Governing the Barely Imagined

La historia de la electrificación en la Ciudad de México a principios del siglo XX demuestra que la integración de esta nueva tecnología fue un proceso de constante negociación entre empresas, gobierno y consumidores.

The problem of orbital debris—a.k.a. space junk—worsens as more countries and companies get involved in space. Classifying space junk as pollution could help define a path forward.

The story of electrification in Mexico City in the early twentieth century demonstrates that the integration of this new technology was a process of constant negotiation among companies, government, and consumers.

A close look at Operation Warp Speed, the government program to accelerate the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, reveals insights for robust governance not only in crisis, but in normal times as well.

Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman discusses the stubbornness of cognitive biases, the “noise” that besets human decisions, and how institutions can learn to make fairer judgments.

Marianne Boruch’s poem “Cadaver, Speak: 15” was inspired by the poet’s experience participating in a dissection lab with 16 medical students.

Governing new biosecurity threats is not merely a matter of good intentions and better training; it requires paying proper attention to the social contexts of science.

Engineering biology could play a critical role in creating a sustainable, resilient, and equitable bioeconomy, but getting there requires reimagining industrialization itself.

Philanthropic organizations have a special role to play in setting bold new expectations for a research enterprise that works in direct dialogue with the rest of society.

More inclusive open science can help solve society’s most pressing problems—and at a faster pace—but making it mainstream requires systemic institutional change.

A new methodology from the National Academy of Medicine could inform social, ethical, and legal governance frameworks for a range of cutting-edge technologies.

Narratives of technological inevitability often limit the tools society has at its disposal to promote equality and opportunity.

Lethal autonomous weapons systems pose new and dangerous threats, but efforts to advocate for a ban demonstrate the complexities of finding international consensus.

The mission of a political, artistic, and scientific collective in California is to reenvision the future of bioengineering and biodesign—and, in the process, reframe who is a scientist and what science can be.

Many local policymakers want to develop more informal collaborations with researchers, but to bridge the gap scientists and institutions will need to understand and accommodate their priorities.