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The pace of discovery in the life sciences is breathtaking.
The Human Genome Project is laying bare the genetic
underpinnings of human health, while neuroscience is
revealing the biological basis of perception, memory
and behaviour. Biomedical research promises to deliver
substantial benefits, but also poses unprecedented questions
for society.
How will these new technologies affect our lives in
the future?
What ethical guidelines should apply?
In 2001 we received a New Opportunities Fund award
to digitalise our Creating the Debate programme –
5 original plays, debates and resources inspired by
the ethical issues raised by current biomedical research.
We commissioned Maverick Television to work in association
with us to digitalise the plays and supporting resources
for the web. This site is the result. Each play and
resource has been transformed into a series of fictionalised
news stories with video, audio and text – the
end result meaning that you can choose how much information
you want to find out at any one time. The site has
now been approved by the National Grid for Learning
"This site provides and excellent introduction
to genetics as well as allowing students to push
the boundary on the possibilities of genetic modification,
cloning and xenotransplantation.
It has an interesting and very engaging way of putting the possible issues across
and links very well
to the new Science Key Stage 4 Programme of Study, released September 2006 .
It would also be an excellent resource for teaching 21st Century Science GCSE. "
The Plays
The
Gift by Nicola Baldwin
(Theme – genetic selection)
Pig
in the Middle by Judy
Upton (Theme - animal to human transplants)
Sweet
As You Are (Theme – genetic modification
of crops)
Cracked
by Nicola Baldwin (Theme – the genetic basis of
mental illness)
Learning
to Love the Grey by Jonathan Hall (Theme–
stem cell therapy and cloning)
Making
Astronauts by Jonathan Hall (Theme –
genes and behaviour)
SIN
Genetic Futures will be part of the new SIN website
(Science, Invention and Nature) a consortium of the
Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Wildscreen
Trust to be launched late 2004.
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