Bad Ideas?

From The Telegraph:

Winstonstory_1596941f There is no doubt that Robert Winston is on the side of the angels: he is professor of science and society and emeritus professor of fertility studies at Imperial College, fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and, well, the list goes on. More than that, though, he has always been keen to popularise science, even going so far as to appear as a fertility consultant on The Archers.

His new book, then, a history of the potential hazards the human race has created each time we’ve come up with something new, ought to be a bracing combination of the stringent and the accessible. Winston argues that scientists should engage more closely with the rest of us. This way, we can ensure scientific discoveries are not abused – to create the flame-thrower, say – or used in such a way that any advances are not accompanied by lethal by-products, such as the H1N1 virus that comes from the intensive rearing of pigs.

More here.