Controversies in biology – and in the media

History, and the changing face of scientific research, tell us that final truths are not the product of science. A consequence is the tendency for scientists to talk in terms of uncertainties and probabilities. There are those in research who talk up their findings, and amplify their significance. This is the daily rat race of competitive science. Yet it would be an unwise scientist who staked his life on every aspect of a favoured theory. In 50 years' time, or even in 10 years, laboratories will be different, and moving on. Of course, some ideas in science do seem rather stable. It would be a surprise to learn that the sun goes round the moon, or that DNA is a triple helix. In the active areas of science, however, where scientists pick over the minutiae, hypothesis and uncertainty are, quite simply, the rule. Nor does this seem to trouble scientists. Perhaps it makes their work seem more of a game, however competitive. Yet outside the laboratory, and especially when scientific topics are debated in the press, the evasive nature of science seems a puzzle. The popular image of science is not of a quizzical subject, but of an endeavour that will tell everyone what is going on, and what they should believe. This chapter looks at the way this misunderstanding is played out in three controversies. Each is newsworthy. Each displays in full measure the uncertainty of science.