Can science beat terrorism?

Terrorism is hard to combat: clandestine, well equipped, and exploitative of current scientific and technological knowledge for its own ends. Hunting down terrorists is not easy when trying to aim at an unknown, hidden target while not publicising the attack to everyone within range.

The evening, part of the Cambridge Science Festival’s Spotlight on Science lecture series, will ask how effective can stepping up surveillance and defence technologies be when terrorists are constantly deriving new weapons for mass destruction based on scientific research and technological breakthroughs readily available to the layman?

The panel includes Dr Brooke Rogers from King’s College London who will discuss the way that science is informing and improving our behavioural responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism. Professor John Adams, at University College London, will argue advances in science such as DNA databases, ID cards, GPS tracking, email archiving and data mining, will not beat terrorism as fear and paranoia among the public about the threat of terrorism will remain.

Joining them will be Professor Tom Sorrell from the University of Birmingham who will examine the ethical issues related to anti-terrorism efforts and Professor Ross Anderson from the Cambridge Computer Laboratory will talk about the reliability of technologies and policies used in counter-terrorism.

“Can science beat terrorism” takes place on Monday 9 March, from 8-9.30 at the McCrum Lecture Theatre, Bene’t Street (behind the Eagle pub). Entry is free and refreshments will available following the event.

This lecture is organised by the Triple Helix, a University of Cambridge society founded on the principle that science in society matters.