Hour One: Pheromones / Bioethics and Biotechnology

Who decides whether or not new technologies are a good idea, and at what point in the development of new technologies do those decisions occur?

Several new surveys published this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology take a look at public attitudes about biotechnology research around the world. A US survey found a rise in uncertainty about biotech in the US, although a majority of citizens remain supportive of the technology. Contrary to common wisdom, very few respondents to the US survey were neutral or undecided. Most of the US citizens surveyed had a clear position on the use of biotechnology and genetic engineering, and few respondents felt that more consultation with the public about the use of genetically modified foods would be "a waste of time."

Other surveys found similar declines in support for biotechnology in Europe and Japan. Japanese public support for biotechnology remains stronger than in the U.S. or Europe. A Canadian study found that attitudes towards biotechnology in general may track public attitudes towards the idea of cloning.

We'll talk about the surveys, about the larger issue of who makes decisions about the direction of scientific research -- and about your feelings on biotechnology. Call in. Our number is 1-800-989-8255.

Plus - scientists at Rockefeller University and Yale University believe they have identified a human gene linked to pheromones, messenger chemicals that can convey information and produce a response at levels below a smellable level. Pheromone-receptor genes have been detected before in mice, however, the discovery of the V1RL1 gene is the first to be reported in humans. The researchers believe it encodes for a receptor in the mucous membranes lining the nose.

The behavior of insects and non-human mammals is heavily influenced by pheromones, particularly when it comes to sex. One 1998 study on humans by Barbara McClintock and co-workers found that a substance in underarm sweat could make women synchronize menstrual cycles -- but other information about human pheromone sensation is limited. We'll talk a neurologist who helped discover the new receptor gene about the team's work, and what it might mean.

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Guests:
Charles Greer
Professor, Neuroscience
Department of Neurosurgery and Neurobiology
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Arthur Caplan
Director, Center for Bioethics
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Susanna Priest
Assistant Professor, Journalism
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

Books/Articles Discussed:

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Related Links:

Center for Bioethics

Bioethics.Net: where the world finds bioethics

Bioethics Resources on the Web - National Institutes of Health

National Bioethics Advisory Commission

Society for Neuroscience: Brain Briefings: Pheromones
HHMI: Pheromones and Mammals
Whyfiles: Love smells
March 13, 1998, Hour 1:Emerging Infectious Disease Conference / Pheromones

Produced By: Annette Heist
Web Producer: Charles Bergquist