What's New Robert L. Park 9 Jul 2010

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 9 Jul 2010   Washington, DC

1. PROTON SIZE:  IS THAT A CRACK IN THE FOUNDATION?=20
The only problem we could solve exactly was the hydrogen atom. No matter,=
=20
we just built the universe out of hydrogen atoms, using quantum=20
electrodynamics (QED), and few approximations to take care of the other=20
stuff, it all worked great -- until now. A group led by R. Pohl at the Pa=
ul=20
Scherrer Institute in Switzerland has measured the Lamb shift in muonic=20
hydrogen,  in which the electron has been replaced by a negative muon. =20
That should give a far more accurate measure of the proton width. The=20
problem is it doesn't agree with other methods of determining the proton=20
width.  It's too early to speculate about what the problem might be, but =
I=20
find it reassuring that there are still foundational problems.

2. CLIMATEGATE:  CLIMATE RESEARCH GROUP IS CLEARED =96 SORT OF.
Last week we reported that Michael Mann, the Penn State University climat=
e=20
scientist who played a key role in alerting the world to global warming,=20
was exonerated by the University in the climategate controversy that brok=
e=20
in December  http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN09/wn121809.html .  Wednesd=
ay=20
a British panel exonerated the members of the Climate Research Unit at Ea=
st=20
Anglia University in the UK.  However, the scientists had failed to uphol=
d=20
the standards of openness on which the credibility and influence of scien=
ce=20
is grounded.  Everyone involved has now been held accountable for their=20
actions, except the unknown hackers who broke the law.  They must have=20
imagined the e-mails would set off an explosion, but it was in the end a=20
barely audible "pop."  So everyone has been cleared except the unknown=20
hackers that selectively leaked the climate scientist=92s e-mails.

3. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE:  APPLY TO CELL PHONES WITH CAUTION.
The action of San Francisco requiring radiation exposure warnings on cell=
=20
phones was justified as =93precautionary.=94  That sounds reassuring, but=
 wait=20
a minute:  The precautionary principle states that, in the absence of a=20
scientific consensus the burden of proof that an action will not cause ha=
rm=20
to the public or to the environment falls on those taking the action.  I=92=
m=20
inclined to think the first law of thermodynamics is a scientific=20
consensus, but some biologist keeps sending me angry letters saying=20
conservation of energy doesn't apply to biology. In a Comment to the Lond=
on=20
Free Press last Friday the same biologist wrote: "Most importantly, the=20
mere fact that the cell phone booklets provide warnings to keep the devic=
e=20
at a certain distance from the body, is itself one of the strongest=20
indications that the radiation emitted is not totally harmless."  So cell=
=20
phone makers, hoping to calm hysterical critics by adding a little space,=
=20
are now accused of knowing the terrible truth all along.  Hmm, maybe it=20
doesn't pay to be too cautious.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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