Can we rely on science to make sense of the world, especially in a global pandemic?
With science shaping government policy and the limits of our freedom like never before, ‘trust in science’ has become the mantra of the times. Yet misinformation abounds. Join the presenter of ‘The Life Scientific’, theoretical physicist Jim Al Khalili, author Christer Sturmark and director of the Centre of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, professor Anne Johnson, as they discuss the challenges in conveying increasingly complex information to the public.
Jim Al-Khalili is professor of physics at the University of Surrey and a fellow of the Royal Society. He is one of Britain’s best-known science communicators and has written numerous books, including ‘Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed’, ‘The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance’ and ‘Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology’. His latest book, ‘The Joy of Science’ will be published this spring.
Christer Sturmark is a Swedish author and public intellectual. He is the founder and publisher of Fri Tanke (Free Thought) and often appears on TV to defend science and to argue against dogmas, superstition and pseudoscientific thinking. His latest book is ‘The Flame of Reason: Clear Thinking for the Twenty-First Century’. He lives on the island of Lidingö, just outside Stockholm.
Anne Johnson is a Director and Professor of Epidemiology at University College London. She is internationally-renowned for her work on HIV and sexually transmitted infections. In 2020 she was elected President of the Academy of Medical Sciences.