This week an American congressman, member of their science committee, stated that the earth was about 9000 years old, and that the big bang was a lie from the pits of hell. That might not touch me directly, but clearly he should not be in a position of authority over scientific matters.

One perfect response to him would be to make him watch, over and over again the acceptance speech of Brian Cox for the medal of the Institute of Physics in the UK. His speech is a wonderful brief description of the nature of science and his closing quote from Humphrey Davy is great. “Nothing is so fatal to the progress of the human mind as to suppose that our views of science are ultimate; that there are no mysteries in nature; that our triumphs are complete, and that there are no new worlds to conquer.” Brian Cox and the nature of science

I an a great fan of Brian Cox, a physicist from the University of Manchester. He is a wonderful communicator, he gives lectures with a clarity and a fluency that I can only envy, and in addition he has a strong Manchester accent, which is an added benefit (I still have a weak Manchester accent, more than 48 years after leaving the area). For a wonderful brief introduction to the recent history of physics and why it is important, you could do much worse than watching Brian Cox and the history of the universe.