Scientists upset

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 8

Scientists upset

NZPA-Reuter London, Two of Britain’s leading] astronomers have com- ] plained to the Prime Minis-, ter (Mr James Callaghan)] that the country’s scientific! establishment is obstructing; their research because it] challenges orthodox doctrines of the earthly origins of life. The astronomers, Sir Fred Hoyle and Profesor Chandra Wickramasinghe, both of University College, Cardiff, say tbeir latest research suggests that life began on comets. The process is continuing,] they believe, and the recent; epidemic of “Red flu” could; have come from outer space. I According to the astrono-, mers, the radical and un-] usual nature of their views!

i has led the Science Research 'Council to refuse grants. The council has rejected ; the claim, saying the application for grants totalling i $14,000 to cover computer land travel costs had been ! assessed and rejected using (normal criteria. I Sir Fred and Professor ] Wickramasinghe believe that comets once acted as giant culture pools where complex organic molecules were mixed with water and kept warm. Life began there and only reached Earth when the comets crashed. Their latest work, involving the study of repent health records at British ] schools, indicates that per- ] son-to-person transmission ■was not responsible for the (spread of “Red flu, and (they speculated that the (virus may have come from ; space.