WAR, terror, disease and disaster – there’s no denying the world has been through a lot this year. And in all these events, science and technology played a key role. They helped define the Iraq conflict, from attempts to avert the war to the way the war itself was fought. Biomedical research came to the fore too, as the US brought in draconian measures to fight bioterror, and much of the rest of the world fought SARS.
But it hasn’t all been bad news. We’ve made huge strides in understanding the universe and how it developed. Closer to home a range of technologies stand ready to change the world – if we want them to – from hydrogen and nanotechnology to genetically modified crops.
In an attempt to make sense of it all, we asked our news team, who have followed these stories over the last 12 months, to step aside from their traditional role of reporting the news and offer a more candid, personal view of 2003. What were the stories of the year for them, and why?
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After a murky year the overall message seems to be a positive one. We now have better information than ever about the impacts we are having on our planet. And for the first time (though with some notable exceptions), the effects of new technologies are being seriously investigated before they are implemented. With science and technology entwined with politics as never before, this is a necessary trend if the way forward is to be based on rational, evidence-based debate.
To end our review, we take a whistle-stop tour through our favourite stories of 2003. From giant squid and a talking chimp to the most dramatic end to our universe yet imagined, it has been an intriguing and memorable time.