PHYSIOLOGY NEWS winter 2007 | number 69 In this issue Teaching ethics to physiology students How to get good science Bioscience learned societies – not fit for purpose? Images of Manchester Manchester Focused Meeting Cardiac electrophysiology: with a special celebration of the centenary of the discovery of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes 5–6 September 2007 PHYSIOLOGY NEWS Editorial 3 Meetings Renal cortex: physiological basis of glomerular and tubular The Society’s dog. ‘Rudolf Magnus gave me to Charles diseases Dave Bates, David Sheppard 4 Sherrington, who gave me to Young Physiologists Bursary Scheme awards Nicola Trim, Henry Dale, who gave me to The Clare Gladding, Ciara Doran, Caroline Cros, Michael Morgan, 5 Physiological Society in October Lai-Ming Yung 1942’ Young Life Scientists’ Symposium at LifeSciences2007 Susan Chalmers, Marnie Olson, Patrick Howorth, Ahmed Khweir 7 Published quarterly by The Physiological Society Setting the pace Otto Hutter 8 Living History Contributions and queries Senior Publications Executive What can clinical medicine give back to physiology? 10 Linda Rimmer John Dickinson The Physiological Society Publications Office Soapbox P O Box 502, Cambridge CB1 0AL, UK How to get good science David Colquhoun 12 Features Tel: +44 (0)1223 400180 Fax: +44 (0)1223 246858 From lamprey swimming to human stepping: evolutionary Email: [email protected] conservation of longitudinally-propagated spinal activity 15 Web site: http://www.physoc.org Mélanie Falgairolle, Jean-René Cazalets Brain rhythms, synaptic plasticity and sleep Daniel Ulrich 18 Magazine Editorial Board Tropomyosin mutations responsible for muscle weakness in Editor inherited skeletal muscle diseases Julien Ochala, Anders 20 Austin Elliott Oldfors, Lars Larsson University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Muscle’s silent sensors Uwe Proske 22 Members Patricia de Winter The pattern of intracellular Ca2+ signal matters in epithelial University College London, London, UK secretion Seung-Ryoung Jung, Toan Nguyen, Bertil Hill, 25 Duk-Su Koh Sarah Hall β Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK -adrenergic receptor desensitisation – a mechanism for post­ exercise reductions in cardiac function Rob Shave, Keith 27 Munir Hussain George, Emma Hart University of Liverpooll, Liverpool, UK ATP synthesis during ischaemic muscle contractions John Lee Ian Lanza, Jane Kent-Braun 30 Rotherham General Hospital, Rotherham, UK Colonic elongation activates an intrinsic reflex that underlies Thelma Lovick slow transit and accommodation Terence Smith, Eamonn 33 University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Dickson, Grant Hennig, Peter Bayguinov, Nick Spencer Bill Winlow An integrative approach to control of oxidative phosphory­ Chameleon Communications International, London/ University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK lation during exercise Brendon Gurd, George Heigenhauser, 36 Donald Paterson, John Kowalchuk Foreign Correspondents Contribution of myoglobin facilitated O2 diffusion in respiring John Hanrahan tissue Ping Chang Lin, Ulrike Kreutzer, Thomas Jue 39 McGill University, Montreal, Canada Education John Morley Teaching ethics to physiology students Dave Lewis 41 University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia Letter to the Editor 42 © 2007 The Physiological Society The Society’s journals ISSN 1476-7996 Experimental Physiology 43 The Journal of Physiology 43 The Physiological Society is registered in England as Memorable Members a company limited by guarantee: No 323575. Registered office: PO Box 11319, London WC1X 8WQ Joseph Francis Donegan Ian Roddie 45 Registered Charity: No 211585. Benevolent Fund 46 Parliamentary and Scientific Committee Printed by The Lavenham Press Ltd Is dual funding fit for purpose? Liz Bell 47 Society News Scientific meeting calendar 2008 49 Introduction of registration fees Prem Kumar 50 Biosciences Federation Are bioscience learned societies ‘not fit for purpose’? Richard Dyer 51 Do learned societies behave like racing drivers? Mike Collis 52 Unbelievable! 53 Obituaries David Jordan Michael Gilbey, James Jones, Ida Llewellyn-Smith 54 Venetia Franglen Richard Naftalin 55 From the archives 56 EDITORIAL PN 3 It’s good to talk – and note that there are multiple ' Stick to what y ou know, and if definitions of either word, both you can’t, stick close to what is (carefully) popular and scientific – then you known' – might be a good rule of The Physiology News editorial slot can provoke a global storm of thumb. intermittently encourages denunciation, as James Watson scientists to get involved in public did recently. Physiology is perhaps fortunate discussions about science, not to touch often on areas as whether local or national. It is not my purpose here to directly contentious as race, debate what Watson said, or is genetics and IQ. But it still offers However, there are downsides to said to have said. Much has been opportunities for foot-in-mouth this. One is the dilemma when written by people far better stuff. Physiologists in the public you get asked to comment on placed than I to comment (see eye typically do stick close to their something you don’t know much e.g. [1]). What we can say is that own ground: they can frequently about. if, as seems likely, we have seen a be found commenting on issues great scientist’s exit from the around animal experimentation, The safe option on this is, first, to public arena, it is a sad way for and sometimes about brain admit you don’t know much him to bow out. Most of us, I am scanning, or stem cells, or IVF, or about it, and then second, fall sure, hope the fall-out will not even the scientific basis of drug back on generalities and overshadow Watson’s lifetime of policy, while they are less likely to consensus, or on things that distinguished achievements in be found offering their views on couldn’t possibly be objected to science. whether science disproves the but bear a re-statement. In other existence of the soul. words, stick to what you can say, What I do want to do here is give useful information, and avoid comment on the limits of I hope Watson’s fate will not scare ranting. scientific authority, and where this eminent scientists off engaging in interfaces with the continued public debates. More than ever, The danger comes if you engage need for scientists to speak up in we need them out there the mouth before the brain, speak public. explaining, and clarifying, and – off the cuff and give unvarnished perhaps most important of all – personal opinions without making As a thoroughly ordinary scientific correcting common and even clear they are strictly opinions. practitioner I am in the fortunate dangerous misconceptions. Just position that I will never be asked the weekend I wrote this, Mike The more famous and eminent by a journalist with a tape­ Rennie was chiding The Guardian the scientist, the greater the recorder running for my thoughts for multiple inaccuracies in their danger. For the run-of-the-mill on global warming, the nature of coverage of 'synthetic biology' scientist speaking in a local forum, consciousness, or when an (3). Long may people like him schools workshop, town meeting, embryo becomes a human being. continue to speak out. But Café Scientifique, or whatever, you But some scientists do get asked equally, long may they take care are unlikely to come too much of these questions, and it is then that what they say. a cropper if you do say something they have to choose their words daft. You will usually be able to carefully. Sadly, it is common in One of the more measured online correct and clarify what you said, places promoting bad science to commentaries on Watson’s or even take back things you did find quotations from famous downfall on the Wired Science not mean. scientists speaking about things blog (4) quoted the American that they should have been wise author Marilynne Robinson: At the other end of the scale, if enough to keep quiet about. The ' There is nothing harder than you are a world-famous scientist statements made by Kary Mullis, knowing what it is you don' t and Nobel Laureate facing a room of PCR fame, about HIV and AIDS know.' As scientists, we forget this at our peril. full of journalists, and touch in his autobiography (2) are one unhappily on a subject as well-known example, but there Austin Elliott explosive as race and intelligence are others. 1 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2702762.ece 2 Mullis, Kary. 1998. Dancing Naked in the Mind Field. New York: Vintage Books. 3 http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2199474,00.html 4 http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/james_watson/index.html Physiology News | No. 69 | Winter 2007 | www.physoc.org 4 PN BRISTOL MEETING Renal cortex: cells of the renal cortex, in particular the role of the glomerular and tubular physiological basis of epithelium and endothelium in regulating salt and water balance in glomerular and health and disease. An uninterrupted tubular diseases layer of epithelial cells line the nephron, from podocytes in The Department of Physiology and glomeruli to intercalated and Pharmacology at the University of principal cells in the collecting duct. Bristol is delighted to host its first Ultrastructural and molecular Physiological Society Focused differences between these cell types Meeting on 17 and 18 December. reflect the vast differences they make The Department was formed on to the conversion of ultrafiltrate to 1 August by the merger of the urine. Recent advances in animal existing Departments of Physiology models of human disease that inform and