What's New Robert L. Park 23 Sep 2011

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L Park   Friday, 22 Sep 11   Washington, DC

1.VACCINE: THERE IS NO INOCULATION AGAINST IGNORANCE.
Here we go again.  Last week during a debate of Republican presidential=20
candidates, Representative Michele Bachmann characterized human papilloma=
=20
virus (HPV) vaccine as "a potentially dangerous drug," and linked its=20
effect to "mental retardation."  There is no medical support for her wild=
ly=20
irresponsible remarks; the HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer, and an=20
editorial in Nature calls on Bachmann to retract her words, but I don't=20
think she reads Nature.  The 1998 claim of British researcher Andrew=20
Wakefield that the common MMR vaccine causes autism set off a revival of=20
the anti-vaccination movement, and a corresponding rise in measles cases.=
 =20
In 2009, however, Wakefield was found to have altered patient=92s records=
 to=20
support his claim  http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN11/wn010711.html . =20
Barred from the practice medicine in the UK, Wakefield now operates an=20
autism clinic in Austin, Texas.  He doesn't have a US medical license, bu=
t=20
such formalities don't much matter in Texas.  Rick Perry, the Governor of=
=20
Texas, differs with Bachmann on HPV, having attempted to mandate the use =
of=20
the HPV vaccine for 11 and 12-year-old schoolgirls as the Center for=20
Disease Control recommends, which may have something to do with the fact=20
that Merck, the only maker of HPV vaccine, is a major contributor to=20
Perry's campaign.=20

2. WIRELESS: WHERE SHOULD I PUT MY CELL PHONE, DOCTOR?
The hot new place for young women to tuck their cell phones is inside the=
ir=20
bra.  They set the ring on "vibrate," creating an erogenous tingle when a=
=20
call comes in.  Devra Davis, author of "Disconnect," a book about the=20
alleged dangers of cell-phone radiation, worries that the women are being=
=20
set up for breast cancer.  Microwave radiation, Davis says, "seeps direct=
ly=20
into the soft fatty tissue of the breast."  What does it do there?  As=20
Albert Einstein explained in 1905, the photon energy is given by the=20
frequency times Planck's constant.  That's plenty of energy to excite=20
molecular vibrations, which heats tissue, but it's only one millionth of=20
the ionization threshold energy, so radiation is not a cancer threat. =20
Meanwhile in Washington, DC, a Wireless Safety Summit in a couple of week=
s=20
will focus on legislation to block smart meters, which is a totally dumb=20
idea.=20

3. EINSTEIN: EARLY ARRIVAL OF CERN NEUTRINOS CAUSES CONFUSION.
It was a page-one science story in major papers around the world: neutrin=
os=20
beamedd from Geneva were detected 454 miles away in Italy in less time th=
an=20
light would take to make the same trip.  Everyone was excited, except the=
=20
physicists.  Interviewed by the Washington Post, Drew Baden, chair of the=
=20
U. Maryland Physics Department, called the result, "a flying carpet," not=
=20
to be taken very seriously without strong independent confirmation, and=20
maybe not then.  The goal of physics is to identify natural laws that=20
govern the universe.  Einstein's 1905 explanation of the photoelectric=20
effect, for example, casts strong (overwhelming?) doubt on epidemiologica=
l=20
evidence that purports to show that cell phone radiation is linked to=20
cancer. =20

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
---
Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org
What's New is moving to a different listserver and our
subscription process has changed. To change your subscription
status please visit this link:
http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dbobparks-whatsnew&A=3D1