Robert Winston in the Science Gallery This Thursday
April 1, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I have a science hero and he’s coming to Dublin’s Science Gallery next week. Whoever comes up with the talks and speakers down there needs a prize, they’re always interesting to a wide and varied audience. You might know Robert Winston not as a gangster actor but as the mustachoio’ed gentleman who presented “Child of Our Time” on BBC TV around 2000. He’s in town next Thurs (8 April) giving a talk about:
BAD IDEAS? An arresting history of our bad inventions
Professor Winston will take a fresh look at man’s greatest discoveries and innovations and asks whether our dependence on science and technology has led us into a precarious situation which is doomed to become worse before it gets better? As well as tracing the history and fall-out of our very worst ideas, he also advocates the merits of scientific progres.
Professor Winston has an international reputation for his researches into human reproduction and has pioneered advances widely used in fertility and IVF treatment. He is committed to scientific education and regularly writes or hosts popular science programmes for the BBC, Discovery and ABC networks.
I’m personally interested for two reasons:
- I am surprised that it’s not possible to save stem cells from the placenta when one has a baby in this country. I would have thought that if the technology is available that people would go for it. I see it as an insurance policy against awful diseases that mother nature can throw at your little one, but it seems I’m alone in my thinking. I wonder what Robert has to say on this subject – I shall listen carefully.
- I love learning about child psychology and when Prof Winston’s “Child of Our Time” was on BBC some years ago I watched it religiously. I’ve even been known to quote some of the experiments! Now that I’m about to have my own child, I’ve been trying to get a hold of a copy of this DVD – but have not been able to. Not even Dublin City Library has a copy – or the dustiest corners of Ebay. If you know of anyone who has a copy of Child of Our Time, please lend it to me.
UPDATE: how funny and Freudian… I just wrote the whole post about Ray Winston coming to town thinking “I mustn’t mix up Ray and Robert cos it’ll make me look really stoopid… it’s alright to do that kind of thing in my head, but no way in blogland” – until John Braine (check out his blog – the pic re. the passport office is so funny!) kindly pointed out the error of my ways. Just so you get how poles apart these two are, here’s Ray (on the left) and a rather more kindly looking Robert (on the right). I’m playing the Pregnancy Brain card on this one. 
Tags: child psychology, Prof Ray Winston, Science Gallery Dublin
Comments (5 responses)
Some private hospitals in Ireland offer the facility to collect stem cells but it’s pretty pricey (about €6K IIRC)
http://www.mcm.ie/mch_maternity_service.html
@Stu thanks but am with the Rotunda who are not supportive of it.
Hi – hate that my first comment here is SOMEONE ON THE INTERNETS IS WRONG? But it’s Robert Winston, not Ray
Hi Mary
I think Winston is great as well and loved Child of Our Time, particular as my first little fella was around the same age. I got to see them till they were about 4 but missed the shows after that. It would be interesting to see how the kids and families have progressed. Some of them had it tough.
Good luck with the search for the videos if I hear of any I’ll let you know.
And good luck with the birth. Was a Rotunda baby myself, way, way back.Pauline
Ha. Just saw the update. Thanks for the nice like. Yep nappy brain (as we call it) is always a good excuse! I just mix up stuff like that all the time anyway though.
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