Sex, Drugs and DNA – Science’s Taboos Confronted

Citation

(2006), "Sex, Drugs and DNA – Science’s Taboos Confronted", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 19 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2006.06219fae.002

Sex, Drugs and DNA – Science’s Taboos Confronted

Sex, Drugs and DNA – Science’s Taboos ConfrontedMichael StebbinsMacmillanISBN 1-4039-9342-4

Keywords: Health education, Research

In a frank, edgy and entertaining style that pulls no punches, this book reveals the truth about modern biology and debunks the commonest myths surrounding some of the most controversial topics in science and health. It says what most scientists and politicians are afraid to say about what research can and, perhaps more importantly, cannot deliver on topics ranging from sexuality, race and genetic modification to stem cells, cloning, modern medicine, fertility treatment, creationism and bioterrorism.

Having worked at the heart of government science, at the most prestigious science publishing company in the world, and in one of the world’s leading biology institutions, the author has a unique view of the politics, culture and reach of science. He illustrates how we are facing dangerous times where political agendas and public misunderstanding are hobbling truly novel work, and hence calls for wide reaching changes in science education, funding, publishing and promulgation.

Mike Stebbins is the Director of Biology Policy for the Federation of American Scientists and a former US Congressional Fellow in Science Policy. Before that he was a senior editor at Nature Genetics after being a geneticist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He has written for Reuters and numerous scientific journals and has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered. He is an advisor to ScienCentral, a National Science Foundation funded science TV news feed that goes out on the ABC and NBC affiliates and is based in New York.

Contents include: A Scientist’s Life; National Science Day; Stem Cells and Cloning (No We All Can’t Just Get Along); There’s Sex … ; And Then There’s Sex; Genetically Modified Everything; Race and other Discriminations; Global Warming; Bioterrorism and Other Mayhem; The Coming Pandemic; Drugs; Healthcare; A Letter to Barbara Bush; Science Education; and How to Talk To Your Creationist Brother-in-Law About Evolution.