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.