.

Selected Science Stories

Here are a few science articles which may be of interest from the past week:

• Science funding in the US has received a boost: Science.com reports on the granting by the U.S. Congress of a $334 million increase in the National Science Foundation's $4.4 billion research budget. In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Energy's science programs were also increased, up $620 million and $200 million respectively, but NASA's budget was decreased.
• Also in the US, despite a tentatively ruling last year from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that milk and meat from some cloned animals are safe to eat, the largest U.S. dairy processor and distributor, Dean Foods Co, said even if food products from cloned animals become a reality, it will not sell milk from animals that have been cloned because of ongoing consumer concerns.
• The over-all outlook for US science is may be good or it may be bad... Jon D. Miller, a Michigan State University professor has published a study which finds that over the past 20 years, the number of Americans who knew enough about science to understand reports in major newspapers has grown from 10% to 28% (whilst low, this figure apparently is better than those for Japan or Europe). Scientific American gives the gloomy prognosis resulting from this, including the end of civilisation!
• Science reports on the case of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) biologist, James Sherley, who went on hunger strike for 11 days to protest what he claims was a racist decision by MIT to deny him tenure. Under a settlement reached between the two sides on Friday, MIT seems to be willing to reopen the case.
• Away from the US, Nature reports on the case of Japan's most popular science TV show which has admitted faking results, overdubing interviews with researchers and misleading viewers.
• Nature also carries a report on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week, which finds that drugs that fight genital herpes also significantly reduce levels of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in patients infected with both viruses.
• Intellectual honesty in science comes under the spot light on ScienceBlogs, where the case of Marcus Ross is discussed. Ross was recently granted a Ph.D. earned through a dissertation on mosasaurs, marine reptiles which became extinct 65 million years ago, despite Dr. Ross now being open about his view that the Earth under 10,000 years old.

Event Announcement: Speaker Meeting

Speaker: Dr Aubrey be Grey.

Title: "Life extension: scientists' duty to discuss timescales and consequences".

Location: The Lounge, Gradute Union, Mill Lane, Monday 12th of February, 7:30 pm.

Information: Aubrey de Grey's work involves an eventual goal of a cure for human aging. He will speak about the ethics involved in extending human lifespans.

Additional information on forthcoming events organised by the Cambridge Pugwash society can be found on their website.

Climate Change Articles

Here are a few climate change articles from the past week.

The Independent carries a Q & A session with Sir David King, the government's chief scientific advisor, much of it focusing on climate change.

The fourth IPCC report on global warming has been released. "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal," its report stated, adding that most of the warming is "very likely" due to human activity. If people keep spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, they will "very likely" change climate in this century much more than they did in the 20th century, the report concludes. You can download the report and read a brief discussion article on the Science website. A more detailed discussion is given on the Nature site.

An article by Sir David King, commenting on the IPCC report and calling for international action on climate change, is available on the Guardian website.

Scientific American also has a slightly more in-depth article examining the progress in climate change science over the past decade and the impact this has had on IPCC reports.

Scientific American then discusses a report from the European Commission which proposes forcing oil companies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from drilling, refining, transporting and burning fuel in new rules aimed at fighting global warming.

In the UK, The Independent reported on the 2nd February, that for the first time, the science of global warming and sustainable development is to make its way on to the national curriculum in secondary schools. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which advises the Government on what should be on the curriculum, proposes that climate change should be taught as part of geography lessons, which are compulsory up to age 14. And the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, today throws his weight behind the idea, ensuring that it will actually happen.

Selected Science Stories

• You may be interested to read the latest reports from the British American Security Information Council. This includes reports on:
  Whether the current Labour Government should commit its successors to the indefinite retention of nuclear weapons?
  The Proliferation Security Initiative: Targeting Iran and North Korea?
  Biological Weapons


• New York Times article regarding the Long Bets website and the prediction posted by the president of the Royal Society, Martin Rees, of a bioterror/bioerror attack killing a million people by the year 2020.


• Science magazine article concerning the decline in the number of chimpanzees available for biomedical research in the U.S. which has sparked a growing debate on the opportunities and costs of studies with our closest relatives. The U.S. has more than 1000 chimpanzees set aside for biomedical research, but now stands alone as the only country that has captive chimpanzees available to biomedical researchers.


• Concerned about academic freedom, the University of California (UC) has delayed voting on a plan to impose a blanket ban on research funding from tobacco companies. If approved, the ban would make UC the only U.S. university to forbid tobacco dollars campus-wide. Article here.


• The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass a belated 2007 spending bill that treats research much more favorably than science advocates had dared hoped--and avoids budget cuts that many had feared. Article here..


• In the recent State of the Union address , President Bush indicated that the US was too dependent on fossil fuels and asked Congress to work to reduce gasoline usage in the U.S. by 20 percent over the next ten years, and recommended research into alternative fuels. Yesterday though, Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) charged the White House with "an orchestrated effort to mislead the public." with regards to federal global warming research. Waxman, who this month became chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, says his staff has found evidence that scientific reports were manipulated for political ends despite efforts by the Administration to block recent requests for information. Comment and links to the congressional hearing are available on the RealClimate site.


• In the Jan 18th edition of Nature, they ran an article on scientific fraud, following up recent stories of scientific fraud investigations. Janet Stemwedel on the Ethics and Science blog notes that the Nature article doesn't necessarily package their story fairly, and gives a brief repackaging to the story to make it somewhat more obvious that a number of the scientists were subsequently completely cleared of all allegations.


• In a couple of articles on the same site , Janet Stemwedel discusses in some detail the advisability of putting ethical discussions into science classes.

Speaker: Lord Martin Rees.

Title: "The role of scientists in a dangerous world".

Location: Monday 22th of January, 8:00 pm. Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College

Information: Lord Rees of Ludlow is President of the Royal Society, Master of Trinity College, Astronomer Royal, and a member of the British Pugwash Group Executive Committee.

He will speak about Joseph Rotblat and the other pioneers of the Pugwash movement to study the intersection between science and world affairs. He will also discuss the continued relevance and importance of their example in the 21st century, when science offers immense opportunities but raises new threats and ethical dilemmas.

Free to the public.

To reach the Winstanley Lecture Theatre, turn from Trinity Street into Whewell's Court, opposite the Great Gate. Turn right immediately after the first arch and climb the stone stairs. At the top of the stairs, follow the path round the ziggurat-like Wolfson building, leaving it to your left. Then turn right into Blue Boar Court. The Winstanley Lecture Theatre is on the east side of the Court.

This event is co-sponsored by Trinity College Science Society, who will be providing some drinks and snacks.

Additional information on forthcoming events organised by the Cambridge Pugwash society can be found on their website.