the-BA : Science News Digest

In the news this week, the government releases a pessimistic report on climate change, George Bush warns of Americans’ addiction to oil, and some research you may have heard about before...

The government this week published a chilling report on the dangers of climate change. The report, Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change, suggests that there is only a small chance of greenhouse gas emissions being kept below 'dangerous' levels and that the chances of us reaching a ‘tipping point’, past which climate change becomes irreversible, are much higher than expected.

As BBC News Online reports, Prime Minister Tony Blair writes in the foreword that 'it is now plain that the emission of greenhouse gases... is causing global warming at a rate that is unsustainable.'

The Guardian reports that a dispute between two Whitehall departments has been ‘paralysing’ the government's strategy to cut carbon dioxide emissions for seven months...

The Department of Trade and Industry argues that carbon dioxide emissions have risen at such a rate over the past two years that it is unlikely Britain can meet its targets. But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is contesting the figures, and insists the target can still be met by vigorous action.

A major part of our carbon dioxide emissions is almost certainly our reliance on the car. As the Times reports this week, almost every aspect of our daily lives, from commuting to shopping to leisure activities, has become dependent on the car, according to Transport Trends, published by the Department for Transport.

Of course, we’re not the only ones hooked on driving...

President George Bush this week gave his annual State of the Union address. In it, he argued that Americans are ‘addicted’ to oil. Does this mean that he has had a change of heart on environmental issues? Not quite... As the New York Times reports, his comments had more to do with energy security than the environment, focusing on the US’s reliance on imports from the Middle East.

The Washington Post wasn’t impressed. ‘It was a catchy line in President Bush's State of the Union speech. But in truth, few administrations have done more to feed America's oil addiction than this one,’ it said in an editorial. ‘We find it odd, given his environmental advisers' repeated insistence that he cares so much about [climate change], that the President... ignored the link between America's oil addiction and the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.’

At the same time, Nasa's senior climate scientist accused the Bush administration of trying to gag him, as the Daily Telegraph reports. James Hansen said he had been told there would be 'dire consequences' if he repeated his warnings about climate change after he called last month for an immediate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

In other news, last Saturday saw the twentieth anniversary of the Challenger disaster, when the space shuttle blew up just 73 seconds after take off.
Relatives and friends of the seven crew members who died in the explosion of the space shuttle gathered with NASA officials and hundreds of others to observe the anniversary of the tragedy. They also paid tribute to the other astronauts who have died in the line of duty since the space program began. (New York Times)

The Observer reported on Professor Miodrag Stojkovic, who ‘made history by cloning Britain's first human embryo and was heralded as a pioneering force in medical research.’ In September, Professor Stojkovic shocked the scientific community by leaving the UK for a post in Spain. In an interview with Antony Barnett, he claims that his departure centred on a dispute over scientific working practices.

‘Stojkovic's arguments go the heart of the scientific debate in Britain: the announcement of “breakthroughs” in research and how the public is informed about some of the most important developments in the medical profession,’ writes Barnett.

The Human Genetics Commission this week called for a change to current legislation that makes it difficult for scientists to follow the progress of children born from screened embryos, as the Times reports. The report, Making Babies: reproductive decisions and genetic technologies, also looks at the issues surrounding children conceived to act as donors to save a sibling threatened by inherited diseases.

Madame Tussauds has said that it will close its London Planetarium, which has taught thousands of schoolchildren about space since the 1950s. In its place, the waxwork celebrity displays will shortly take over. The Guardian laments its passing in its editorial: ‘Sadly, the new generation is only interested in close encounters of the celebrity kind.’

And finally... The Daily Telegraph reports that researchers at the University of Leeds are conducting the world's first study into déjà vu, the feeling that they have experienced unique events before. According to the article, Dr Chris Moulin, who is leading the research, had a 'peculiar referral' from a man who told him there was no point visiting his clinic because he had already been there, although this was impossible.

And finally... The Daily Telegraph reports that researchers at the University of Leeds are conducting the world's first study into déjà vu, the feeling that they have experienced unique events before. According to the article, Dr Chris Moulin, who is leading the research, had a 'peculiar referral' from a man who told him there was no point visiting his clinic because he had already been there, although this was impossible.

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