Linguists first used the term backchannel to refer to the spontaneous responses and signals that provide interactivity to what is only apparently a one-way communication. Social media users have adopted the term to refer to the unofficial, multi-directional online conversation that parallels formal academic exchange at a lecture or conference. The Backchannels blog is intended to have a similar relationship to scholarly discourse in STS. It provides an outlet for alternative-format scholarly communications, publishing shorter, timelier, media-rich communiques of interest to the global STS community. The editors welcome proposed contributions.
Aug 3 2026
This article introduces 'technobotany' and the entanglements of botany and technology that shape the nature of science and society. It examines the new space race as a technobotanical frontier featuring photosynthetic technologies designed to power lunar outposts and Martian colonies, anticipating the extraction of rare metals and minerals for energy-intensive societies on Earth.
Aug 3 2026
This report reflects on the establishment of the Science, Technology and Society (STS) Committee of the Chinese Society for the History of Science and Technology, formally founded during a national symposium at Beijing Normal University in June 2026. The milestone marks a significant step in the institutionalisation of STS in China, bringing together scholars from across the country while strengthening connections with the international STS community.
Jul 27 2026
In 2025, a controversy erupted over a study into the safety and “non-specific effects” of the hepatitis B vaccine among children in Guinea-Bissau. This post traces the life of the concept of “non-specific effects”, from the early 1990s to the political context of the mid-2020s.
Jul 20 2026
Anton Novenanto writes a thought-provoking reflection, offering to understand STS initiatives in Indonesia as projects countering the neoliberalisation of knowledge. The text is available in Indonesian and English.
Jul 16 2026
Relatório de las XVI Jornadas ESOCITE / Report of the XVI Latin American Conference on Social Studies of Science and Technology (ESOCITE) - Bogotá, Colombia 2026
Jul 13 2026
This essay discusses research at the intersection of electrical engineering and microbiology, and the cultivation of the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 for nanomaterial synthesis and environmental biosensing. Reflecting on how engineering with microbes reshapes methods and assumptions, Dr. Rees (University of Albany) distinguishes between instrumental and collaborative paradigms, asking: Who counts as a stakeholder in microbial biotechnology, and what obligations do engineers hold toward t...
Jun 15 2026
Abstract are new being accepted for the III Encuentro CTS Perú 2026, an international academic space dedicated to reflection and debate on the challenges of innovation and the complex relationships shaping science, technology, and society in Peru and Latin America. Participation is free for accepted panelists. Interested researchers, practitioners, and students are invited to submit a short abstract (up to 300 words) to one of the six thematic panels by August 1, 2026.
Jun 19 2026
In this reflection piece, Tam Rayan draws upon the epistemology of wahda as a framework for understanding Palestinian counter-archival practices. Practices that persevere despite the widespread destruction of their documentary and cultural heritage and the continuous denial of liberation and sovereignty.
Jun 8 2026
This report reflects on the first STS India Network Conference, held at O.P. Jindal Global University in December 2025. The event brought together scholars from across India and marked a significant moment in the ongoing effort to articulate, expand, and institutionalise STS from and within India.
Apr 27 2026
In this post, Fisher and Schütz present key ideas from their 4S paper, “Documenting Environmental Procedural Injustice: Archival Tactics,” written for a panel convened by Kim Fortun entitled “Parsing Environmental Procedural Injustice: A Call for Collaboration.” Their contribution centers on addressing two questions: first, how procedural injustice takes shape across their Louisiana field sites; and second, how scholars might respond methodologically to the exclusion...