N&Q6 – ScienceCafé
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
Science Café is an exceptionally popular venue for guest speakers to entertain and educate the science-interested public. Hosted by Telus at the Unicorn Pub on 8th Ave downtown, this is a regular event worth adding to your monthly list. Upcoming topics can be found at http://www.calgaryscience.ca/courses/adultprograms/sciencecafe.php.)
The pub’s rooms were filled to bursting, even though the topic had been abruptly changed from the ‘Superbugs’ listed on the website. Instead, we were treated to a trio of discussions on recent advances in biomedical technology.
The first speaker, Jeff Dunn, discussed imaging advances and non-invasive diagnostic techniques. After MRI technology, the next step is the ‘cave man’. Essentially a virtual room for instructional purposes, the cave man presents holographic 3-D images of the interior of a human being, through which one can walk to learn about bodily systems and functions as an aid to learning. Insertion of devices into a patient transforms the educational function into diagnosis.
The next two speakers discussed the revolutionary and evolutionary aspects of biomedical engineering. Of especial interest to me was the comment that advances in brain imaging – what part thinks what and for what reason – would make psychology a dead science within 30 years, and all mental issues would be dealt with through surgery (invasive and non-invasive) and drugs. No more mental illness, no more therapy.
What’s a joint like you doing in a girl like this? Two thirds of the population will endure osteoarthritis after age 65, and we have no idea why! The discussion ranged from material failure to the body’s resources allocation strategy. Engineered tissues may replace our old, worn-out ones, whether they derive from synthetics or grow from stem cells as a custom order. Current research focuses on regenerative tissues – ligament, heal thyself! This research path seems the ultimate solution, though it will require a great deal of time and expense to see through to fruition.
Based on the time and cost, a question of medical ethics was raised – who gets the benefits of all this effort – only the rich who can afford it? Just because we can do something, should we do it?
The talks were fascinating and educational, but not as entertaining as the prior opium discussion. Still, I am impressed that Canada is a world leader in this research and technology. Curiously, just as extraordinary advances are being made in medical technology, our politicians have promised to eliminate medical premiums. Query: who is going to pay for these biomedical innovations, and how will they be undertaken?
(by Jeff Pugh)
