Animal sentience research cannot be divorced from its ethical and political implications. For example, discovering which animals are sentient is vital for deciding require welfare protection. Two legal case-studies illustrate the importance of scientists in such debates: UK Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 had input animal researchers, whereas US 1966 did not. The former defined much more plausibly...

The sacking of David Nutt from his position as Chair of a UK government science advisory council has thrown the interface between science and policy into sharp relief. Justine Davies takes a look behind the scenes.

Risk governance is a major challenge in the twenty-first century. Governments and regulatory authorities are required to deliver the best possible risk governance to society. However, in a globalized world, their performance is increasingly assessed at the international level by using the best scientific knowledge available. Companies face a renewed demand for social and public responsibility a...