Bioracism reborn?

Many science bloggers and writers put their thoughts into the form of essays that discuss a new book, or several new books where the writer sees a theme. We studied an example of this kind of book-review essay this month to see how such essays can work, especially in terms of structure and argument. The…

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“LGBTIQ+N” sci-fi short story published

Speculative fiction penned by scientists is rare, but perhaps it shouldn’t be. Recently we workshopped an unusual form of scientific commentary: a one-page sci-fi tale by microbiologist and NeuWrite Nordic advisory board member Howy Jacobs of Tampere University (pictured) that confronted the frightening ethical and political implications of human genetic engineering. This month, Jacobs’ story…

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Medically and genetically engineered dystopias

Science fiction is an especially creative kind of science writing, one that can show us the present in imaginative and emotionally charged ways while also anticipating possible futures. Amidst hopeful talk of scientific and technological progress, science fiction can also reveal injustices, risks, and dystopian futures to correct or avoid. On the other hand, some…

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