Publics, Politics, and the Future of Genome Editing

Modern science across disciplines is increasingly faced with often controversial public debates surrounding its societal applications. Genetically modified organisms, nanotechnology, and human genome editing are just a few recent examples. How do we all form opinions about emerging technologies we know little about? Why are we as a society sometimes so divided in our interpretations of scientific facts and phenomena? What role do media, especially in online environments, play in this process? And how can we better communicate and debate science in our polarized political environment?

Dr. Dietram Scheufele is a professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This presentation was part of the IGI seminar series.