The Rise of the ‘Biotechnosciences’

Leading-edge bioscience promised so much – but did it really deliver? Renowned neuroscientist Steven Rose and sociologist Hilary Rose visit the RSA to tackle the claims of the bioscience industry head on. 

RSA Thursday

In the last thirty years, the so-called life sciences have been completely transformed. We now have the hybridised ‘biotechnosciences’ which blur the boundaries between science, technology, universities, entrepreneurial biotech companies, and global pharmaceuticals. But what are the implications of this shift, and who benefits?

When the modern era of genomics opened in the 1990’s, we were told that decoding the human genome would lead to cures for everything from cancer and schizophrenia to homelessness, and that a cornucopia of health and wealth would result. It’s now twenty years on, and the genome has been decoded, vast DNA ‘biobanks’ have been set up, some companies and individuals have become very rich, but both hypes and hopes are greatly diminished. 

What went wrong?

Join renowned sociologist Hilary Rose and neuroscientist Steven Rose at the RSA as they tackle the claims of the bioscience industry head on.

Chair: Marek Kohn, science writer, journalist and author of 'Trust: Self-Interest and the Common Good' and 'Turned Out Nice: How the British Isles Will Change as the World Heats Up'.