Bilbao, Spain. Most scientific and technological advances tend to take their place silently in society until general awareness reaches a critical level (usually after the fact). Biotechnology often finds itself the center of public debate and regulatory attention from the start, due partly to the moral issues posed by many of its applications. Stem cell research is one example, garnering extensive comments and debate by by public officials and pundits from many corners of society. But what do ordinary citizens have to say on the subject?

In the Second BBVA Foundation International Study on Attitudes to Biotechnology, the BBVA Foundation performed an in-depth comparative analysis of the attitudes of citizens towards research with embryos for the purpose of obtaining stem cells. Survey respondents were drawn from 12 European countries plus Israel, Japan, and the United States.

Among the questions analyzed the extent to which public opinion has been informed about stem cells, expectati

Linköping, Sweden. There have been significant increases in processing power, giving machines greater capacities and capabilities. However, there has not been a similar leap forward in interface technology. Emotions are intrinsic to communications, but machines don’t have, perceive or react to them. This can make us, their handlers, hot under the collar. It sounds good: some new building blocks developed by teams of researchers in Europe may result in machines that can ‘feel’.

But where will the emotions come from? Machines are the creations of human beings who, in turn, download their skills and presumptions into their (machine) world. There is a direct analogy to the way humans train each other (and themselves), trying to learn relational skills. In effect, w

Linköping, Sweden. Human beings can learn by emulating others, but exploring one's environment is an important part of the learning process. To grow up is to make mistakes, score successes, and learn from experience. What about robots? Can they learn the same way? And if they do, what can we humans learn from their experience and skills? A team of researchers have developed an artificial cognitive system that learns from experience and observation rather than relying on predefined rules and models.

Traditional robotics relies on having the robots carry out complex calculations, such as measuring the geometry of an object and its expected trajectory if moved. But COSPAL has turned this around, making the robots perform tasks based on their own