Health issues are the public’s number one priority for science, according to an online survey of over 2,000 people to mark the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary. Among other aspects, the survey questioned the areas that the public thought should be the top priority for the scientific community, including such varied options as ‘tackling climate change’, ‘disease control’ and ‘space exploration’.
‘Unending quest for understanding’
Outgoing President of the Royal Society, Martin Rees, said: ‘In 1660, when the Royal Society was founded, science was in its infancy. Science is an unending quest for understanding and over the coming 350 years our appetite for discovery could see us develop of a cure for cancer, a solution to climate change, and even discover extra-terrestrial life.’
As the curtain falls on the 350th anniversary year, the Royal Society is publishing Science sees further, a new publication asking what the future of science will hold, including questions about whether we are alone in the universe, how we can manage the increasing demands on our planet’s resources, and whether science can save the lives of millions with new vaccines.
