Citing the “growing importance in the relationship between science and the future of mankind,” an international group of scientists is creating an annual forum intended to bring together academics, researchers, legislators, business leaders, and journalists to discuss controversial science and technology issues such as human cloning and global warming. The Science and Technology for Society Forum, the idea of Japan’s former science minister Koji Omi, is based on the notion that in-depth, inclusive discussions of science-based issues are needed if societies expect to move intelligently into the future.
“Health, meeting energy needs, and other aspects of human welfare are dependent on continued progress in science and technology,” Omi said in announcing the creation of the forum at a 9 September meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. The benefits of science and technology are great, he said, but they are not reaching “a part of the world’s...