British Science Festival. Day One. Blast Off!

It's the first day of the British Science Festival at Aston University. You can find the full list of events here, including which are free and which charge. And also what sort of level each event is aimed at, from children to adults and from non-scientist to expert. And don't forget to click here to take part in our online experiments.

Here's a round up of the big stories coming out of the festival today. Proposals for a cannabis "licence" from Professor Roger Pertwee caught the attention of the tabloids and the broadsheets. According to the Professor;

'We have to have a car licence, we used to have a dog licence, so why not have a cannabis licence so you can only take it if it is medically safe to do so? That would exclude some people who are have a risk of becoming schizophrenic.'

In a blow to the writers of gritty crime dramas occupational psychologist Dr Craig Jackson called for a crack-down on "crackers" saying;

"Offender profiles of killers have never led to a murderer being caught."

Dr Jackson appealed for a more scientific approach with this important work;

"This is an appeal to use better science in this field otherwise it will go the same way as parapsychology, reading tea leaves or Tarot cards."

Finally Professor Gina Rippon who works in the field of cognitive neuroimaging at Aston University has caused a huge stir by suggesting that the brains of men and woman just aren't that different. Plenty of interesting articles about this (all illustrated by pictures from Mad Men for some reason). But I'll draw your attention to this one by Cristina Odone in The Telegraph;

"Pity the scientist. Locked up in labs, handling vials full of toxic liquids, surrounded by white mice and white coats - no wonder she sometimes loses her common sense. This seems to be the case with Gina Rippon."

Ouch! Of course as my supervisor never tired of pointing out when I was a researcher "common sense" is just the label we apply to our own prejudices. Scientists work to get to the truth and know to avoid this elementary mistake. Not so journalists.

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