WEDNESDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2012
Adults in the uk spend around 45 per cent of their waking life in front of screens. We are constantly watching TV, browsing the Internet and playing with Smartphones. The Internet has revolutionised the way we socialise, shop and do business, and as this issue of BlueSci discusses, the way we communicate science.Modern technology has opened up the world of science and made it more accessible. The public has not been this involved in research since the days before science became confined to the ivory tower of academia, when wealthy amateur ‘Gentleman Scientists’ like Darwin pursued scientific discovery as a leisurely pastime.
In this, our 25th edition of BlueSci, we focus on how the digital age has changed science. From the revolution in academic publishing which started with a single blog post to the use of the internet in citizen science projects which enable the public to actually get involved with research, we discuss the role technology has played in popularising science.
Although an increase in the public’s interest in science is never a bad thing, the explosion in science communication has not been without its drawbacks. The Internet has allowed amateur scientists to share their work with the world but it has also allowed an abundance of pseudoscience, incorrect claims and hype to enter the public domain. The need for good, accurate scientific reporting has never been more apparent, or more in demand.
BlueSci has been at the forefront of student science journalism for the past 8 years. We have inspired a number of other science magazines, including three new magazines launched just this month. Although print journalism is as popular as ever, science journalism is increasingly becoming an online medium, in no small part due to the popularity of blogging. Here at BlueSci we have diversified to keep up with the latest technology; we can be found online on our website, Facebook page and Twitter feed. Our films produced by BlueSci film are available on our YouTube channel and our radio show is available as a podcast download.
The future of science communication looks promising, and at BlueSci we are looking forward to producing the next 25 issues of ‘BlueSci’ and to using the Internet to communicate science in new and exciting ways. Now has never been a better time to get involved in science communication, so if anything in this issue inspires you to get involved we would love to hear from you! Nicola Love
Issue 25: Michaelmas 2012
Editor: Nicola Love
Managing Editor: Tom Bishop
Business Manager: Michael Derringer
Second Editors: Keren Carss, Fiona Docherty, Matt Dunstan, Leila Haghighat, Jonathan Lawson, Vicki Moignard, Jannis Meents, Hugo Schmidt, Jordan Ramsey, Lou Woodley
Sub-Editors: Joanna-Marie Howes, Jonathan Lawson, Laura Pearce, Alua Suleinienova
News Editor: Joanna-Marie Howes
News Team: Mrinalini Dey, Nicola Hodson, Jannis Meents
Reviews: Fiona Docherty, Ali Ghareeb, Jonathan Lawson
Focus Team: Nick Crumpton, Luke Maishman, Jordan Ramsey,
Weird and Wonderful: Keren Carss, Mrinalini Dey, Jannis Meents
Pictures Team: Matt Dunstan, Jonathan Lawson, Luke Maishman, Laura Pearce
Production Team: Matt Dunstan, Jonathan Lawson, Luke Maishman,
Laura Pearce
Illustrators: Alex Hahn, Cristos Panayi
References
Features
Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on– http://www.semel.ucla.edu/sites/all/files/files/7/09/08/12/96-rem-discovery-aserinsky.pdf
Whose Training is it anyway? – http://www.universityaffairs.ca/the-black-hole/
Through the Looking Glass – Johnson L., (2005). Asymmetry at the molecular level in biology. European Review, 13, pp 77-95 doi:10.1017/S1062798705000670
Balm or Burden – ‘Sleep Medicine’ Harold R. Smith et al, Cambridge University Press (2008)
Regulars
Written in the Stars - http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/
Minority Report - The God Species Mark Lynas HarperCollins (2011)
Life on Mars -Strick, J.E. (2004) Creation a Cosmic Discipline: The Crystallization and Consolidation of Exobiology, 1957-1973. Journal of the History of Biology, 37:131-180
Science for All – http://www.researchinfonet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Finch-Group-report-executive-summary-FINAL-VERSION.pdf
