This article was originally published in the Spectator, and can be found here. Last week, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first ever drug targeted to enhance libido in women. Media outlets churned out adoring articles; the licensing of flibanserin, or ‘female Viagra’ as it rapidly became known, was hailed as…
Category: Science & Technology
Climate change is harming our health – urgent action is required
This article was originally published on the New Internationalist website, and can be found here. Tomorrow, over 120 world leaders, including Barack Obama and David Cameron, will gather in New York for a UN summit on climate change. The event, called by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, comes in anticipation of formal negotiations in Paris next…
GCSE results day reveals the sinister side of social media
This article was originally published on the New Statesman website, and can be found here. — I vividly remember my GCSE results day. The school was late to open and, as I waited anxiously, my phone buzzed with text messages, Facebook posts and tweets from friends, curious to find out what grades I’d been awarded….
Why DNA testing isn’t always best for customising medical treatment
This article was originally published in the New Statesman magazine on the 15th August. An online version can be found here. If doctors discovered you had a 30 per cent chance of developing colon cancer, would you want to know? What if that probability was only 10 per cent, or perhaps as high as 50?…
Being gay might not be “natural” – let’s stop arguing otherwise
This article was originally published on the New Statesman website, and can be found here. Anyone who respects personal freedom and equality will surely be impressed by the gay rights movement. Recent years have brought much to celebrate; the introduction of same-sex marriage legislation, improvements in public attitudes towards homosexuality within the UK, and gay pride…
The UK’s mental health care is in crisis – the next government must act urgently
This article was originally published in the New Statesman, and can be found here. A report this week was grim reading for those involved in mental health care. The survey of GPs revealed that one in five had seen patients harmed as a result of “delays or a lack of support” from mental health services, while…
Ebola panic reveals the balancing act between patient freedom and social safety
This article was originally published in New Statesman, and can be found here. News of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has received worldwide press attention. The epidemic has caused more deaths than any other recorded Ebola outbreak, and has claimed 672 lives since February. Governments have good reason to be concerned; the Ebola virus has a mortality rate…
Alternative medicine could work – but that’s not reason to embrace it
This article was originally published in New Statesman, and can be found here. David Tredinnick MP, a member of both the science and technology select committee and the health select committee, made headlines last week for suggesting that astrology should be incorporated into medicine. This isn’t the first time the member for Bosworth has caused…
We must stop shying away from science and start scrutinising it
Last Monday, Newsnight was again dominated by furious debate about drug policy. Peter Hitchens made his first appearance on the programme since a previous controversial confrontation with Russell Brand and this time was joined by actor Matthew Perry. What followed received widespread attention and the video clip quickly clocked over 500,000 views on YouTube. The episode was concerning on…
The Science Delusion: has science become dogmatic?
This article was originally published in the Oxford Student newspaper. Scientist and author Rupert Sheldrake spoke to George Gillett after addressing an audience at the Oxford Union Rupert Sheldrake’s latest book, The Science Delusion, explores what Sheldrake describes as “the ten dogmas of modern science”. The claim seems radical at first – Sheldrake is questioning mainstream science beliefs…
GEORGE GILLETT 