Download the report of the conference.
Read the twitter feeds about the conference.
Scope
The conference focussed on the impacts of the life sciences on society through the development of biotechnology-based products for health and for sustaining the environment.
The 21st century is sometimes referred to as “the century of biology” because of the potential contributions of the life sciences to virtually all research and consumer sectors. But assessing the outcomes a particular biotechnology may have on society or in research is difficult, due both to the complexities of these technologies, and to the multiple uses they may have. Further, biotechnology developments may be controversial because of ethical, economic and potential safety issues that might arise both in the research leading to these technologies, and in the wide use of the technologies themselves.
The multidisciplinary group of speakers presented some of the most promising developments of biotechnology and discussed their ethical, economic and societal implications.
The Science and Society conference series
The aim of these joint meetings is to promote mutual interest, understanding, and dialogue between biologists, specialists from related disciplines, policy makers and members of the public interested in how modern biology affects society.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Further reading
The role of the social sciences in innovation and risk regulation
The hidden risks for ‘three-person’ babies
UK scientists apply for licence to edit genes in human embryos
The moral imperative for bioethics
Bioethics accused of doing more harm than good
Easy DNA Editing Will Remake the World. Buckle Up.
Yellow light for emerging technologies
Tissue engineering: Organs from the lab
CRISPR germline engineering—the community speaks
Scientists Seek Ban on Method of Editing the Human Genome
A prudent path forward for genomic engineering and germline gene modification
Ethics of embryo editing divides scientists
Don't edit the human germ line
$1-million price tag set for Glybera gene therapy
Law, history and lessons in the CRISPR patent conflict
The more we looked into the mystery of Crispr, the more interesting it seemed
Pioneering scientists share 23mGBP Breakthrough prize pot at US awards
The new frontier of genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas9
A Call to Fight Malaria One Mosquito at a Time by Altering DNA
Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released