On the record

“We are Earth scientists. We are not part of a vast conspiracy to perpetrate a hoax, nor are we crowd-following herd animals.”

Oceanographer David Archer of the University of Chicago refutes conservative US columnist Robert Novak's claim that scientists are hyping global warming.

“To sell the Yucca Mountain project to our children through the use of a cartoon character is an irresponsible and desperate act.”

Congressman Jon Porter (Republican, Nevada) calls on the government to dismiss ‘Yucca Mountain Johnny’, a cartoon mascot promoting the plan for a nuclear-waste dump in Nevada.

Sources: RealClimate.org, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Scorecard

Artificial sweetener

Researchers at the US National Cancer Institute find that aspartame, a known carcinogen in rats, does not increase the risk of cancer in people.

Christ's buoyancy

An oceanographer at the University of Florida suggests that Jesus managed to walk on water because the Sea of Galilee was frozen.

Number Crunch

Health workers are one of the most important factors affecting infant mortality, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

0.28 is the number of physicians per 1,000 citizens in Nigeria.

19.7% is the chance that a Nigerian child will die before the age of five.

2.3 is the number of physicians per 1,000 citizens in Britain.

0.6% is the chance that a British child will die before the age of five.

Source: WHO The World Health Report 2006.