The Infinite Monkey Cage

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broadsheetIssue 8, Spring Term 2015 bringing science, society & the arts together

To love or to fear? Man and machine in science and culture Can you put a price on knowledge? Reviews of The Theory of Everything and the new Wellcome Collection exhibition, The Institute of Sexology broadsheet contents editorial

3 Heading for trouble This term I began a Science Communication module as I enter the final The brutal truth about concussions stretch of my degree. At the start of the course, the lecturer put to the class, “why is it necessary to communicate science to the general public?” When one thinks about it, it is quite an abstract idea. We know that it is important 4 Living in a dream world for people to know about science, just as it is to know about literature, history The mysterious phemonema of lucid and art. But to articulate why isn’t so easy. He then presented us with a quote dreaming from CP Snow, a scientist and author who questioned the division between art and science cultures. It read: 6 To love or to fear? Man and machine in science and art “Closing the gap between our cultures is a necessity in the most abstract intellectual sense, as well as in the most practical. When those two senses have grown apart, then no society is going to be able to think with wisdom.” 10 An interview with Bob McCallum In today’s world, it is much more acceptable to be ignorant about science The scientist investigating the evolution than it is about the arts. Here at Broadsheet we try to encourage students of music of Imperial, who are surrounded by science, to think differently about their subject. It is easy to forget that not everyone’s life revolves around science. 15 Tremendously silly Maybe, we need to think about how we present science to the public in A physicists debunking of the much loved order to engage them. If we can set science in the context of something more familiar, would more people be willing to listen? Perhaps, Broadsheet is doing Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy just a tiny amount to help achieve CP Snow’s ambition.

17 Broadsheet reviews At this year’s Oscars, three of the biggest films all had a science aspect: The Including Still Alice and Theory of Everything, Still Alice and The Imitation Game. Science can and does The Institute of Sexology capture the imagination of the public and the thirst for knowledge continues to grow. Two of these films included performances worthy of Best Actor and 22 Broadsheet careers Best Actress, both of which are reviewed in this issue. We have also seen a Science communication flurry of films concerned about artificial intelligence, Ex Machina and Chap- pie to name but two. Abhinav Varma explores man’s relationship with A.I. in contributors both science and culture. We are very grateful again for Sadhira Wagiswara’s illustration talents that feature throughout this issue.

Editor-in-Chief Also featured in this issue are pieces on the phenomena of lucid dream- Ben Stockton ing (Sarah Newton) and scientifically silly Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Theodore Emms). Plus reviews of the Wellcome Collection’s new exhibition, Sub Editors The Institute of Sexology, and Professor Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince’s Sophie Reid & Fiona Mashford Radio 4 comedy show, The Infinite Monkey Cage. Ben Stockton, Editor-in-Chief Writers Abhinav Varma, Sarah Newton, Joshua Renken and Theodore Emms

Illustrator Sadhira Wagiswara ROYAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE UNION www.rcsu.org.uk/broadsheet Image source: Flickr/Dave Sizer

Heading for trouble: The brutal truth about concussions Ben Stockton discusses how evidence appears to link repeated head injuries in sport to long-term neurodegeneration

he daunting figure of Line- 1990s All-Decade Team and made the pain of the chase, leaving you with the backer Junior Seau’s number Pro-bowl selection 12 times, putting euphoria of the victory. This is the draw 55 shirt was an ever-present him joint eighth of all time. He pushed of the NFL; the demigod status and the threatT on the field of play. Out of the his formidable bulk to the limit, playing monetary rewards of being successful in bottom of his shoulder pads grew two the game hard, as so many do. Remark- the sport is enough to entice thousands tree trunks of arm that could haul down ably, he continued to do so up until just of children around America to dream any Quarterback, and under his helmet before his 41st birthday, finally leaving every night of playing on the world’s was a snarl of fierce determination. Off the game in 2010. biggest stage. The pain of injury is con- the field, once the helmet had been sidered as merely fleeting in a lifetime of removed, a head of dark hair with a “You can’t coach courage”, Seau respond- worship. But, in fact, injury is far from slight curl on top and cropped short on ed when questioned whether his ageing fleeting and, for some unlucky few, it the side was revealed. When he smiled body could continue to take the sheer becomes their ultimate demise. a top row of bright white, perfectly physical force required to play in the uniform teeth would show, but in the NFL. “I will go through any gap until I No one could have predicted the course eyes remained the look of a competitor. break glass. That’s what I do.” of Seau’s life after he left the field for At 6 foot 3 inches and 113kg, he was an the final time on January 3rd 2010. He intimidating presence. The physicality of He epitomised the culture of profes- was set to rest his aching joints and his position demanded him to not cower sional football; you push your body to sore muscles after an astonishing 20 from collision, much to the delight of the brink of destruction in the pursuit seasons at the top of his profession. He his fans. His performance throughout of glory. The sweet taste of success is had played for San Diego Chargers for his college and NFL career speaks for more powerful than any drug. Although the majority of his career – 13 seasons itself but comes with the necessary it cannot fix broken bones or heal open in total – before moving onto Miami accolades: he was named in the NFL cuts, success makes you forget: forget the Dolphins and then ending his football- 3 Image source: - FEATURES - ing days at the New England Patriots. is characterised by aggregates, or clumps, over $750 million was agreed between Throughout his playing career he had of misfolded, non-functional protein the NFL and its 18,000 retired play- been involved in children’s charities that are thought to lead to deterioration ers offering to compensate victims of and continued to do so after his retire- of the neurons in the brain. In fact, one concussion-related brain injuries, pay for ment. In late April 2012, Seau played protein implicated is also involved in medical exams and fund further research. in a charity golf tournament. Always amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease the competitor, he was focussed on his that spurred the ‘ALS Ice Bucket Chal- Closer to home, new concussion game and expressed his disappointment lenge’ last summer. Additionally, tangles protocols have been implemented into at not yet being able to register a birdie of tau protein have been seen in the professional rugby. Most notably George but appeared upbeat, diligently signing neurons of sufferers, deposits of which North, of Wales, and Mike Brown, of autographs and partaking in photos with are also found in Alzheimer’s patients. England, have both missed important fans. Just two days later, Seau committed Such similarity between other diseases games in this year’s Six Nations after suicide with a gun shot to the chest. has led some to question whether CTE these new protocols ruled them out. As is a distinct disorder. Further doubts players get stronger and hits get inevi- On post-mortem examination of his about current data have been raised due tably harder, concussions are becoming brain, it was revealed that Seau had suf- to the selection bias of examined brains. more and more prevalent in the game fered from chronic traumatic encepha- The donated samples come from families and its important for the Rugby Foot- lopathy (CTE), a neurological condition who suspect that their loved ones were ball Union to take action to protect our that is not uncommon amongst today’s suffering from neurological disorders players. retired sporting stars. Sadly, the disease making any pathology difficult to attrib- inflicts on these individuals – the heroes ute confidently to CTE. In late February researchers convened to of so many – a deep, spiralling depres- seek a definition of CTE. Once estab- sion. So far, around 69 cases have been One thing is clear. There is an obvious lished, this definition will enable for reported amongst former professional correlation between the physical nature further research to be done effectively. athletes, most of which were either of the sport played and the prevalence of It will be possible to differentiate the boxers or American football players. the condition. This has led researchers to effects of CTE on the brain from other Unfortunately the tale of Seau’s end suspect that repeated head injuries are conditions. It will also allow a greater is equally not uncommon with similar the primary cause of CTE. It is likely understanding of how this disease is fates bestowed upon two-time Super that Seau’s 20 years of taking heavy hits affecting behaviour and hopefully, al- Bowl champion, Dave Duerson, and to the head resulted in the deterioration though undoubtedly a long way into the also 25-year-old, Jovan Belcher, who, in of his brain, ultimately leading to an future, we may find a treatment. Unfor- a tragic turn of events, shot his 22-year- inability to think rationally. The rising tunately, it is likely that cases like Junior old girlfriend and mother of his child prevalence of the disease in footballers, Seau’s will become more frequent in the before turning the gun on himself, to formerly only associated with boxers, following years. We may even confirm cite but two. has led to the exchange of substantial cases in rugby players. But the more we sums of money. In 2012, the NFL gave understand about the long-term effects The condition is similar to other neuro- $30 million dollars of funding to the of head injury on the brain, the sooner degenerative diseases such as the more National Institute of Health for research we can protect our sports stars. notarised Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It into CTE. Then in 2013, a settlement of Living in a dream world illed with exotic wildlife, vast scenery and fantastical winged creatures, the Sarah Newton dicusses alien planet of Pandora was full of mystery. Conjured up by James Cameron, the creative mind behind Avatar, the world of Pandora captivated audiences the mysterious acrossF the globe. He describes the planet as if it were a place he’d been, as a “world that phenomena of lucid was magical and infinite and scary and cool and you could soar.” This is because he was dreams and how they have inspired by a visit to Pandora - in a lucid dream. inspired scientists and filmmakers alike Most of us have had dreams where we become aware that we are dreaming. Some of us might even have had dreams where we are in total control of what happens next. This is the essence of lucid dreaming, a subject gripping the minds of today’s scientists as they try to understand more about the nature of human consciousness. Experiments 4 -- FEATURESFEATURES --

James Cameron’s Avatar Image source: Flickr/Kemptom using this phenomena to explore brain and his ground-breaking 1980s in dream journals online, now more than function, and the connection between research into the complicated nature ever before. Techniques involving reality physical and mental actions, have of human consciousness. Neurologists checks of “How did I get here?” and “Am intrigued neurologists and film makers used electrical activity along the scalp I dreaming?” like those used in Inception, alike. But can you learn to control your to monitor the eye motions of lucid can be used to train your brain for lucid own dreams? Can you perceive the dreamers, who would move their pupils dreaming. Actions that break the laws of passing of time in a lucid dream? And left to right multiple times as agreed physics, like flying or travelling through is it really possible to look into someone as soon as lucidity was achieved. This space, can also make the dreamer lucid else’s dreaming mind? innovative technique kick-started a long by granting them awareness of the line of ‘in-dream’ experiments, where dream state. Cognitive scientists are fascinated by subjects would carry out actions in the the lucid dream state, as the dreamer dream world, whilst scientists monitored So what’s next? Neurologists are starting is neither awake nor asleep, but exists the corresponding brain activity. They to make links between activated neural somewhere along that blurred boundary found that time perception was identical regions and human emotions, associating in semi-consciousness. Of the five in the dream world to waking life, but brain activity in the prefrontal cortex stages of altered consciousness that physical actions took significantly longer with anxiety, and stimulation of the occur during the sleep cycle, scientists due to the difference in the way sensory amygdala with strong feelings of love generally agree that dreaming is most information was relayed to the brain or fear. At present no technology exists strongly associated with the REM - or when dreaming. that allows us to completely worm our Rapid Eye Movement – phase of sleep. way into another person’s subconscious. During this period, GABA and glycine Although you might not know it, Nolan’s idea of a dream sharing network, chemicals in the brain trigger neurons to famous names throughout history are that can be used and abused, opens up block nerve signals preventing sensory known to have used lucid dreaming as a world of exciting possibilities for an input into the cortex, the processing a means of accessing their unconscious action movie like Inception but is not centre of the brain, and so paralysing genius. Inventor Nikola Tesla, physicists feasible in terms of real world science… voluntary muscle movement. This means Albert Einstein and the surrealist painter yet. Research into lucid dreaming is that even during the most energetic and Salvador Dali all used the dreaming ever-advancing. Its potential for treating vivid dreams, when our brain is highly technique to solve problems and provide chronic nightmares, or even post- active, our sleeping bodies remain still – key inspiration for their ideas. Author traumatic stress order, shows profound with one exception: our eyes. Stephen King was influenced by lucid possibilities for psychiatric medicine of dreaming to write his best-selling the future. But, for now, lucid dreaming Christopher Nolan’s Inception generated books Insomnia and Dream Catcher. evades our understanding; a single piece widespread curiosity into dream control. This success has inspired a budding of the unsolved puzzle of the human Nolan was inspired by renowned community of amateur lucid dreamers, brain. psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge who document their tips and experiences 5 To love or to fear? Man and machine in science and culture - FEATURES -

For years, artificial intelligence has captured the imaginations of scientists, To love or to fear? filmmakers, writers and artists alike. But how justified are our fears A.I.? Abhinav Varma investigates. Illustrated Man and machine in science by Sadhira Wagiswara. and culture rtificial intelligence (A.I.) is estimates that machines will reach the buzzword of our century. adult-human levels of intelligence by Never before has the public 2029—which is earlier than most of our consciousnessA reached such a zenith of children would. His logic follows the rise curiosity, of fascination, and sheer fear of processing power: he points out that, for A.I. We are not sure whether it will in 1997, modest parallel processors could become stuff of nightmares, or be on perform around 2 billion calculations per the other end of our most significant second. And so, given the not unrea- relationships. On one hand we think it sonable assumption that this capacity might be a useful servant to society— would double every twelve months, by like Rosie of The Jetsons or the paranoid the year 2029 it would reach 20 million android from The Hitchhiker series, or it billion neural connection calculations per might force humanity into subservience, second—equivalent to that of the human like the robot police of the The Day the brain. Even the most ardent sceptic who Earth Stood Still. We have no idea what would swear on the great uniqueness, the A.I. might become, and yet we can’t help inimitability, the sui generis of human speculate. creativity, would find it difficult to point out what more there is to the greatest of A.I. is the buzzword of our century. Is that imagination and inspiration than mere too bold a claim to make? Computers neural connections. have come a long way since the “Me- chanical Turk”, an 18th century faux-A.I. More optimistically than Kurzweil— chess-playing automaton whose magical and somewhat more succinctly—sci-fi mental prowess relied on a concealed— ‘legend’ Vernor Vinge rather recently and, one would imagine, rather uncom- proclaimed: “[A.I.] will leapfrog hu- fortable—chess expert; the ghost in the mans by 2020”. Claims like these are no machine. We have already witnessed longer courageous but commonplace; we machine surpass man in 1997 when have always been counting our artificial Deep Blue beat the once World Chess chickens before they have fully incubat- Champion, Garry Kasparov, at the quin- ed. In 1965, Herbert Simon predicted tessential game-of-wits. This year, just that “machines will be capable, within when we thought that computers had twenty years, of doing any work that a surpassed the true pinnacle of human in- man can do.” Just shy of twenty years genuity with IBM Watson’s 2011 win in later, in 1984—the year of The Termi- Jeopardy, we are told that an unbeatable nator—the cover of Business Week read poker-playing program called Cepheus “Artificial Intelligence, IT’S HERE”. could give the best Texan cardsharp in Looking back from our vantage point the oldest sawdust joint in Nevada—to here in the twenty-first century it is use the appropriate vernacular—a “bang easy to brand such cheerfully optimistic for his buck”. predictions as over-enthusiasm or plain ignorance. However, we seem to have Bold claims have had particular attrac- greater trust and faith in the scientists of tion for veterans in the field. Ray Kur- this century than we do for those of the zweil, director of engineering at Google, previous—while Herbert Simon was be- 7 - FEATURES - ing overweening back in the 80s, Vernor in convincing another human that it is supermarket—is that when confronted Vinge’s remarks sound a tad optimistic as much a human as either one of them. with a pregnant woman in medical at best. Yet, it is a topic of heated philosophical emergency, they would take her to a nice debate—and no less contentious among place for grocery-shopping. Surely there It’s hard to make up one’s mind on scientific circles who involve themselves is a slip between the cup and the lip, a whether one should regard Vinge’s in the study A.I.—whether achieving mind-bogglingly large gap between in- estimate as optimistic or decidedly this is an achievement of true artificial put-output systems and true meaningful pessimistic. There is a distinct lack of intelligence or merely increasingly perfect processing. consensus on people’s levels of optimism programming. in their perception of AI, perhaps guided Is there any founding, then, to what by the warier of public figures—such The line between good programming appears to be society’s deepest fear, that as Stephen Hawking, who made no and intelligence seems, at least for now, A.I. might one day become indistin- secret of the fact that he “think[s] the to be far from indistinct. Cepheus learnt guishable from human? This truly is development of full artificial intelligence poker by the simple method of playing perhaps the most pervasive apprehension could spell the end of the human race”. over a billion billion hands, more than that humanity currently has, regarding Scientific entrepreneur Elon Musk, have ever been played in human history A.I.—already, we have the ‘Uncanny though known as the real-life Tony (with the added advantage of a perfectly Valley’ effect where people find distinctly Stark, is much less keen on developing stoic, robotic demeanour, of course). unsettling robots that look almost, but a J.A.R.V.I.S—artificial intelligence, More endearing is IBM’s Watson, who not quite like, humans. Herein lies the according to Musk, is “our biggest exis- was confronted in a game of Jeopardy horror of movie baddies such as seen in tential threat”. “Summoning the demon”, with a clue so ambiguous as to defeat the The Matrix and the collective discon- he calls it. perfect logical circuits of the cleverest certment of the internet in response to Deep Blue—“It’s a poor workman who disturbingly humanoid androids that Writers, the shepherds of public im- blames these”. His answer? A poign- are churned out of Japanese engineering agination, are no less demure than ant—“What are tools?” giants such as A-Lab—and that’s not the scientists and entrepreneurs. Ian even including the ones produced for McDonald, in River of Gods brings our It is not hard to see that while comput- adult entertainment purposes. attention to the possibility of artificial ers may be able to perfectly replicate malevolence when he chillingly writes, and indeed exceed the cleverest of The sense of blurring of the boundary “Any A.I. smart enough to pass a Turing human machinations and devices, there between man and machine is possibly test is smart enough to know to fail it.” is not much in the way of true meaning the biggest and most primal fear that we The Turing test, that classic test for A.I.- involved in the processing that goes on feel in relation to A.I, the trepidation ness, pits a computer against a human between two perfectly-tuned robot ears. that someday A.I. might be indistin- Searle’s famous ‘Chinese room’ thought guishable from human. Kurzweil echoes experiment asks this question: a program Turing’s predictions in this regard: “... Deep Blue may conceivably be devised that uses a machine intelligence would become so sufficiently clever Mandarin-translation pervasive, so comfortable, and so well rulebook to respond to any question integrated into our information-based phrased in Mandarin with an appro- economy that people would fail even to priate answer—indeed, an answer that notice it.” Our most precious and viscer- would deceive the shrewdest Chinese al conceptions of what makes us human linguist. And yet, is there truly any are at stake, when a system composed understanding of the language in what essentially of switches and circuits is able is but a mechanical manipulation of to not only look and act like but also symbols? A.I. theorist Yudkowsky, in a think like a human being. It’s the reason seemingly pre-emptive response to the why the Turing test captures public im- block-buster Her, says, “The A.I. does agination not as The Test of How Clever not hate you, nor does it love you.” It Our Programmers Are but as The Imita- is simply, he adds, “made out of atoms, tion Game. Rather than feeling flattered which it can use for something else”. by this imitation, we feel our sense of The biggest problem that scientists identity threatened, and we seem to like Noah Goodall of the University of construe the whole issue of A.I. as the Virginia seem to have with automated increasingly closer approach to human bus drivers—programmed to drive pas- superfluity. It is not hard to see that if sengers, say from the bus station to the A.I. does reach the point where it is peer

8 - FEATURES - to human intelligence—not surprisingly called “the singularity”—there is little, at least in way of human limitations, to stop it from proceeding further. Yud- kowsky offers more wisdom on this matter—“if you can improve intelligence even a little, the process accelerates. It’s a tipping point...as soon as it tilts a little, it quickly falls the rest of the way.”

Whatever this “rest of the way” is, it doesn’t seem to be too far away. A.I. might be far from human, but it has already overtaken most animals. In the future, it is not inconceivable that A.I. will be man’s best friend, or that we will turn to our operating system for a confidante, or for relationship advice. On the subject of man’s best friend, Claude Shannon is even more ambitious than most futur- The 18th Century “Mechanical Turk” played chess ists—“I visualise,” he says in The Mathe- matical Theory of Communication, “a time counterfeit the human mind”. Perhaps can provide us with a companion that is when we will be to robots what dogs are the most cheerful of the lot is H.G. not only more helpful than most human to humans.” He adds—“I’m rooting for Wells (visionary futurist and curiously, ones but also often a better conversa- the machines.” Indeed, even if A.I. did first president of the RCSU), who, in his tionalist. achieve humanity to the extent that it collection of essays entitled World Brain could fall in love, what is to stop it from outlines his vision of A.I of the future as Ultimately, it is probably much too soon falling in love with six hundred and for- a sort of sentient Wikipedia: a free, open to speculate on the merits or demerits ty-one others, as the OS Samantha does and authoritative “World Encyclopaedia” of A.I. research—there are, and will in Her? Furthermore, such an A.I. would that would busy itself with dispensing always be, those who support, without probably outlast its six hundred and knowledge and helping establish world reservation, research into A.I. for the forty-one lovers, as they have a much peace. potential of A.I. to change the world for likelier claim to immortality than we the better, and those who warn us of its do—for all its humanness, A.I. retains After this somewhat bleak tour of what not-so-comfortable implications. We practically none of our mortality. One A.I. might offer us, it is important will continue to see benevolent as well as wishes that at such a stage, it’d better to stress that it is not inconceivable suspicious takes on the topic in movies, have the capacity to feel bereavement. that humanity could find a controlled, literature, and general social commen-

efficient, and purely positive use for A.I. tary—every so often there is a film like At least in principle, our deepest fears Those who aim to replicate processes of Her that tantalises our imagination of the potential of A.I. seem—and in no thinking and cognition in computer sys- and films like The Terminator (or more small measure—founded. Science-fiction tems do not do so to catalyse some sort recently, Ex Machina) that teaches us to writers have been particularly enthusi- of machine mutiny or world domination. fear. Despite these wildly varying takes, astic in exploiting this fear—or in some They do so because A.I. shows promise the one thing that futurists seem to cases, avoiding it. Asimov, with his Three in helping us organise operations within agree on is that the development of A.I. Laws of Robotics, tries to protect against large financial institutions, providing will only accelerate in the next few years. such a singularity from ever approaching. clinical decision support systems, replac- In fact, in a few decades, you might no Of course, Asimov’s robot stories make ing jobs that pose risk to human beings longer be so sure that something like good reading for the precise reason that such as in heavy industry and even this wasn’t written by a computer pro- these three laws demonstrate themselves, military, facilitating transportation, and gram, or that you aren’t truly in love with in some way or the other, to be lacking. essentially, via robots, doing our work for the personal assistant on your phone. Frank Herbert is a lot more careful in his us when it would be either too tedious, For all its promises and risks, you are monumental work Dune, issuing what is too dangerous, or too inefficient for us to uniquely privileged to be born into the nothing less than a commandment and do ourselves (Isn’t that what technology A.I. generation. A.I. is the buzzword of trying to avoid the whole issue altogeth- is for in the first place?) And of course, the century, and that is hardly too bold a er: “Thou shalt not make a machine to in the guise of something like SIRI, it claim to make. 9 - FEATURES - Image source: Flickr/uncoolbob An interview with...

Bob MacCallum Ben Stockton talks to the Imperial scientist about his intriguing DarwinTunes experiment

I’ve been interested in electron- maintaining of genomics databases that technology available to science. In fact, ic music since it began really”, allow us to understand this data. But a 27 years ago MacCallum’s job wouldn’t Bob MacCallum tells me, “I hobby that fused his interest in music have even existed. In part inspired by was“ lucky to be around when it was with technological know-how has now his love of electronic music and Lenski’s born”. With this burgeoning interest in developed into DarwinTunes, a “crowd experiment, MacCallum is now posing dance and house music, he created tracks science” experiment and online game. the questions asked by Lenski about the of “normally constructed” music, as he evolution of bacteria to music “with a calls it. “It’s out there on the web some- At the University of California in digital test tube full of music organisms”. where” he says, but admits, “None of 1988, Richard Lenski was preparing to them are particularly amazing.” But now undertake a career defining experiment. During MacCallum’s 12-year on-going his music production has taken on a new, It began simply by growing 12 identical project, it must have become normal hopefully more successful, campaign. populations of Escherichia coli in 12 flasks for him to talk about music “mating” Rather than the music being produced for a day. After 24 hours, a small sample and “mutating” – something that seems per se, it evolves. of bacteria was removed from each flask completely alien to us. But he has creat- and transferred into a new set of 12 ed a population of random synthesiser MacCallum works here at Imperial Col- flasks. Remarkably, this experiment has sounds that can essentially do just that. lege. With an explosion of new technol- been running, pretty much uninterrupt- A computer spits out a sequence of tones ogy in recent years that allows us to read ed, everyday for 27 years. By freezing from a vast library. Based on the choice the genetic code of organisms, we have samples at different stages, it is possible of human participants, the most pleasing accrued vast amounts of genomic data. to see the evolution of the bacterial pop- sounds survive. These can then “sexual- Working mainly on mosquito genomes, ulations rather than using fossil records ly reproduce” with the other surviving as a bioinformatician, MacCallum’s day- of evolution. During these 27 years, sounds. These produce “offspring” that to-day research involves the building and there has been profound advance in the have inherited some tones from each 10 - FEATURES -

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parent, just like the inheritance of genes the programme available on the Internet rise. In 2012, the data was strong enough in humans. Again, participants select the for everyone to use, he hoped to go some for MacCallum to publish the results in most pleasing sounding offspring to sur- way to answering this question. But a the journal PLoS ONE. vive and the process goes on and on for lack of participants made it difficult to generations. Like Lenski being able to draw any meaningful conclusions. MacCallum loosely claims to be see the changes between bacterial gen- “democratising music production”. erations, we can hear, as more and more It wasn’t until collaboration with Im- There’s no need for knowledge of how generations of sounds occur, that out of perial Professor Armand Leroi, who to make music, the software “can make the random noise emerges a pleasant was investigating the anthropology of anyone a composer”. DarwinTunes now tune. In MacCallum’s “digital test tube”, traditional music, that MacCallum’s pro- exists as an online game in the hope music has evolved. ject began to make headway. Like how that participants will begin to use the evolution was studied before Lenski, software not because they want to be in- It all began with MacCallum creating Leroi was using a “fossil record of music” volved in crowd science but because they a code that ran on his laptop. “It would whereas MacCallum’s software “was want to make music. “We’re thinking play me a loop over and over again more like a test tube experiment.” It was of presenting DarwinTunes for a major until I gave it a rating,” MacCallum Leroi who was able to boost the number music festival in 2016 which would be describes, “And then it would play me of participants in the experiment. “The fun,“ MacCallum says, which would another one and I’d rate that. When first master stroke was to get Biology involve a live DJ performance of loops it had enough rated loops, behind the students to do it as a first year practical,” chosen by the crowd, “We’re very excited scenes it would randomly pair off the MacCallum explains, “The second mas- about that.” Who knows how far this good loops to make baby loops.” It was ter stroke was the involving the media.” music might go? In anticipation of the just a tool for MacCallum make music At this point, the catchy DarwinTunes game’s increasing popularity I’m coining himself. But having realised that the name was also given to the experiment. a new genre of music: biological house. programme worked with his choices, By gaining a low-level of media expo- You heard it here first, folks. he asked the question, what would the sure through interviews and blogs, the public’s preferences create? After making number of visitors to the site began to Go to darwintunes.org to play the game. 11 Short Stories from South Kensington The 12 Responses to Tragedy: The Yalta Memorial Gardens By Fiona Mashford

he Yalta Memorial Gardens lie opposite the Victoria and Albert Museum. Many of us will have passed the small triangle of grass near South Kensington Tube Station countlessT times and thought little of it. The sculpture in the centre of this peaceful corner of London pays powerful tribute to some less commonly remembered victims of the Second World War.

You may know it as the Cromwell Gardens Triangle or Thurloe Place Gardens. In fact it is thought that Oliver Cromwell presented land in the Brompton area to John Thurloe for services to the Commonwealth. In 1982 the addition of a sculpture commemorating victims of communism led to this new title.

The work by English Sculptor Angela Conner is entitled “The 12 Responses To Tragedy”. A fountain featuring 12 incredibly expressive renderings of faces, young and old was donated by Prime Minister Thatcher and MPs of all parties. The inscription reads:

“This memorial was placed here by members of all parties in both houses of parliament and by many other sympathisers in memory of the countless innocent men, women and children from the Soviet Union and other East European states who were imprisoned and died at the hands of Communist governments after being repatriated at the conclusion of the Second World War. May they rest in peace.”

The Yalta conference was held in February of 1945 to determine Europe’s post-war organisation, although Germany had not yet been defeated at that point. Part of the agreements reached by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin D Roosevelt and Premier Joseph Stalin stated that all citizens of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union would be repatriated - forcibly. The war records had been sealed for 30 years at the end of the war, and details only really came to the public eye when Nikolai Tolstoy published his 1977 exposé “Victims of Yalta”. According to this around 5.5 million Russian citizens were sent to face firing squads, torture or 25 years of hard labour. Many committed suicide to avoid the fate that awaited them, and more died in the appalling conditions they were transported in.

An article in the Kingman Daily Miner from March 7th 1982 reports that the unveiling was attended by just a small group of exiles and sympathisers, while the choir of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile sang a lament for the dead. Today the sculpture stands as a moving memorial to all victims of communism.

12 Image source: Flickr/mez3000 Things you shouldn’t miss Our pick of stuff to do in the upcoming months

Exhibitions Revelations: Experiments in Photography at the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London Showing from Friday 20th March until Sunday 13th September “Learn about the influence of early scientific photography on 20th century art”

Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime at the Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, London Showing from now until Sunday 21st June “ Explores the history, science and art of forensic medicince. It travels from crime scene to courtroom, across centuries and continents, exploring the specialisms of those involved.”

Strange Creatures: The Art of Unknown Animals at the Grant Museum of Zoology, Fitzrovia, London Showing from now until Saturday 27th June “From the earliest days of exploration, art has been essential in representing creatures that are alien to people at home”

Events You Have Been Upgraded at the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London Wednesday 25th March, and Friday 27th until Sunday 29th March “A festival of human enhancement... You Have Been Upgraded is your opportunity to meet leading scientists, artists and designers. Have your say about where humanity is heading.”

Mindwandering at the Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, London Thursday 23rd April “ Join broadcaster Claudia Hammond for a panel discussion as she explores the wandering mind with author and psychologist Charles Fernyhough, medieval historian Hilary Powell and cognitive neuroscientist Jonny Smallwood”

Painting after technology: Hal Foster and Mark Godfrey in conversation at the Tate Modern, London Monday 8th June “Painters have not only appropriated new technologies and software as studio tools but have also addressed how these media might make us appreciate the real layers of materials on a painting rather than a digital image” - FEATURES - Image source: Flickr/Brandon Warren

Can you put a price on knowledge? A brief guide to the open access debate Recently there has been a significant shift in academic publishing towards an open access model. However, it continues to polarise the scientific community. Sophie Reid introduces the debate.

s scientists there are few expe- other words, making all research freely Opponents of Open Access say that riences more exasperating than available on the internet for anyone who there can be “no such thing as free finding an interesting paper to is interested. Whilst this solution is by access to academic research”. Professor read,A then finding it lingers out of reach no means novel, it has rapidly gained Robin Osborne from King’s College behind a pay wall, only to be unlocked traction these past few years as research- Cambridge believes that with an Open by a ‘one time fee of £9.99’. ers have chosen to publish their work Access approach would lead to “the in increasing numbers of Open Access quality of journals declin[ing], the papers Decreasing library budgets mean that journals, such as PLoS ONE. becom[ing] less widely readable”, as it these occurrences are becoming increas- will have been less improved by editorial ingly common as libraries reduce the This may not be for entirely altruistic input. However, Open Access journals number of subscriptions they take out reasons however, as the Higher Edu- are regularly top-ranked and its propo- for various journals. The result is that cation Funding Council for England nents would argue that the quality of a more and more research could become announced in 2014 that after mid-2016 journal is not determined by its access out of the reach of us students not will- all UK research must be published Open policy, rather by the authors and peer-re- ing to pay per paper, and certainly much Access to be able to qualify for funding. viewers. of the research that is funded by taxpay- This means Universities have a great- ers is inaccessible to the average citizen er incentive to have their researchers So where are we now? The number of without a journal subscription. publish Open Access, as this research articles that were published Open Access will be included in the REF (Research has increased 10-fold since 2000, and the Open Access publishing would effective- Excellence Framework) which is the number of journals has increased 5-fold ly solve these problems. Open Access system for assessing the quality of a in that same period. These numbers can be defined as “the free availability on University’s research and will determine are increasing still, and in the future we the public internet permitting any users the amount of funding they receive from should look forward to research being to read, download, copy, distribute, print, the government. open and free to all who are interested. or search the full text of an article”; in 14 Image source: Flickr/Brandon Warren -- FEATURESFEATURES --

Tremendously silly A physicist’s debunking of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Theodore Emms talks about his favourite Sci-Fi series and how it is significantly more fiction than science

, as many people sometimes do, razor sharp wit and cynical view of before you read this. ponder away until the small humanity, is considered by many to be hours considering my place in the greatest of it’s genre. It’s loved by The first questionable contraption that theI universe. What is the answer to the millions, particularly those who grew up comes to mind is that of the improb- ultimate question? How did life come with it in the 70s. Being discovered for ability warp drive. Essentially, at will, to be? What is its meaning, and why are the first time by younger people through one can cause unlikely events to become we here? The simple answer, that you’ve the book and film adaptations. In order commonplace. It’s unclear exactly how almost certainly heard at some point in to test Adam’s work of science fiction for much control the user is given, but it is your life, is 42. If you detect nonsense, fictional science; I will be taking a closer demonstrated that one can instantane- you clearly know a thing or two about look at the plausibility of the events of ously travel to other planets in the galaxy the universe; because that’s exactly what the book occurring from a physicist’s (which is unlikely to happen by chance). it is. It’s also a reference to one of the perspective. I would like to warn the The most interesting flaw is the energy most famous works of sci-fi in history. reader that some elements of the plot requirement. In one case, the warp drive In case you don’t know: Douglas Adam’s may be revealed, and so, if you haven’t causes two nuclear missiles to be turned Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - the read Douglas Adam’s masterpiece I into a sperm whale and a pot of petunias. famed ‘trilogy of five books’ – with its encourage you wholeheartedly to read it Assuming that the nuclear missiles were 15 - FEATURES - annihilated and the whale was created a spaceship - can’t travel faster than light. are hard to keep hold of once you have from energy stored in the ship, we can one; and 3) They allow one to travel use Einstein’s famous equation to work In other bewilderments, a giant comput- through time. Let’s suppose technology out a lower bound on the energy used er called Deep Thought is constructed in will advance sufficiently for wormhole by the drive: Approximately the Earth’s order to deduce the aforementioned an- creation. In order to prevent collapse, current total energy production over the swer to the ultimate question. The result the walls of the wormhole would need course of 50 years. Even if this energy after thousands of years of processing, to be held open with repulsive gravity. were stored in the most efficient way to the disappointment and confusion of No material ever observed or predicted possible, it would contribute a signifi- the crowd of spectators: 42. So, what’s to exist by accepted laws of physics exert cant mass to the ship - about 60 tonnes. the question? The richest of the galaxy repulsive forces through gravity. So, the Current rockets have around double this called for a new, larger computer to be wormhole would collapse straight away. mass, and shed almost all of it getting constructed to find it. They designed a Finally, as mentioned, time travel causes into orbit. Carting around another computer the size of a planet, and they problems with paradoxes that make it an half of a rocket would increase the fuel called it Earth. Constructing this fancy inconvenient thing for physics to allow. required three times, making the ship a piece of tech were the Magretheans – a behemoth. Another serious flaw is the race of planet builders working to the In conclusion, Hitchhiker’s Guide is violation of the universal speed limit: the specifications of the stinking rich. They a tremendously silly masterpiece, and speed of light. This is a significant deal would suck matter through wormholes taking it seriously is a very bad idea. breaker. Einstein showed that if infor- to form “gold planets, square planets, With it’s daft space-travel and strange mation can travel faster than light, it can glass planets, platinum planets” and ”soft alien planets, it may not have a firm also be sent back in time. This would rubber planets with lots of earthquakes”. grasp on reality - But, Douglas Adams’s allow all sorts of grandfather murdering I’m not an expert on General Relativity wit and brilliance earn it a place on my peculiarities to occur (watch Back to the (The study of bending space and time) bookshelf. Future to see why). So, it’s generally ac- but, I do know a few things: 1) Large cepted that information – or in this case wormholes are not easy to make; 2) They

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16 Image created by Sadhira Wagiswara

broadsheetreviews pages 17 - 21 film The Theory of Everything: ‘Somehow slightly unsatisfying’ By Joshua Renken

Directed by puts in an excellent performance and communicate sadness and hope simulta- James Marsh portrays Jane Wilde with just the right neously. The film also features a superb combination of gentility and resilience. supporting cast in the form of Charlie Written by Cox, David Thewliss, Harry Lloyd and Despite the deep sympathy that you Emily Watson. Antthony McCarten develop for the couple, the film does not reveal all that much about their The Theory of Everything will likely Starring relationship. Apart from one or two disappoint followers of Hawking’s work. Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones & heart-rending moments, the film some- Considering its title, the film spends how feels stoic and repressed. The Theory surprisingly little time on his theories. Tom Prior of Everything follows a clear narrative Any time you see him writing it is purely but plays it very safe in its presentation to highlight his deterioration, but there he Theory of Everything is a of the testing marriage. Anthony McCa- are some small attempts to explain the biographical romantic drama rten’s script features clunky dialogue in ideas responsible for Stephen’s fame and that follows the life and loves parts but his biggest mistake is leaving the film’s subsequent production. It is ofT world-renowned theoretical physicist the central characters largely unexplored. admittedly very difficult to communi- Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) cate abstract physics concepts to a lay and his first wife, Jane Wilde (Felicity The first third of the film moves very audience, and credit must be given for Jones). The film primarily focuses on quickly, with the marriage and the birth the film’s efforts. Nevertheless, you sense the relationship between Stephen and of their three children all contained in that Hawking’s academic success is Jane, which begins just before Stephen a single montage. The remaining time merely providing an interesting context is diagnosed with motor neuron disease. shows how the couple gradually drifts to the personal hardship that is the focus Hawking is told that he will gradually apart from one another as Hawking’s of this film. The Theory of Everything is in lose all muscle function and has two condition worsens and his theories fact based on Jane Wilde’s book Travel- years to live. Despite this, the couple gain attention. All told, the story lacks ling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, so decides to spend as much time together the emotional impact of The Imitation perhaps it was to be expected that the as they can before Steven is no longer Game, a film with which that it cannot story was more concerned with their able to speak for himself. escape comparison. relationship and Jane’s sacrifices than about Stephen’s academic achievements. Eddie Redmayne is completely con- The Theory of Everything is stylishly shot vincing as Hawking. With his lingering and the atypical lighting gives every All in all, The Theory of Everything stares and contorted posture, he abso- character a glowing complexion. The is a touching and poignant biopic lutely nails the physicality of the role. whole film has an elegant aesthetic and that goes easy on the science. The Indications of Hawking’s muscle deteri- credit must go to Benoît Delhomme central performances are excellent, the oration appear from the outset and over for the handsome cinematography. In soundtrack is perfect and the scenes the film’s two-hour running time every addition, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s gen- are beautifully shot, but the result is triumph is promptly overshadowed by tile original score serves as a fantastic somehow slightly unsatisfying. his continued decline. Felicity Jones also soundtrack to the film; it manages to 18 Image source: film Still Alice: ‘Moore commands the screen’ By Ben Stockton n this Oscar winning per- Many people will have experienced loved about resilience, but the fate of Alice is formance, Julianne Moore ones suffering from the disease and they inevitable. portrays the character of Alice will know that for just brief moments Howland,I a 50-year-old linguistics everything reverts almost back to as they This is not just a film that allows you to professor. A woman defined by intel- were before the disease set in. “On good see the effect of the disease. It goes as lect and articulation, her diagnosis of days I could almost pass for a normal far as cinematically possible to showing early-onset Alzheimer’s disease sets Still person,” Alice so correctly says. Scenes what it feels like to be suffering from Alice on course for a difficult watch. The on the beach portray this perfectly as Alzheimer’s. Moore’s performance shows disease gradually chips away at the very husband and wife recount their life us the anguish but it is cinematographer structure of her being, taking everything together, probably for one last time. Like Denis Lenoir that creates the sense of that her life up to that moment had been the waves breaking on the sand, the force isolation. As the periphery blurs and any building. of the disease is unrelenting and soon sound other than Alice’s slowly echoes everything will be swept away. The title and distorts out of comprehension, we Moore meticulously studied the role gives some inclination that this is a film are left with a growing sense of how she and it shows. She spent time in patient is becoming ever more withdrawn from support groups trying to decipher how the world. This is the physical effect of people cope with the disease. What the disease but also the social stigma prevails is the role that technology plays that still surround disorders that affect in dealing with everyday life when you the brain and behaviour. Alice proclaims cannot remember what happened in the that she would rather have cancer so at previous 5 minutes. Alarms and lists, all least then she would not be embarrassed. accessible by the tap of a finger, help Perhaps this film will go some way to Alice place some control over a life overcoming this sentiment. that is beginning to unravel. Her favourite game, however, Words with Still Alice will touch the hearts of many Friends, acts a constant reminder of and not only those in someway connect- her decline. Despite strong perfor- ed to Alzheimer’s. It is remarkable that mances from Alec Baldwin as Alice’s co-director Richard Glatzer worked on husband, and Kristen Stewart as her the film during his on-going struggle youngest child, Moore commands the with the neurodegenerative disease ALS. screen, appearing in all bar a few of Although the film is tragic, for me it is the scenes. a celebration of the life that is remains to be lived after diagnosis – possibly a theme forged from Glatzer’s own experience. “You’ll still be around for a long time,” Alice is forever reassured.

19 exhibition The Institute of Sexology, Wellcome Collection By Fiona Mashford f there’s one word filled with sexual connota- tion of women by providing practical advice on the use tions at the moment it is surely grey. Nonethe- of contraception in 1918. Surely such a revolutionary less, I was not expecting to find the Wellcome woman could have generated enough material through Collection’sI Institute of Sexology so dim and painted her contributions to the field to fill the space with grey – one shade at that. If ever there was a chance to relevant material. embrace red velvet and unashamedly bold lighting this was surely it. The curiosities and stories themselves cer- There was plenty to induce a raised eyebrow though. A tainly injected colour though; the Guardian described it particular highlight was the hand-size tintinabulum (a as “Eye-popping”, Time Out as “An intellectual romp”. wind chime) which, we are told, was hung in doorways For me, though, the offerings were as underwhelming in ancient Rome to ward off the evil eye. Curiously as the décor. though this item was often shaped like an animal with a phallus instead of a head to symbolise fertility. Afraid The exhibition was curated by Kate Forde and Honor of Big Brother? Get yourself a jingling penis-animal! Beddard. It is described as “an investigation of how the Of plenty of interactive pieces, one was a yet more practices of sex research have shaped our ever-evolving bizarre offering: The Orgon Energy Accumulator. The attitudes towards sexual behaviour and identity”. The brainchild of Wilhelm Reich in 1939, this amounts to a gallery is organised into seven sections, such as The Lab- wooden box you are invited to sit in for a few minutes. oratory and The Tent. Each focuses on key researchers or For many years an unfathomable level of credence was areas of study their contributions to feminism, public given to the theory that orgon energy equated to libido health, the sexual revolution and more. and a lack of it was the root of many diseases, and this box (sorry, Accumulator) would fix everything. Right. The gallery circuit begins and ends in The Library. This section tells of Magnus Hirschfeld, who’s Institut für There certainly are the quality of object and research Sexualwissenschaft (Institute of Sexology) which had you would expect from a Wellcome exhibition. But flourished in the liberal Weimar Republic was quickly even the enjoyment of these is restricted. Against the shut down when the Nazis rose to power. The large dreary backdrop, you also have to listen to the sound collection of books at the Institute was destroyed, but from the short film Ricerche: three by Sharon Hayes visitors today can peruse the literature contributed by which interviews a group of students from a women’s the pioneers featured in the gallery without prejudice college in Indiana. The angst-y if insightful rants about or fear of repercussions. In many ways this is the main penetration, feminism and body image was intrusive idea the exhibition tries to convey. These books which and distracting. sparked such controversy in their day have furthered the knowledge which has contributed to the acceptance and It’s a fascinating subject with a colourful history but freedom most of us are fortunate enough to experience one which failed to enthral with this exhibition. I’d say regarding our sexuality and sexual behaviours today. bring the sex out of the shadows and stay a bit more on message, and most of all treat the downright ridiculous The rest of the exhibition though lacked this elegant, with some humour, not impartial detachment. That conceptually sound organisation. One wonders, for being said, I have found myself telling everyone of one example, why multiple display cases were dedicated to thing or another I came across in the exhibition. So I both the plant fossil collection of Marie Stopes or the think, if you’re curious you’ll find plenty to engage you wasp species collected by Alfred Kinsey. Stopes’ book – but consider taking earplugs and a flash light. Married Love was a landmark in the sexual emancipa- 20 radio The Infinite Monkey Cage, BBC Radio 4 By Ben Stockton

rofessor Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince returned for series 11 of The Infinite Monkey Cage, Radio 4’s source of scientific chatter fusedP with quick-fire wit. It’s nice to see Cox has man- aged to keep some time free for radio in his schedule. I imagine standing on mountains and walking in deserts as part of overworked scientific analogies for big budget documentaries must be fairly time consuming. As always, the panel structure remained as 2 scientific guests and a comedian (whose job is largely to act befuddled).

This series, guests ranged from Steve Backshall and Jim Al-Khalili to comedians Lee Mack and Jo Brand. For me, the most interesting guests are not, however, the BBC mainstays that we are so used to hearing from, but characters who we know less well. For instance, Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University who gained widespread media attention following her outburst of sheer delight when the robot probe Philae landed last year, was hugely enter- taining in the Solar System episode.

I began the When Quantum Goes Woo episode with a significant amount of trepidation as I, like many, quickly switch off at any mention of the q-word. But my doubts were unfounded. I still have no real idea what quantum physics is but that certainly isn’t damming of the show. The fact that the panel held my attention for a whole 45-minute podcast on a topic that I have no clue is frankly remarkable. Who says that just because a show is based around science it has to be educational? The purpose of the show is to entertain not to lecture, and at that it is hugely successful. However there is one question I would like them to answer: why is it called The Infinite Monkey Cage?

Image source: Wellcome Library, London 21 broadsheet careers Science Communication

o why Science Communication? In a recent ‘Public Attitudes to Science’ survey, over 70% of the British public agreed that it is important toS know about science; however the clunky rhetoric and complex jargon of many primary research papers makes Hello and welcome them inaccessible to those of us without a science degree (and even then, we may struggle). Science Communica- back to the Broadsheet tion is the art of communicating vital research and con- careers section! cepts in a way that many different people can understand, whether they have a passing interest in a topic or perhaps This issue we will be more. This can be done in a range of capacities; for continuing our spotlight example as a journalist, blogger or broadcaster, or perhaps on non-academic careers working in a science media or policy centre. and be examining the Dr Adam Rutherford, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science says that the role of a Science Communicator is broad field of Science to be a “proxy for the audience; we must translate aspects Communication. of stories to people who are unlikely to read scientific papers”. This is not to say you must “dumb down” in order to reach your audience, but it does mean that you must create Remember, if you would a narrative and present the science in an engaging manner.

like us to investigate a If you are thinking of pursuing this as a career then one particular profession of the unifying pieces of advice from professionals is to simply start writing! Start a blog if you haven’t already or career path, get in (Tumblr and Wordpress are free options that can be contact at: customized easily) and dedicate time each day to writing. This will provide you with a portfolio of work that can broadsheet@imperial. easily be sent to employers, and indeed many job applica- ac.uk. tions today allow you to include a personal URL to show off your work.

Imperial highly competitive Science Communica- tion Masters Programme is also worth a thought; it is world-renowned and many of its graduates go straight into employment in places such as the BBC or the Wellcome Trust, which itself has many opportunities for budding science communicators.

22 Science Communication

We spoke to Broadsheet’s very own Editor-in-Chief, Ben Stockton, about his experience on the Wellcome Trust’s Editorial summer internship;

Hi Ben! First of all, why do you think scientists do these days are just truly fas- of different people – some of which wer- Science Communication is vital? cinating. It is almost beyond belief what en’t even related to the job I was doing science is capable of today and in that but I was interested so I was allowed to Well that question isn’t as easy to answer sense it is a huge source of entertain- go. The editorial team at Wellcome also as you might think. It seems obvious to ment and inspiration. Science inspires produces Mosaic, which is a great long- us that the public should know about writers, artists and filmmakers who have form science publication so I had endless science but to pinpoint why exactly is a profound effect on the public. Howev- discussions with them about that. I felt less straightforward. Though for me, it er, it is unlikely that they read scientific like my opinion was really valued and comes down to a few things. papers so where do you think they get that if I had any questions people would their stories? From science communica- go out of their way to help me. A lot of research is publicly funded so tors. those that are funding it should know Would you recommend the scheme and what is going on. But whenever the work So tell us about the assignments you were why? is published, it is written in a way that involved in at the Wellcome Trust? is totally incomprehensible to the vast Absolutely. The experience had a pro- majority of society. Therefore, it comes to I was working mainly on Big Picture, the found effect on what I read and how I science communicators to translate that Trust’s publication for A-level science write. It was great to get feedback from work into a language that a lay person students and science teachers. I was professional editors on my writing. The can understand. writing and editing as well as sourcing company ethos at Wellcome is truly images, all to be published in the issues. unique. Under a single roof, there are Also, there is a large public mistrust of It was really rewarding to get to the end writers, filmmakers, graphic designers, scientists and a belief that there are a of the 8 weeks knowing that the work scientists, investment bankers and whole lot of morally questionable things going you had done may well be used in class- host of other professions. As an intern, on behind closed doors. Science com- rooms up and down the country. you are encouraged to seek out people municators work to dispel myths that who you think have interesting jobs scientists are just mad men in white So that took up the bulk of my time but and go and speak to them. The staff are coats and that actually everything is very in the time that I had free, I was able incredibly friendly and are more than tightly regulated. to take on other work that added a bit happy to speak to you. variety to the day-to-day job. I wrote for My final reason is that some things the blog and sat in on meetings with lots

23 Issue 8, Spring Term 2015 bringing science, society & the arts together www.rcsu.org.uk/broadsheet

If you’re interested in contributing to broadsheet Please email: [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Ben Stockton

Sub Editors Sophie Reid & Fiona Mashford ROYAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE UNION