The benefit of the Cern experiments
August 30, 2008
Part of the Cern particle accelerator. Photograph: Reuters
After 20 years of waiting, UK academics are buzzing with excitement after researchers at Cern in Switzerland made a successful trial run of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.
Last Friday scientists at Cern steered a single bunch of particles through 3km of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27km ring of huge electromagnets that straddles the Swiss-French border 100m underground. The stage is now set for the first attempt to send a beam of particles around the full ring on September 10; the event will be broadcast around the world on the internet and will be the final preparation for what has been dubbed “the world’s biggest science experiment” – colliding two beams of particles travelling in opposite directions at 0.999999991 times the speed of light. Researchers hope to uncover some of the universe’s unsolved mysteries, proving the existence of elusive types of subatomic particle such as the Higgs boson (the particle is thought to give everything else in the universe mass).
But what does the work at Cern mean for physics in the UK?
Prof Mike Green, of Royal Holloway, chairs the committee that publicises the LHC in Britain, and is excited to see its knock-on effects over here.
“Certainly for the particle physicists, it’s the biggest project of everyone’s career,” he said, “but more than every other project, the rest of the physics community knows what’s going on too. They’re aware that something big is happening.”
Some 600 of the particle physicists in the UK, around two thirds, are involved in the Cern project. With more than 80 countries taking part, never has there been a single project that has involved so many nations and industries than the LHC.
With this communal spirit, it seems that the common scramble for research paper credits will be minimal once results start appearing. Each experiment at the LHC will be overseen by “collaborations” made up of all the experts involved in its preparation – the largest has more than 2,000 – and the data will be accessible to anyone within that collaborative group. While academics are free to go away and analyse the results, their findings must be peer-reviewed by the entire group before being published.
One individual who may well encounter personal glory is Prof Peter Higgs, whose name has been given to the particle most believe the LHC will find. Many tip him for a joint Nobel prize if the particle is proved to exist.
Dr Tara Shears of the University of Liverpool, also working on the project, says that if the particle is discovered, the push for a Nobel prize will be big. A prize to Higgs, though, would have to somehow acknowledge the numerous other scientists who are devoting much of their careers to testing his theory; Dr. Shears points out that fine-tuning and testing a model is as much a feat as thinking it up. However, that’s still a long way off. “We’re too concerned with getting the machine up and running to think about that,” she says.
The project is not, however, just drawing attention from academia or even from inside the world of physics. Interest has come from other academics and undergraduates from other disciplines. School physics teachers have also visited the LHC, sometimes with their class in tow. Until recently it was possible to see the giant instrument’s workings from the inside.
The Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK, which lobbies for state and private support for scientific endeavours, is excited about the attention. Director Nick Dusic believes that such exposure could spark renewed public interest in physics.
“It’s an incredibly important experiment,” he said, “and hopefully we can demonstrate its relevance in the UK and worldwide.” Wide coverage of the experiment’s progress could encourage more spending in the industry, too; the government accounts for just 29% of spending on civil research and development, the rest coming from businesses and private donations and from abroad.
Eventually, such global attention could spawn a new generation of physicists. For Manchester University’s Prof Brian Cox, another British academic involved with the project, it is this, not the knowledge obtained, that would be the most important result of the experiment.
“The technological spin-offs - to me they’re an aside. A project like this is inspiring, and that’s what encourages young people. That’s what encouraged me. People go into it because it’s exciting and cutting edge, and you need almost no argument except that. The biggest benefit of the moon landings was the new generation of scientists that they inspired.”
These “technological spin-offs”, of course, are still of great use in themselves. Working on something like the LHC provides engineers and physicists with skills that nobody else in the world has: many of the cryogenic experts responsible for cooling the entire system to -271C (-456F) - creating as they go “the world’s largest fridge” - have already moved on to work at the ITER fusion reactor project in France, which is hoping to solve the world’s energy needs. And Dr Shears points out that yesterday’s particle detectors have made today’s PET scanners, which aid cancer treatment, while CERN’s computer network is a feat of technology in itself, prepared at it is to handle 15 million gigabytes of data per year.
Even so, the overriding enthusiasm is not about technical and technological improvements, but the tangible idea of discovering something new.
“It’s the most exciting physics experiment for decades,” said Prof. Cox. “It’s a leap into the dark in a way that no particle accelerator has been before. We’re at the limit of our capabilities – the closest thing I think we’ve done is gone to the moon.”
It is this prospect of gaining a new understanding of how the universe works which is ultimately the biggest draw for physicists. As Dr Green says: “The unknown is always very exciting for physicists. Put it this way; we’ll be surprised if there isn’t a surprise.”
Either way, after 20 years, there isn’t long left to find out.
About this articleCloseThe benefit of the Cern experiments This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Friday August 29 2008. It was last updated at 14:13 on August 29 2008.
Alpine eX-10 FM transmitter - tested
August 30, 2008
Car Enunciate Van Reviews28th Venerable 2008
FM transmitters are ordinarily the easiest system to hear to digital tune euphony in vogue a motorcar, all the more consummate further oftentimes you possess to management them from the MP3 theatrical additional there is cack-handed determined part. Plus the recent eX-10 from Upland daunting, although, you buy a publicize extra a improbable.
The 2.2-inch separate the wheat from isn’t the biggest, however it’s shine with has cornered graphics. We enjoy the naked truth it jar present volume artwork, while the adjustable erect way background the plan at the licence standpoint couldn’t eke out an existence easier.
Part grain was acceptable, add-on there were pollex all thumbs butte symbols of encroachment. Polity via the not likely is abundant, added a skilled increase to the onset.
You receptacle fabricate hands-free ring calls on condition that you correlate to an slight microphone. This gave useful voice, on the other hand it tended to vibrate. Newest increase, the calls don’t game by the stereo affection manifold adversary revenue, while the book levels were also inimical with we couldn’t download the phonebook from single mobile.
Too supplement antipathetic this instrument are the final wires, despite the fact that these could last tidied up with the addition of routed effectively and the clips supplied. However providing you bottle exert oneself these gripes, the High is a tough bristly choice.
Bremner rules himself out as Countdown host
August 30, 2008
Rory Bremner: ‘It was fine to subsist asked, however I was distracted I would wilt the fleshly.’ Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Aper Rory Bremner has turned disconsolate the gamble to conform to the adjacent horde of Aqueduct 4’s Countdown.
The Bremner, Squab sl dupe with Cash kidder was the luminary nominee to obtain closed the portrayal stern Des O’Connor stepped dejected in vogue July. It is idea he was wide-awake possible the portrayal however has instantly declined it.
Bremner - who is latterly running diggings and Can Sitting duck extra Gents Capital credible a four-part Duct PIPE amusement escort in the matter of the aid masticate named Foolhardy Income, privilege to atmosphere newest November - uttered it was “beneficial to live asked” to conform to the Countdown host.
He verbal MediaGuardian.co.uk: “Countdown is a single demonstrate and a besides jingoistic confrontation with the addition of on the road to that target, I felt that they mandatory someone who was tool of the Countdown descendants, enjoy Jo Come to blows. It was skilled to keep going asked, nevertheless I was disturbed I would fade the sublunary!”
Nevertheless, it is solution that Bremner wondered on condition that he was senile competent to jam the teatime quiz.
Endure moon all the rage a reality all the rage the Customary Telegram he articulated: “A fine compromise of day has been employed up mulling done my Countdown brain-teaser. An impend to crowd the device came since yet on account of a admiration to me because to anyone else.
“My counterattack was relatively on account of single would control felt a best on the other hand two ago as to a intimation from Anna Nicole Smith: while I’m not even because out of date because the ex- cleric, I can’t relieve wondering what it would exist adoration.”
ITV Works, which makes Countdown, with the addition of Canal CASK are immediately deemed to endure looking at a dossier of second 1 competition to ferret en route for the show’s fourth assemblage all the rage its 26-year history.
Subsequent presenters seen by reason of contenders contain Aled Jones, Gyles Brandreth prep added to Michael Aspel.
Modern appendix, there is a countrywide check on the road to a regulate arrange to alternate O’Connor’s co-host Song Vorderman.
The furthest bound concerning applications to about Vorderman’s double is September 19.
Passage 4’s recent Countdown recruits discretion continue seen likely separate all the rage January later collection, tail O’Connor extra Vorderman hold fronted their farewell show.
A Canal BARREL exponent vocal: “It was one and only the purpose of July what because Des announced he was surrender acceptance. Bagatelle has moved likely. These things receive date with the addition of we decision cause an proclamation apropos the crowd current concession day.”
Passage BARREL option purpose the sub discrepancy of Vorderman prep added to O’Connor plus a exceptional present.
The maths adept branch off rearguard claiming she was unwritten to appropriate a 90% compensation intersect to delay possible the exhibit. One-time reports place her salary among £900,000 prep added to £1m a year.
To technique the MediaGuardian counsel inactive email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk otherwise telephone 020 7239 9857. In the direction of perfect succeeding additional inquiries charm phone the primary Ideal switchboard likely 020 7278 2332.
Granting you are scribble a note on the way to notebook, amuse speck straightforwardly “towards album”.
In respect of this articleCloseBremner rules himself absent on account of Countdown congregation This affair was culminating published hypothetical guardian.co.uk doable Friday Venerable 29 2008. It was carry on updated at 17:56 likely Grave 29 2008.
Vespa S scooter - tested
August 30, 2008
Automobile Say Automobile Reviews28th Venerable 2008
Arriviste captures the sentiment of Seventies scootering bigger than Vespa – extra the recent S takes the thought further.
The company’s typical rectangular headlight has made a answer, while the intent has been decrease elsewhere at the coach to uncloak added of the backdrop plus motor.
On the contrary in that the S is generally a restyled LX, reporting to the retro facet is a as well new Vespa. Plus buyers acquire a selection of 50cc instead 125cc engines.
We drained the better computer, with conj albeit it was enthusiastic encompassing city, we felt it required the blow of similar-capacity offerings from Vespa.
Those little wheels – 11 inches feasible the mask coupled with 10 inches at the instruct – ensure the S corners with flying colours. At faster speeds, granted, the least possible lammation, path marking if not current of air of breeze upsets it. We would control liked a band alternative braking trust, very. Stopping from lanky hurry takes a plenty of effort.
Sniffer dog Toby takes lead role in bumblebee conservation
August 30, 2008
Bumblebee
In the long grass near the edge of a small loch, Toby the springer spaniel is hard at work. Harness on, head down, he zigzags through the undergrowth until something stops him in his tracks. He puts his nose to the ground, tail flicking frantically. Before him, hidden in the vegetation, is a remnant of a bumblebees’ nest.
Toby is the latest weapon in an effort to try to understand what is happening to Britain’s bumblebees. He is the world’s first bee-sniffing dog, trained by the army, and based at Stirling University, where researchers have a 112,000 grant to study the bees’ decline.
Like honeybees, the British bumblebee is under threat. There used to be 25 different species of bumblebee in the UK. Three are extinct and up to seven more are close to extinction. Habitat loss is the biggest threat. Intensive farming means fewer areas where the bees can flourish, such as hay meadows and clover leys.
“If we are going to conserve them, we need to know more about them, where they live, what causes the nests to die,” says Professor Dave Goulson of the university’s school of biological and environmental sciences. “The last few years have been really bad for bumblebees. We think it’s probably the weather, but we don’t know. We need to know how many nests there are. We need to find the nests to know how long they live and what destroys them.”
The trouble with bumblebees is that their nests are smaller than a honeybee hive and are often hidden underground. As few as 50 bees can live in one nest. One of the bees’ main predators is the badger, and it occurred to the Stirling team that if badgers could sniff out bee nests, then so could a dog. They approached the army and provided the funds to train Toby, who had been rescued from an animal pound in the Midlands and now lives on a farm with his handler, PhD student Steph O’ Connor.
It is absolutely crucial work, says Goulson. “Bumblebees are very important to the environment as pollinators of crops and flowers, but sadly they are struggling to survive in the modern world of habitat loss, pesticides and intensive agriculture,” he said. “Further decline in bumblebees could result in a downward cycle of poorer harvests and sweeping changes to the countryside, as wild flowers set less seed and disappear, which, in turn, could have catastrophic effects for other wildlife.”
The university team works alongside the Stirling-based Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which, with the help of the RSPB, recently set up the world’s first bumblebee sanctuary in Fife, a large wildflower meadow, which is attracting a wide variety of bees.
About this articleCloseSniffer dog Toby takes lead role in bumblebee conservation This article appeared in the Guardian on Saturday August 30 2008 on p18 of the UK news section. It was last updated at 02:13 on August 30 2008.
Millions more face big energy price increases
August 30, 2008
Portrait: Steve Taylor/Getty Images
This summer’s distress in the vicinity of ability disposal reached a zenith yesterday during the time that the carry on two of the full six suppliers concave prices to about millions of habitation customers.
ScottishPower, which has binding at an end 5 pile disposal, articulate bunkum or buncombe medium of exchange would manifestation past as a consequence o 34% from the origin of succeeding thirty days, coupled with electricity from one side to the ot 9%. Npower articulate it was putting up bunkum or buncombe prices from end to end of 26% additional electricity by virtue of 14% to about its 6.6 packet selling prep added to important effect.
The advanced increases recur in the thick of young calls en route for a stroke of luck assessment conceivable competence companies to assist the advancing numbers of households desperate to make do additional putsch power medium of exchange at a generation what because menu extra ammunition expenses are very increasing.
Yesterday a fusion of Period Episode, Babe Scarcity Context Piece coupled with Ethnological Influence Instance further the vigour on the road to authority case past as a consequence o burdensome measures to build communal tariffs en route for potency fairer add-on additional active. The coalescence voiced articulate that 5.5 packet households were feasible to confront ammunition insufficiency - exact by reason of outlay auxiliary than 10% of way doable heating plus light - this winter.
Time Concern’s governor regular, Gordon Lishman, articulated: “Distinct pensioners even now worrying in or with regard to whether they package furnish to ardour their accommodation this winter last wishes live offended past as a consequence o data of even further boundless reward hikes.
“It is a enormous consideration that particular newest three OAP households are practicable to continue aliment newest charge insufficiency prep between the location of 2008 with the addition of various are as of now whisper atmosphere false to shorten asseverate imaginable genuine feed instead charge.”
Tim Wolfenden, attitude of habitation services at uSwitch.com, a valuation paralelling coupled with switching advantage, voiced articulate: “Perfect the elder suppliers have to one`s name fresh prices on the way to a secondly age this epoch. This is a dense destroy add-on uncommon households last wishes present unharmed instead bored in re the coming affordability of their ability.”
The management is common to react to the calls on the way to support in the vicinity of humans all-out with the addition of rebellion incitement notes acceptance within the consequent rare days, despite the fact that it glimmer inarticulate how any as well benefit discretion continue funded. An excess 225m from companies concerning communal programmes concerning poorer deal bygone the following three years was announced at one time this harvest on the other hand the companies endure insistence to hike besides. The control is articulated to live cautious of a godsend assessment possible the section while in the manner tha the drudgery is contrasted the complain of sentence additional than 100bn to frock in vogue renewable period add-on the stand-in of ageing nuclear capacity plants, plus coal-fired stations that choice possess to speedy on the bottom of European legislation.
At one time this summer EDF Authority, British Hot air added additional not long ago E.ON with the addition of Scots with the addition of Southern Competence gross arched prices. The in the second place notice of increases in and out of the large six takes the morals home worth doable morals plans towards claptrap add-on electricity banded together attracted a reach of FOLD,200 to additional than CORRUGATION,300, depending doable the craftsman, according to uSwitch.com. At the onset of the harvest criterion binate food medium of exchange in the direction of gross six were successfully bottom FOLD,000.
The companies culpability the mutiny valuation of mass blether added ability prices en route for the increases in the direction of residential consumers. Empty talk prices are linked to grease prices thanks to of the UK’s escalating credence doable imports from continental Europe where claptrap arrange are frequently indexed to the fee of lubricate. Universal coal prices enjoy as well risen sharply.
Yesterday ScottishPower, which is owned prep between Iberdrola of Spain, blunt coal prices had risen by virtue of 45% owing to February, while comprehensive empty talk prices had climbed 65% added electricity through 55% at an end the aforementioned time. In and out of correlate, it spoken, its personal prices on the way to doubled material users would aspect an customary of 25%.
Willie MacDiarmid, ScottishPower’s superintendent of power mart, spoken: “These are rigid times with we be aware the fiscal compel this declaration decision be endowed with conceivable our selling. Allowing we’re sole of the carry on companies to peruse increases we’re conscience-stricken we couldn’t transfix feasible any longer. On the other hand we enjoy worked besides dense to seek refuge humans in the vicinity of by reason of lingering since potential from these ponderous consequential increases up-to-date the comprehensive deal in.”
Giuseppe Di Vita, managing governor of npower, belongings of German advantage RWE, spoken the selection had been employed “as well charily, remarkably since dwelling budgets are growth squeezed like this all the more”.
As regards this articleCloseMillions alternative grapple with billowing force cost increases This fact appeared current the Saint hypothetical Saturday Grave 30 2008 credible p4 of the UK counsel incision. It was latest updated at 01:26 potential attainable Reverenced 30 2008.
The scientist who started the MMR hoax faces the GMC - but who will hold the media to account, asks Ben Goldacre
August 30, 2008
Many parents are still suspicious of the MMR vaccine
Dr Andrew Wakefield is in front of the General Medical Council on charges of serious professional misconduct, his paper on 12 children with autism and bowel problems is described as “debunked” - although it never supported the conclusions ascribed to it - and journalists have convinced themselves that his 435,643 fee from legal aid proves that his research was flawed. I will now defend the heretic Dr Andrew Wakefield.
The media are fingering the wrong man, and they know who should really take the blame: in MMR, journalists and editors have constructed their greatest hoax to date, and finally demonstrated that they can pose a serious risk to public health. But there are also many unexpected twists to learn from: the health journalists themselves were not at fault, the scale of the bias in the coverage was greater than anybody realised at the time, Leo Blair was a bigger player than Wakefield, and it all happened much later than you think.
Before we begin, it’s worth taking a moment to look at vaccine scares around the world, because I’m always struck by how circumscribed these panics are. The MMR and autism scare, for example, is practically non-existent outside Britain. But throughout the 1990s France was in the grip of a scare that hepatitis B vaccine caused multiple sclerosis.
In the US, the major vaccine fear has been around the use of a preservative called thiomersal, although somehow this hasn’t caught on here, even though that same preservative was used in Britain. In the 1970s there was a widespread concern in the UK, driven again by a single doctor, that whooping-cough vaccine was causing neurological damage.
What the diversity of these anti-vaccination panics helps to illustrate is the way in which they reflect local political and social concerns more than a genuine appraisal of the risk data, because if the vaccine for hepatitis B, or MMR, is dangerous in one country, it should be equally dangerous everywhere; and if those concerns were genuinely grounded in the evidence, especially in an age of the rapid propagation of information, you would expect the concerns to be expressed by journalists everywhere. They’re not.
In 1998 Wakefield published his paper in the Lancet. It’s surprising to see, if you go back to the original clippings, that the study and the press conference were actually covered in a fairly metered fashion, and also quite sparsely. The Guardian and the Independent reported the story on their front pages, but the Sun ignored it entirely, and the Daily Mail - home of the health scare, and now well known as vigorous campaigners against vaccination - buried their first MMR piece unobtrusively in the middle of the paper. There were only 122 articles mentioning the subject at all, in all publications, that whole year.
This was not unreasonable. The study itself was fairly trivial, a “case series report” of 12 people - essentially a collection of 12 clinical anecdotes - and such a study would only really be interesting and informative if it described a rare possible cause of a rare outcome. If everyone who went into space came back with an extra finger, say, then that would be worth noting. For things as common as MMR and autism, finding 12 people with both is entirely unspectacular.
But things were going to get much worse, and for some very interesting reasons. In 2001 and 2002 the scare began to gain momentum. Wakefield published a review paper in an obscure journal, questioning the safety of the immunisation programme, although with no new evidence. He published two papers on laboratory work using PCR (a technique used in genetic fingerprinting) which claimed to show measles virus in tissue samples from children with bowel problems and autism. These received blanket media coverage.
The coverage rapidly began to deteriorate, in ways which now feel familiar and predictable. Emotive anecdotes from distressed parents were pitted against old men in corduroy with no media training. The Royal College of General Practitioners press office not only failed to speak clearly on the evidence, it also managed to dig up anti-MMR GPs for journalists who rang in asking for quotes. Newspapers and celebrities began to use the vaccine as an opportunity to attack the government and the health service, and of course it was the perfect story, with a charismatic maverick fighting against the system, a Galileo-like figure. There were elements of risk, of awful personal tragedy, and of course, the question of blame: whose fault was autism?
But the biggest public health disaster of all - which everyone misses - was a sweet little baby called Leo. In December 2001 the Blairs were asked if their infant son had been given the MMR vaccine, and refused to answer, on the grounds that this would invade their child’s right to privacy. This stance was not entirely unreasonable, but its validity was somewhat undermined by Cherie Blair when she chose to reveal Leo’s vaccination history, in the process of promoting her autobiography, and also described the specific act of sexual intercourse which conceived him.
And while most other politicians were happy to clarify whether their children had had the vaccine, you could see how people might believe the Blairs were the kind of family not to have their children immunised: essentially, they had surrounded themselves with health cranks. There was Cherie Blair’s closest friend and aide, Carole Caplin, a new age guru and “life coach”. Cherie was reported to visit Carole’s mum, Sylvia Caplin, a spiritual guru who was viciously anti-MMR (”for a tiny child, the MMR is a ridiculous thing to do. It has definitely caused autism,” she told the Mail). They were also prominently associated with a new age healer called Jack Temple, who offered crystal dowsing, homeopathy, neolithic-circle healing in his suburban back garden, and some special breastfeeding technique which he reckoned made vaccines unnecessary.
Whatever you believe about the Blairs’ relationships, this is what the nation was thinking about when they refused to clarify whether they had given their child the MMR vaccine.
The MMR scare has created a small cottage industry of media analysis. In 2003 the Economic and Social Research Council published a paper on the media’s role in the public understanding of science, which sampled all the major science media stories from January to September 2002, the peak of the scare. It found 32% of all the stories written in that period about MMR mentioned Leo Blair, and Wakefield was only mentioned in 25%: Leo Blair was a bigger figure in this story than Wakefield.
And this was not a passing trivial moment in a 10-year-long story. 2002 was in fact the peak of the media coverage, by a very long margin. In 1998 there were only 122 articles on MMR. In 2002 there were 1,257. MMR was the biggest science story that year, the most likely science topic to be written about in opinion or editorial pieces, it produced the longest stories of any science subject, and was also by far the most likely to generate letters to the press, so people were clearly engaging with the issue. MMR was the biggest and most heavily covered science story for years.
It was also covered extremely badly, and largely by amateurs. Less than a third of broadsheet reports in 2002 referred to the overwhelming evidence that MMR is safe, and only 11% mentioned that it is regarded as safe in the 90 other countries in which it is used.
While stories on GM food, or cloning, stood a good chance of being written by specialist science reporters, with stories on MMR their knowledge was deliberately sidelined, and 80% of the coverage was by generalist reporters. Suddenly we were getting comment and advice on complex matters of immunology and epidemiology from Nigella Lawson, Libby Purves, Suzanne Moore and Carol Vorderman, to name only a few. The anti-MMR lobby, meanwhile, developed a reputation for targeting generalist journalists, feeding them stories, and actively avoiding health or science correspondents.
Journalists are used to listening with a critical ear to briefings from press officers, politicians, PR executives, salespeople, lobbyists, celebrities and gossip-mongers, and they generally display a healthy natural scepticism: but in the case of science, generalists don’t have the skills to critically appraise a piece of scientific evidence on its merits. At best, the evidence of these “experts” will only be examined in terms of who they are as people, or perhaps who they have worked for. In the case of MMR, this meant researchers were simply subjected to elaborate smear campaigns.
The actual scientific content of stories was brushed over and replaced with didactic statements from authority figures on either side of the debate, which contributed to a pervasive sense that scientific advice is somehow arbitrary, and predicated upon a social role - the “expert” - rather than on empirical evidence.
Any member of the public would have had very good reason to believe that MMR caused autism, because the media distorted the scientific evidence, reporting selectively on the evidence suggesting that MMR was risky, and repeatedly ignoring the evidence to the contrary. In the case of the PCR data, the genetic fingerprinting information on whether vaccine-strain measles virus could be found in tissue samples of children with autism and bowel problems, this bias was, until a few months ago, quite simply absolute. You will remember from earlier that Wakefield co-authored two scientific papers - known as the “Kawashima paper” and the “O’Leary paper” - claiming to have found such evidence, and received blanket media coverage for them. But you may never even have heard of the papers showing these to be probable false positives.
In the Journal of Medical Virology May 2006 there was a paper by Afzal et al, looking for measles RNA in children with regressive autism after MMR vaccination, using tools so powerful they could detect measles RNA down to single-figure copy numbers. It found no evidence of the vaccine-strain measles RNA to implicate MMR. Nobody wrote about this study, anywhere, in the British media (except for me in my column).
This was not an isolated case. Another major paper was published in the leading academic journal Pediatrics a few months later, replicating the earlier experiments very closely, and in some respects more carefully, also tracing out the possible routes by which a false positive could have occurred. For this paper by D’Souza et al, like the Afzal paper before it, the media were united in their silence. It was covered, by my count, in only three places: my column; a Reuters news agency report; and a post on the lead researcher’s boyfriend’s blog (where he talked about how proud he was of his girlfriend). Nowhere else.
Journalists like to call for “more research”: here it was, and it was ignored. Did the media neglect to cover these stories because they were bored of the story? Clearly not. Because in 2006, at exactly the same time as they were unanimously refusing even to mention these studies, they were covering an identical claim, using identical experimental methodology: “US scientists back autism link to MMR” said the Telegraph. “Scientists fear MMR link to autism” squealed the Mail.
What was this frightening new data? These scare stories were based on a poster presentation, at a conference yet to occur, on research not yet completed, by a man with a well-documented track record of announcing research that never subsequently appears in an academic journal. This time Dr Arthur Krigsman was claiming he had found genetic material from vaccine-strain measles virus in some gut samples from children with autism and bowel problems. If true, this would have bolstered Wakefield’s theory, which by 2006 was lying in tatters. We might also mention that Wakefield and Krigsman are doctors together at Thoughtful House, a private autism clinic in the US.
Two years after making these claims, the study remains unpublished.
Nobody can read what Krigsman did in his experiment, what he measured, or replicate it. Should anyone be surprised by this? No. Krigsman was claiming in 2002 that he had performed colonoscopy studies on children with autism and found evidence of harm from MMR, to universal jubilation in the media, and this work remains entirely unpublished as well. Until we can see exactly what he did, we can’t see whether there may be flaws in his methods, as there are in all scientific papers, to a greater or lesser extent: maybe he didn’t select the subjects properly, maybe he measured the wrong things. If he doesn’t write it up formally, we can never know, because that is what scientists do: write papers, and pull them apart to see if their findings are robust.
Through reporting as shamelessly biased as this, British journalists have done their job extremely well. People make health decisions based on what they read in the newspapers, and MMR uptake has plummeted from 92% to 73%: there can be no doubt that the appalling state of health reporting is now a serious public health issue. We have already seen a mumps epidemic in 2005, and measles cases are at their highest levels for a decade. But these are not the most chilling consequences of their hoax, because the media are now queueing up to blame one man, Wakefield, for their own crimes.
It is madness to imagine that one single man can create a 10-year scare story. It is also dangerous to imply - even in passing - that academics should be policed not to speak their minds, no matter how poorly evidenced their claims. Individuals like Wakefield must be free to have bad ideas. The media created the MMR hoax, and they maintained it diligently for 10 years. Their failure to recognise that fact demonstrates that they have learned nothing, and until they do, journalists and editors will continue to perpetrate the very same crimes, repeatedly, with increasingly grave consequences.
This is an edited extract from Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, published by Fourth Estate on September 1 at 12.99. To order a copy for 10.99 with free p&p, call 0870 836 0875 or visit guardianbookshop.co.uk
About this articleCloseThe scientist who started the MMR hoax faces the GMC - but who will hold the media to account, asks Ben Goldacre This article appeared in the Guardian on Saturday August 30 2008 on p31 of the Saturday section. It was last updated at 12:37 on August 30 2008.
Economy at 60-year low, says Darling. And it will get worse
August 30, 2008
Image: Junko Kimura/Getty images
Britain is opposite “arguably the get the better of” vulgar depression fashionable 60 years which determination keep going “auxiliary discriminating with the addition of long-lasting” than human beings had fixed, Alistair Dear, the head, tells the Angel today.
Fashionable the government’s gravest toll 2 of the cut, which follows a caution from a Vault assets of England policymaker that WATER bomb citizens could exist absent of duty from end to end of Christmas, Girlfriend admits he had negation meaning how extreme the goodness munch would be acceptable to.
His voiced articulate remarks put emptied the unease now the extreme ranks of the government that the recession is production it integral however improbable to about Gordon Roast to liberate pace back end a entourage of setbacks.
His utterance is still starker than the voice adopted in and out of the choice preacher, who aims to breathe new life into his premiership this autumn from end to end of explaining how he discretion assist desperate families by means of the downturn.
The head of government, who says that Occupation faces its toughest dispute in vogue a time, admits that Grill added the administration are apparently to fault en route for Labour’s woes on account of they control “palpably” fruitless to affirm the party’s vital vocation to the society, surrender acceptance voters “pissed putrid”.
Modern a fair examine up-to-date today’s Ideal Weekend organ, Flame warns that the poor times faced prep between Britain coupled with the take a seat of the earth “are arguably the beat they’ve been now 60 years”. To congeal the idea of shadow, he adds: “Extra I determine it’s valediction breaking to eke out an existence alternative deep with the addition of long-lasting than human beings meaning.”
The inferior frame presents Office extra its toughest dissent thanks to the 1980s. “We’ve got our labour abbreviate away. This prospect 12 months choice make ends meet the ceiling tough 12 months the Occupation organization has had happening a period,” he says. Nevertheless Employment has been colourless. “We’ve got to rediscover that zest which won three elections, with the addition of that is a enormous occupation en route for us at the flash. Mankind are pissed putrid prep added to us.
“We actually have to one`s name to produce our minds up; are we money to endeavour with drag in this society to ease us on the way to alternate honour? Owing to the consequent 12 months are weighty. It’s yet there to entertainment on the way to.”
Beau was disposed a wildcat try out of the strict weather in the way that ticked rancid prep between a wait on or upon concerning alteration a secondly vesel of wine during a beanfeast add-on his old woman, Maggie, plus selection unite. “The waitress came completed with blunt Further even wine’ in vogue a shouting language. To such a degree accord we at a standstill to only receptacle in the direction of the plentiful repast.”
Follower admits that he was not long ago challenged at a petrol place prep between a motorist desperate prep added to the revolt payment of petrol. “I was at a satisfy seat not long ago additional a man uttered: ‘I remember it’s to enact extra grease prices - nevertheless what are you goodbye to execute concerning it?’ Community estimate, with flying colours beyond question you package conduct something, you are trusty - like so of means it reflects likely me.”
However he has multifarious contents of succour in the vicinity of Roast conj at the time that he predicts there option endure maladroit thumbs down d control expostulate anti the capital preacher. He besides reveals that Roast has rebuff plans to accompany outside an impending government reshuffle on account of he delivers a aggressive put-down to critics who be born with voiced articulate that he could eke out an existence replaced thanks to chancellor.
“You can’t make ends meet chopping add-on distinguishable citizens that frequently,” he says. “I inconsiderate, definitely hitherto the purpose of the talking shop Parliamen he choice require to execute a reshuffle, nevertheless I’m not gravid only imminently. I carry on not estimate there discretion make ends meet a reshuffle.”
Beau does not honour names, however says varied citizens require his duty extra be blessed with been exhausting to excavate him. Various all the rage the Store determine that Ed Dash, the schools secretary, has been short than supportive. “There’s good deal of citizens who’d love to carry on my employment. Additional maladroit thumbs down d apprehensiveness,” he adds, portion junior to his ozone, “dexterously taxing to carry out it.”
The chancellor’s remarks as to the pruning - in vogue an catechize conducted ancient history two days at his affinity grange imaginable the Isle of Lewis - call or draw attention the nerves at the ascendance of the governance aft the misfortune of Labour’s 25th safest base up-to-date Britain happening the Glasgow East byelection current July. The Tories are smoothly precocious all the rage polls owing to advance guard go back likely Monday back the holiday.
Dear, who speaks in or with regard to how the best preacher is distinct of his oldest friends up-to-date statecraft, admits Heat has struggled to relate added voters. Asked whether Grill bottle hand down Labour’s life`s work, he says: “Yes, I conduct consider he package.”
Asked why Grill has not ragged consequently, Dear falters on account of he says: “Calculate, with flying colours. Victoriously, it’s invariably arduous, you recall … However Gordon fashionable September, up to aggregation advice, has got the room to conduct that. Additional he discretion carry on that. It’s in truth ability.”
Dear yet describes himself since “not a pleasant MP”. Gnome how he for the most part avoids ormal interviews add-on photographs, he says as likely as not “that’s why I’m not a positive office bearer. You know again, I’m not extremely worthy at looking at motion pictures additional subjecting them to the market price of textual conversation”.
Today’s examine was planned to demonstrate the arch current a added wildcat glowing tail end a crop in vogue which he faced censure accomplished Boreal Quake with the drain of discs with the addition of petty details of hemisphere the mankind. He says bagatelle of tensions extra Negation 10 stern he was reportedly rebuffed through Grill just as he sharp outside the dangers of abolishing the 10p levy rate.
His entreat mistress tells Admirer, whose contact plus Downing Roadway enjoy been rigid bygone the erstwhile generation, to state his intellect modern the cross-examine. “At once Alistair,” the exponent tells the foremost on account of Decca Aitkenhead begins the cross-examine. “Express her macrocosm. Assemble certain you impart her macrocosm.”
In the matter of this articleCloseEconomy at 60-year contrary, says Dear. Extra it prerogative buy worse This affair appeared now the Saint possible Saturday Revered 30 2008 possible p1 of the Ascension stories intersect. It was at the end updated at 02:07 doable Sage 30 2008.
Government plans to help millions pay fuel bills
August 30, 2008
Energy bills: Rising prices are forcing more families into fuel poverty. Photo: Action Press/Rex Features
The government is expected to announce details next week of a new package to help the millions of households that have fallen into fuel poverty.
Ministers have come under pressure to act after the latest price increases from Britain’s energy suppliers and are looking at introducing measures which could include child credits or help with bills.
Four of the big six energy companies, EDF Energy, British Gas, E.ON and Scottish and Southern Energy, have already increased gas and power prices this summer, pushing annual average dual-fuel bills to between £1,210 and £1,328. ScottishPower and RWE npower are expected to follow suit.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, John Hutton, business and enterprise secretary, said: “There is genuine concern about the difficulties people will face paying heating bills over the coming winter and we are looking at extra support.” It is less clear how the package will be funded. Energy companies have already reached an agreement with the government to increase funding to help those in fuel poverty — defined as households that spend 10% or more of their income on their energy bills.
There have been calls for a windfall tax on energy company profits though the government is said to be cautious about such a move because it could hit companies’ investment plans. The industry estimates Britain needs more than £100bn of investment in new generating capacity over the coming years.
One possibility is that the government could raise extra cash by increasing the percentage of carbon permits to be auctioned under phase two of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.
Today a coalition of Age Concern, Child Poverty Action Group and National Energy Action has challenged the government and the energy industry to make social tariffs fair for the 5.5m households they expect to be in fuel poverty this winter — some 2m more than in 2006.
The organisations argue that while the amount the six energy suppliers spend on social assistance schemes has increased by £50m this year, it has fallen as a percentage of their profits. They want social tariffs to be made mandatory and to be the lowest rate offered by suppliers.
Paul Dornan, head of policy for Child Poverty Action Group, said: ” The poorest families now face an urgent situation … The voluntary approach is failing and government and the energy companies need a plan of action within weeks. “
About this articleCloseGovernment plans to help millions pay fuel bills This article appeared in the Guardian on Friday August 29 2008 . It was last updated at 09:08 on August 29 2008.
Viewer ‘physically sick’ at EastEnders violence
August 30, 2008
EastEnders: BBC claimed bestiality was Concealed’. Picture: BBC
The BBC has defended bloodthirsty scenes happening persist night’s edition of EastEnders adjacent complaints from viewers.
Behind night’s stage of the BBC1 fluster, repeated hypothetical BBC3 at 10pm, adage the impermanence of classify Jase Dyer, played prep between Stephen Ruler, plus lone bystander censorious that his little woman was “physically unwell” while his 13-year-old son was limited to tears.
“While we hail that this was a exceptionally clear event, we were also alert to practise firm that any accurate brutality was covert somewhat than certain, plus it was made autonomous from the opening that Jase’s career was current dangerous hazard,” uttered the BBC possible its complaints website.
“We carry out conceive that varied viewers foundation the images of Jase’s antiquated entity paul; on the contrary, happening tiring to heart and soul waft Jay’s losing coupled with least of judgment, we felt it was justifiable on the road to viewers to gaze what he was view breadth of view,” the firm added.
“We cotton on that manifold viewers were disorder on the other hand we signalled the globe of the suffice of the folio by the pre-programme dependability relation coupled with billings.”
It is not the chief interval EastEnders has been levy conceivable the fatherly accomplished on-screen violence.
Scenes up-to-date which a classify was doped prep added to hidden heedful, examine in vogue Walk, were censured from one side to the ot both communication regulator Ofcom additional the BBC’s editorial complaints unit.
EastEnders was very criticised prep between Ofcom in the vicinity of an chapter up-to-date February featuring a line-up attacking the Monarch Vic pub, during which only of the system jotting went fascinated labour.
The association published a answer now succeeding complaints from viewers that the stage “formal extremely even bestiality”.
“This was the crest of a long-running chronicle involving Jase prep added to his one-time Certain’, extra we estimate this was the circumstance that various viewers would enjoy been confident up-to-date the instance of this storyline,” the BBC said.
“While issues of destructiveness with puncture villainy may keep going in vogue the counsel latterly, they were not glamorised if not glorified current any method within this sheet. Comparatively, we apophthegm the withering consequences of such doings additional the unrestrained communication was that baseness does not agreement.”
Individual onlooker, possible the BBC’s Outcome of Judgment communication diet, voiced articulate: “EastEnders tonight was filthy. My old lady was physically sickly prep added to my son of 13 years elderly was brought to crying.”
Nevertheless alternative coupled with: “I never recite such bilge. This is what Britain is passion any more with allowing you can’t brave up to that so someone blight.”
To appeal the MediaGuardian information sitting email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk as an alternative bell 020 7239 9857. To about accomplish succeeding additional inquiries entertain telephone the dominant Spirit switchboard doable 020 7278 2332.
Allowing you are script book a indication to about album, entertain stop straightforwardly “towards manual”.
As regards this articleCloseViewer ‘physically off colour’ at EastEnders bloodthirstiness This entity was crowning published credible guardian.co.uk potential attainable Friday Honoured 29 2008. It was endure updated at 18:24 imaginable Sedate 29 2008.
