Jon Turney

You are a superorganism: What your microbiome can do for you

Audience:

General

This is a title relating to my just published book. It is awaiting road-testing, and can be tailored to specific interests - health, disease, allergy, evolution, ecology, effects of modern life and diet, and so forth. The main thing I want to get across is that there is lots of exciting biology within us - as we interact with trillions of microbial cells - that we are only just beginning to see clearly. We are a wondrous collection of ecosystems, and indeed a superorganism.

Why are all mad scientists biologists?

Audience:

General

My current preoccupation is the human microbiome. I'm also happy also to revisit the topics of any of my previous books (as indicated in the list of old talks above). This one refers to my study of Frankenstein and its many re-tellings. Why is our culture obsessed with this tale, and what does it tell us about how we think about science and technology, especially biotechnologies, from "test-tube" babies and "Frankenfoods" to synthetic biology?

What became of the future?

Audience:

General

Futures have a history. Production of images of the future exploded in the 20th century. Now we are almost as preoccupied with past futures as with possibilities yet to come. What does that say about our ability to talk about the futures we are shaping now?

A history of genetic futures

Audience:

General

The idea of evolution came with a new question - how might Homo sapiens evolve in future? And, soon, how might we help that along, for good (yay, perfect people) or ill (boo, eugenics). How have visionary writers and scientists imagined our genetic future? This is a widescreen tour of fiction and speculative non-fiction from H.G. Wells (The Time Machine and the Island of Dr Moreau), to the present.

Currently: Freelance author. I, Superorganism (Feb 2015)

Expertise: History, Biology

Interests: Human Microbiome, Genetic Futures, Frankenstein, History Of Futures

Experience

British Council lecture tour India, Nov 2015 - Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Delhi. I spoke to audiences from postdocs in science institutions to schoolkids in science museums, on microbiomes, futures, and images of the Earth (likely to be my next book...)

Cockermouth science Cafe, Sep 2015: I, Superorganism.

Interview – Chris Hadfield, Guardian Live event, @Bristol, December 2014.

ExHumed – Dead Good Thinking. In conversation with Mary Shelley. Library of Birmingham, 5 November 2013.

Bristol Festival of Ideas, May 2013. Chaired events with Kevin Fong, Adam Rutherford, Steven Rose, and Steve Jones.

Ends of the World – Chair and scene-setter, British Science Association, Aberdeen, September 2012.

Responsible Application of Technology (moderator). Rathbone Greenbank investors’ day. Royal Society, May 21, 2012.

In Defence of Geeks – discussion with Mark Henderson, Angela Saini (chair). Bristol Festival of Ideas, May 19, 2012.

Communicating science futures – panel, Public Communication of Science and Technology conference, Florence, April 19, 2012.

Are we safe? Science and futures panel, Oxford Literary Festival, March 24, 2012

Science fiction, science future – A conversation about what’s round the corner. UCL, March 1 2012

Futures past and present – Institute of Mechanical Engineers New Fellows’ day. Talk invited to mark the selection of Rough Guide to the Future as the President’s “book of the year”. December 2011.

The God Species – discussion with Mark Lynas (chair). Bristol Festival of Ideas, September 2011

Plenary commentator, Sixth Science and the Public Conference, Kingston University, June 2011

Human Extinction - Royal Society panel at Cheltenham Science Festival, June 11, 2011

Compared to this the Industrial Revolution was Nothing! (chair), British Library, May 25, 2011

Who owns the story of the future? (chair), British Library, May 24, 2011

Creating a future without destroying the Present (chair) Bristol Festival of Ideas, May 20, 2011

The future of science - Panel Discussion, Bristol Science Fiction Conference, October 2010

A History of Genetic Futures - Keynote talk at EMBL PhD symposium, From science fiction to science fact; what's next?, Heidelberg, October 2010

After Utopia - Visioning the Future. Pre-screening discussion for Metropolis, Watershed, Bristol. September 2010

The Future of Cities (chair). British Science Association, Birmingham, September 2010

Britain in a Future of Climate Change, in conversation with Marek Kohn. Bristol Festival of Ideas, June 2010

Risk, Trust and Public Understanding - conference talk, The Royal Society and Science in the Twentieth Century, Royal Society, April, 2010

Images of futures past - Futures Analysts’ Network, London, December, 2009

Images of genetic futures - Colston Society Research Symposium, The New Genomics: Public Health, Social and Clinical Implications, Bristol, June, 2009

Genetic Futures – Post-Darwinian Speculative Fiction and Non-Fiction, Public Lecture, Institute for Advanced Study, Durham University, April 2007