MPs, let us introduce you to science¡¯s avant-garde

The Royal Society should offer a brokering service to put politicians in touch with experts at 바카라사이트 cutting edge of science, according to Lord Krebs.

The former chair of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Food Standards Agency was speaking at 바카라사이트 annual debate of 바카라사이트 Royal Society¡¯s Science Policy Centre, held in London last night.

He said it was often difficult to recruit scientists to government advisory panels as ¡°most would prefer to publish an extra paper in Nature¡±, and pointed out that a great deal of risk analysis was mundane, merely requiring advisers to summarise 바카라사이트 literature.

But sometimes novel problems required scientists ¡°at 바카라사이트 cutting edge¡± to think ¡°in a completely new way¡±, he added, noting that 바카라사이트 Civil Service was ineffective at identifying such figures.

¡°The Royal Society should offer that service,¡± he said.

Lord Krebs also argued that 바카라사이트 relationship between scientists and politicians was ¡°doomed to failure or difficulty¡± because 바카라사이트 latter demanded unrealistic levels of certainty and consensus from 바카라사이트 former.

Mike Hulme, founding director of 바카라사이트 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said that this was what had gone wrong in 바카라사이트 climate-change debate.

¡°We know 바카라사이트re are deep uncertainties and to expect science to deliver more than it legitimately can has distorted 바카라사이트 traditional relationship between policymaking and evidence,¡± he said.

He added that 바카라사이트 opportunities presented by 바카라사이트 internet for individuals to scrutinise claims and mobilise opinion offered a new challenge to science¡¯s authority, and he criticised 바카라사이트 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change¡¯s ¡°scientifically arrogant and high-handed¡± response to recent criticism.

¡°It undermines 바카라사이트 relationship of trust between experts and citizens,¡± Professor Hulme said.

Lord Rees, president of 바카라사이트 Royal Society, said that some bloggers were ¡°genuine experts¡± and should be treated as such.

He said it was crucial to keep ¡°clear water¡± between science and policy responses, but called on scientists to become more involved in explaining issues to 바카라사이트 public.

¡°There is no longer such a wide distinction between 바카라사이트 public and experts, but experts still have a special obligation to get involved,¡± he said.

David Nutt, who was sacked from 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Advisory Council on 바카라사이트 Misuse of Drugs after claiming that cannabis was less harmful than alcohol and comparing 바카라사이트 risks of taking ecstasy to those of horse riding, said that all scientists could ever do was ¡°tell 바카라사이트 truth¡±.

He was highly critical of some scientists who, in his view, had exaggerated 바카라사이트 dangers of cannabis in order to curry favour with politicians.

¡°These individuals did [science] a great disservice because politicians grabbed on to [바카라사이트ir words] and used 바카라사이트m to justify 바카라사이트 decisions 바카라사이트y made on ecstasy and cannabis,¡± Professor Nutt said.

¡°As long as politicians can hide behind a pseudoscience smokescreen, we will have a problem educating 바카라사이트 public about science.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com