Scientists overcome their primal
fear of the press to prove they are not alien creatures from
Mars.
Nicole Martin reports from our annual party
?Scientists have got to learn
to come out of their labs to talk to the media in a language
that the general public can understand ?
We all come from Mars. That was the verdict
of Prof Paul Davies, the distinguished astro- biologist and
best-selling author,in his speech at the Royal Society this
week.
With that in mind, I went to
The Daily Telegraph ?s science meets the media bash eager to
find out whether life on Earth really did come from outer space.Having
been taught biology by a teacher obsessed with the sex life
of plants, I had always suspected that scientists were alien
creatures.
Looking around the room, bursting
with bespectacled and bejewelled professors chatting nervously
with an assortment of hacks, it seemed like I had a point.
They had gathered at the event,supported
by the pharmaceutical giant Novartis,to overcome their primal
fear of the predatory press and no doubt to make the most of
the prodigious amounts of champagne and canape?s on offer.
The theme of the evening to improve
communication between scientists and the media?
was raised by Prof Davies in his welcoming address to
the crowd as winner of the Royal Society Faraday medal.
??A large part of the blame must
rest with us scientists,?? he told his comrades.??It?s all?
too easy to serve up gee whizz aspects of science than? to communicate the deep principles of the scientific method.??
There were mutterings of
approval all round, especially from journalists and press officers
who often bear the brunt of scientists? garbled offerings.
??It ?s true that scientists
have got to learn to come out of their labs to talk to the media
in a language that the general public can understand, ??Fiona
Fox,director of the Science Media Centre, told me. ??While some
scientists genuinely get nervous at the prospect of appearing
on the Today programme,others simply maintain their arrogance
and speak in terms that? are unintelligible.They have to stop doing that.??She was right.There
were plenty of unintelligible conversations ?particularly as
the party and the champagne started to flow.
From corners of the rooms I eavesdropped
on discussions about semiconductors, black holes,quantum mechanics,
genetically-modified pigs and something about collecting relic
organic matter on Mars.
Guests ranged from Charles Moore,Editor
of The Daily Telegraph, Prof Mike Richards, the Cancer Tsar,
and Simon Singh, the bestselling author, to Lord Sainsbury,
the science minister, Sir Clive Sinclair, the inventor of the
pocket calculator, and Trevor Baylis, the television presenter
and inventor of the clockwork radio.
For most of the evening, Prof
Sir Paul Nurse,the Nobel laureate and chief executive of Cancer
Research UK,was justifying his decision to leave Britain to
become President of Rockefeller University, New York, in November.
?This is not the brain drain,??he
said,defensively pre-empting my question. ??I?ve worked in Britain
all my life.Most people go abroad at the beginning of their
careers ?I?ve just waited until the end.??
Passing through the crowd, I
spotted Sian Lloyd,ITV ?s weather forecaster. Her glamorous
presence among the throng of boffins was enough to persuade
the most cynical of observers that those involved in science
are far from dreary.
To the disappointment of her
usual coterie of admirers, she turned up arm in arm with her
latest squeeze, Lembit Opik,the Lib Dem MP, whose self-proclaimed
mission is to save the world from being destroyed by asteroids.
??The chances of us being hit
by an asteroid are 100 per cent.I stress,100 per cent,?? he
warned as Sian stroked his face affectionately.??There is a
clear and present danger that we could be hit at any time. It
could happen in the next two seconds or in two million years.We
just don?t know.?
So, was his fascination with
heavenly bodies greater than his commitment to the future of
the Liberal Democrat Party???At the end of the day, if we are
hit by an asteroid, there won?t be a party.There won?t be Tony
Blair and there won?t any more general elections. I think that
answers it.??
Thanks for that Lembit. As I
was about to drown my sorrows, I was interrupted by a raucous
Dr Ian Gibson, Labour firebrand and chairman of the House of
Commons ? select committee on science and technology.
?This party is fantastic. It brings together
the best and worst people in science,?? he roared, raising his
glass in tribute.?? Inviting such a hybrid mixture of people
from science and the media can only be a good thing.??
With that, he walked away, Leaving me deep
in conversation with Dr Richard Wiseman, the jovial psychologist
from the University of Hertfordshire, who after years of research
believes he knows the secret of a lucky life, espoused in his
book The Luck Factor.
So, what is it, I asked enthusiastically. Lottery
tickets? Church? Avoiding walking under ladders? Eating fresh
fruit? ??No,?? he said emphatically. ??It ?s all about making
the most of chance opportunities. Unlucky people tend to be
creatures of routine. They follow the same route to work and
talk to the same type of people at parties.
??Lucky people, by contrast, try to invite
variety into their lives. They network and talk to people outside
their usual domain. This behaviour boosts the likelihood of
chance opportunities coming their way.??
I followed his advice and headed towards Lord
Winston, the moustached fertility expert, in the hope of boosting
my good fortune. ??Neurobiology,?? he said, looking straight
into my eyes. ??This is by far the most important part of our
existence. The brain is such a wonderful organ and I believe
we are starting to make inroads into exactly how it works.??
Fascinating stuff. But what about
the problem of communicating science to the public??? We all
live in a society that is dependent on technology so it?s vital
that we do more to create a better understanding of science.??
More forthright was Vivienne
Parry, the former presenter of Tomorrow?s World and ex-News
of the World columnist, who offered the crowd her own solution
to the problem ?one that I fear could send them all running
back to their labs.
?Lock them all in a room with
me and I?ll sort them out,?? she said.?? Some are just absolutely
frightened to death of journalists. Others have completely unrealistic
expectations. They give you a story and complain when you don?t
include all the names of their 14 co-workers in the piece.??
Prof Colin Pillinger, the scientist in charge
of Beagle II, the British attempt to land on Mars this Christmas.
chipped in. He disagreed with suggestions that the public had
lost interest in science. ??If we find evidence that there was
once life on Mars it will be the biggest story of the century.
It will be like saying that the Sun revolves around the Earth
rather than the other way around,?? he said confidently.
??Stories like that can?t fail
to make the public fascinated with science ?that?s my aim. I
want that kid at the back of the class who is bored in his science
lessons to aspire to become a scientific engineer or a biologist.
That?s what it?s all about.??
With that, he walked away, visibly excited
about his mission on Mars. Perhaps scientists don?t exist in
a parallel universe, after all.