On the Record

“They are wanted to be kissed. This is the reason why the two young ladies are invited.”

Igor Tkatchenko, vice-chairman of the French Chemical Society, bringing on stage two women chemists who got honourable mentions at the European Young Chemist Awards in Budapest.

“I could argue the case with hand puppets and win.”

Attorney David Bookbinder on the argument that the US Environmental Protection Agency should restrict emissions of greenhouse gases.

ETs...could also be creatures of God.

Father Jose Funes, new director of the Vatican Observatory, ponders the nature of intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe.

Number crunch

15% of HIV-positive people in the world live in India.

0.9% of Indian adults have HIV.

64% of Indian lawmakers believe HIV can be passed on by sharing clothes with an infected person.

Scorecard

Iraq archaeology

He stayed longer than many Iraqi academics, but Donny George, the country's most prominent archaeologist, has finally given up. George was known for his efforts to recover antiquities looted after the war in 2003. But he has now resigned and fled to Syria, citing security problems and lack of funding.

Blue skies research

Scientists in Britain will need to fight a little harder to justify their funding. UK research councils will now include wealth creation experts on all funding panels, to help judge which projects deserve to receive the money.

Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, Indian Catholic, Indian Association of Parliamentarians, UNAIDS