Preferences for Psychological Enhancements: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits

Preferences for Psychological Enhancements: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits
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JASON RIIS
New York University – Stern School of Business
JOSEPH P. SIMMONS
Yale School of Management
GEOFFREY P. GOODWIN
Princeton University – Department of Psychology August 30, 2007

Abstract:
Four studies examined young healthy individuals’ willingness to take drugs intended to enhance various social, emotional, and cognitive abilities. We found that people were much more reluctant to enhance traits believed to be highly fundamental to the self (e.g., social comfort) than traits considered less fundamental (e.g., concentration ability). Moral acceptability of a trait enhancement strongly predicted people’s desire to legalize those enhancements, but not their willingness to take those enhancements. Ad taglines that framed enhancements as enabling rather than enhancing the fundamental self increased people’s interest in a fundamental enhancement, and eliminated the preference for non-fundamental over fundamental enhancements.

Nanotechnology in Germany 2007

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European NanOSH Conference

European NanOSH Conference – Nanotechnologies: A Critical Area in
Occupational Safety and Health
3-5 December 2007, Marina Congress Center, Helsinki, Finland see updates
on programme at http://www.ttl.fi/euronanosh
Deadline for early registration on 15 October 2007

The EuroNanOSH Conference will discuss global safety issues surrounding
nanoparticles and nanotechnologies, in occupational safety and health in
particular; and will provide insight into future actions for assuring
the safety, and thereby the future success of nanotechnologies. The
Conference is arranged by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
in collaboration with the TEKES – Finnish Funding Agency for Technology
and Innovation and VTT Technical Research Center in Finland. In
addition, the Conference is supported by the ISPESL – National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Prevention in Italy, and the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in USA.

Welcome to the EuroNanOSH Conference!

EuroNanOSH Secretariat
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Leila Ahlström
Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A
FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland
Email: euronanosh@ttl.fi

Nanomedicine, is it the Real Deal?

The Institute of Nanotechnology is organising a public engagement evening ‘Nanomedicine…hype? Or a real revolution in healthcare?’ on the 28th November at the Royal College of Surgeons of London. This free event offers an opportunity to the general public to share their thoughts with industrial leaders, nanotechnologists and politicians.
In the interest of openness and public engagement this panel discussion and public debate, which will be held at the Royal College of Surgeons from 18.30hrs–20.30hrs on 28th November 2007, is free of charge and open to all. Places are limited and, therefore, early registration is recommended. For more information and to register please visit http://www.nano.org.uk/events/ionevents.htm or contact Tiju Joseph, tiju.joseph@nano.org.uk, on +44(0)141 330 8734.

The event is organised in conjunction with the ‘Investing in Medical Nanotechnologies II’, conference and exhibition to be held at the Royal College of Surgeons on the 28th and 29th November 2007, http://nanomednet.org/conference07.

15 Surprising Ways RFID Will Affect Your Life in 2007

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Good, Better, Best: The Human Quest for Enhancement

report of this now online
Summary Report of an Invitational Workshop
Convened by the Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program
American Association for the Advancement of Science
June 1-2, 2006
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SUMMARY OF THE NATIONAL NEUROTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE ACT

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Military and Intelligence Methodology for Emergent Neurophysiological and Cognitive/Neural Science Research in the Next Two Decades

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European Commission is world’s largest public investor in nanotechnology

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Nanotechnology risks – where are we today?

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BT Eyes Technology Revolution for the Pharma Industry

In a white paper, ‘Pharma Futurology: Joined Up Healthcare, 2016 and beyond’, BT’s pharmaceutical division brings its expertise in connecting people and businesses to create a big-picture outlook for the industry. The research reveals expected technology inspired changes that threaten pharmaceutical companies with isolation from an increasingly patient-centric healthcare community.
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A Nanoparticle Vaccine is Developed

Swiss scientists have created a nanoparticle vaccine that delivers vaccines more effectively, with fewer side effects and at a lower cost.
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Nanotech could make solar energy as easy and cheap as growing grass

Scientists are working to produce cheap, sustainable solar energy by imitating nature. Nanotechnology researchers like California Institute of Technology professor Nate Lewis are exploring nanoscale materials that mimic the architecture of grass and photosynthesis to capture and store the sun’s energy.
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new column of mine is out Bionics

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Research and Commercialisation in Nanotechnology Worldwide 2007

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The Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Market Report

here
and excerpts here

Scientists Synthesize Memory in Yeast Cells

FINDINGS:
Researchers in the Harvard Medical School Department of Systems Biology have constructed a memory loop out of bits of DNA. After being placed in a yeast cell, the loop continued throughout many cell divisions.
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Russia tests giant fuel-air bomb

It contains about seven tons of high explosives compared with more than eight for the Moab but is four times more powerful because it uses a new type of explosives developed with the use of nanotechnology,more here

Nanomaterials Regulatory Framework Multi-Stakeholder Workshop Canada

When: Thursday, September 27, 2007

Where: Toronto , ON CANADA
Environment Canada / Health Canada multi-stakeholder is holding a workshop regarding a Proposed Regulatory Framework for Nanomaterials under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The purpose of the stakeholder workshop is to gather comments on the suggested approach to developing a regulatory framework.

The workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Toronto between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. At the workshop, comments will be gathered from participating stakeholders through discussion groups and plenary sessions. All stakeholders will be invited to provide additional comments in writing in the weeks following the meeting.

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Risk Network Newsletter

The Risk Newsletter provides information and links to news items with relevance to risk and benefit in science, health and everyday issues. more here