Policy Lab

Professor Steven Rose and Dr Sarah Jayne Blakemore URF

'The Future in your Brain'

A discussion with Professor Steven Rose and Dr Sarah Jayne Blakemore URF about the opportunities and uncertainties posed by advances in neuroscience.

Neuroscience is the study of the human brain and nervous system in health and disease, bringing together many disciplines and technologies. It is one of the fastest growing areas of the biosciences, researching the most complex structure in the known universe. 

Especially for this event Steven Rose, Emeritus Professor at the Open University, has released an updated paper: Prospects and Perils of the New Brain Sciences: a twenty year timescale.  He will discuss several areas where the application of neuroscience will raise complex ethical, legal and social issues in the coming years, including: greater use of neuroscientific evidence in legal proceedings; increased use of brain imaging techniques for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, and for surveillance; increased use of ‘predictive’ genetic testing for neurological and psychiatric disorders; and new military technologies enabled by neuroscience.

Greater knowledge of how the brain learns will also have a profound impact on education. Understanding the brain mechanisms that underlie learning and memory, and the effects of genetics, the environment, emotion and age on learning could transform educational strategies and help optimise learning for people of all ages and needs. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Royal Society University Research Fellow and Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, will describe some of the implications of neuroscience for education. Her examples will focus on the development of the human brain and its plasticity, that is, its capacity to adapt continually to changing circumstances.

We hope you can join us for this timely and important discussion.  If you would like to attend this free event, please emailscience.policy@royalsociety.org with your name, job title and place of work, clearly stating which event you would like to attend.  Please forward this invitation to any colleagues who may be interested.

Registration will be open from 17:30 – 18:00, the discussion will run from 18:00 – 19:20 and will be followed by a drinks reception.