Navigation Links
Nanotechnology 'culture war' possible, says Yale study
Date:12/7/2008

New Haven, Conn, Rather than infer that nanotechnology is safe, members of the public who learn about this novel science tend to become sharply polarized along cultural lines, according to a study conducted by the Cultural Cognition Project at Yale Law School in collaboration with the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. The report is published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

These findings have important implications for garnering support of the new technology, say the researchers.

The experiment involved a diverse sample of 1,500 Americans, the vast majority of whom were unfamiliar with nanotechnology, a relatively new science that involves the manipulation of particles the size of atoms and that has numerous commercial applications. When shown balanced information about the risks and benefits of nanotechnology, study participants became highly divided on its safety compared to a group not shown such information.

The determining factor in how people responded was their cultural values, according to Dan Kahan, the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor at Yale Law School and lead author of the study. "People who had more individualistic, pro-commerce values, tended to infer that nanotechnology is safe," said Kahan, "while people who are more worried about economic inequality read the same information as implying that nanotechnology is likely to be dangerous."

According to Kahan, this pattern is consistent with studies examining how people's cultural values influence their perceptions of environmental and technological risks generally. "In sum, when they learned about a new technology, people formed reactions to it that matched their views of risks like climate change and nuclear waste disposal," he said.

The study also found that people who have pro-commerce cultural values are more likely to know about nanotechnology than others. "Not surp
'/>"/>

Contact: Janet Rettig Emanuel
janet.emanuel@yale.edu
203-432-2157
Yale University
Source:Eurekalert  

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. NIST, NCI bring web 2.0 tools to nanotechnology standards effort
2. Nanotechnology boosts war on superbugs
3. Europe rallies behind nanotechnology to wean world from fossil fuels
4. Nanotechnology: A brave new world requires bold new research approaches
5. NSF and EPA establish 2 centers for environmental implications of nanotechnology
6. UCLA, partners establish new center on environmental effects of nanotechnology
7. Duke to lead new NSF, EPA center to study the environmental implications of nanotechnology
8. NSF funds multi-university center to study environmental implications of nanotechnology
9. Halas wins prestigious nanotechnology research award
10. Air-purifying church windows early nanotechnology
11. Emergency response and nanotechnology

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Nanotechnology 'culture war' possible, says Yale study
Nanotechnology 'culture war' possible, says Yale study
(Date:11/24/2009)...OUGE Antarctica has long held secrets of the eart...cently, there has been very little information on ...es of ice for millions of years. Now, a team of re...ave been funded to the tune of $10 million dollars...t to the bottom of things literally. These scient...
(Date:11/24/2009)...ease is available in Spanish . , The presen...els of inflammatory substances in the blood, hinde...wn by a research project of the University of Nava...tist at the School of Pharmacy. , The project, e...relation to the control of body weight and inflamm...
(Date:11/23/2009)...idge, Mass. November 23, 2009 Applied mathematic... ( Hosta lancifolia ), a characteristic long leaf ...ed ripples along the edges. The simple cause of th...g from bending during differential growthwas revea...ng foam ribbons. , Haiyi Liang, a postdoctoral s...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):LSU gets to the bottom of things -- in Antarctica 2It can be predicted the reaction obese patients will have to a diet 2The cause behind the characteristic shape of a long leaf revealed 2Tiny Cup Attached to Eye Improves Drug Delivery For Retinal Diseases 4837 1Tiny Cup Attached to Eye Improves Drug Delivery For Retinal Diseases 4837 2Tiny Cup Attached to Eye Improves Drug Delivery For Retinal Diseases 4837 3Tiny Cup Attached to Eye Improves Drug Delivery For Retinal Diseases 4837 4Surgical Care Affiliates Announces Investor Conference Call to Discuss 2009 Second Quarter Results 53974 1When Kids Are Hospitalized Parents Fret About Errors 53973 1When Kids Are Hospitalized Parents Fret About Errors 53973 2
... , N.J. A team from Stevens Institute of Technolo...nce Foundation for the project, "MRI: Acquisition ...r Nano/Micro Device Fabrication." The Stevens team... in the Mechanical Engineering department; Stefan ...eok Yang, an Associate Professor in the Mechanical...
...e, NC The U.S. Forest Service Southern Research S...he Economics of Forest Disturbances: Wildfires, St...cientists, the book offers a synthesis of new appr...le forest disturbances. , The Economics of Fores...resent a comprehensive framework for analyzing the...
...ions and the Environment provides strong evidence...cceptable costs. The author, Yoram Krozer, General...chnical universities, Institute for Sustainable In...tain a far-reaching, emissions-reduction percentag... demanded by policy-makers and market interests. ...
Other Biology News:NSF awards two grants to Stevens for nano/micro device fabrication and nano sensor development 2Book breaks new ground in the study of economics and forest threats management 2Improving industry efficiency through environmental innovations 2
(Date:11/24/2009)... , , SEATTLE, Nov. 24 Blu...pany and the Odessa Public Development Authority (...on State,s Community Economic Revitalization Board...ct the state,s first specialty biochemical biorefi...nt will significantly speed the development of our...
(Date:11/24/2009)... , , TSX VENTURE: HTL , TORONTO, No.... (TSX-V: HTL), formerly Calotto Capital Inc., a l...ruments for the stem cell research and fertility c...ncial results for the third quarter ended Septembe...venue was $1.46 million compared with $1.43 millio...
(Date:11/24/2009)... , , REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 24 /PRN...: GHDX ) today announced that Randy Scott, Genomi... 21st Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference ...0:00 a.m. ET. ,, To access the live and subseq... the Investor Relations section of Genomic Health,...
(Date:11/24/2009)... , Chemical Abstracts Ser...ion, reports that China,s patent office is now the...ications in chemistry. China trailed Japan,s paten...tion (WIPO), and the United States Patent and Trad...assed the USPTO in 2005, WIPO in 2006, and exceede...
Breaking Biology Technology:Blue Marble Energy, OPDA Awarded $2M by WA's Community Economic Revitalization Board 2Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 2Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 3Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 4Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 5Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 6Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 7Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 8Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 9Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 10Genomic Health to Present at Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 3
...nomonie, Wis. - The West Central Wisconsin Workf...siness, education, and government to participate i...for Economic Growth." , ,The conference is schedul... and Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Universi... , ,Although some speakers have not yet accepted t...
...Madison, Wis. - Enterprising candidates can score...ing them that the University of Wisconsin hires ...ministrators to do nothing, and squanders millions... ,Or those candidates can talk about their plans t...eater. , ,Unfortunately, the second choice require...
...dison, Wis. - Imago Scientific Instrument Corp. ... Madison, is releasing an upgrade to its main prod..., those that help find the location of atoms, to r...age, and advanced materials markets worldwide. Suc...ial,s properties are affected at a larger scale. ,...
Other Biology Technology:Conference to address small town development 2Don't forget UW's role in economic development 2Don't forget UW's role in economic development 3
Goat Anti-Duffy / FY / DARC Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from Novus Biologicals
...trifuge offers both high-speed and high-volume ve...options, making it ideal for a wide variety of lab..., High-speed (up to 15,000 rpm and 21,000 xg) an...ket rotors , Accommodates tube volumes from .25 ...
...sed, high throughput, water bath thermal cycler ca...icroplates. This equates to 9,216 reactions per ru...dly transfers a basket of plates between three wat...at are considerably faster than those of peltier b...
Goat Anti-Proliferin (C-14) Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.
Biology Products: