Cloning Claims Feed Junk Science
SAN MIGUEL: Human cloning, you have seen the headlines, you have watched the Raelians make the rounds on the talk shows, so you will no doubt have to agree with me when I say that we are just shocked. Shocked, I tell you, to see the whole thing starting to fall to pieces. The story started when Clonaid's Brigitte Boisselier called a press conference on December 27 to announce the birth of the first of two babies that Clonaid claims were clones.</s>SAN MIGUEL (voice over): This was a story just too sensational for the press to resist. Even with absolutely no proof offered up to support such an extraordinary claim. To many the Clonaid announcement was just plain weird right from the word go. Clonaid is backed by the religious movement called the Raelians, who follow a guru named Rael, and believe humans are the clones of extra terrestrials who visited the Earth thousands of years ago, but also troubling was the involvement of this man, Michael Guillen, a science journalists formerly with ABC news. His presence may have lent an air of credibility to this incredible story.</s>MICHAEL GUILLEN, SCIENCE JOURNALIST: For the record, I know as little, and as much, as you do about the baby and child that Dr. Boisselier has just announced. But Dr. Boisselier has invited me to put her claim to the test.</s>SAN MIGUEL: This week, Guillen was doing something that looked an awful lot like backpedaling. Appearing on news shows like CNN's "</s>CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT." GUILLEN: We were not given the access that we were promised to take the required DNA tests and therefore I have to say tonight, there is a possibility that this was a hoax.</s>SAN MIGUEL: Here to talk more about all that is Bob Park, expert in junk science, author of a book called "Voodoo Science." Dr. Park, thanks for being with us. The Raelians were weird from the get go. We, you know, kind of accept that by now, but ever since Dolly the cloned sheep, cloning is no longer just the stuff of science fiction. So, how should the media have covered the story?</s>DR. ROBERT PARK, AUTHOR, "VOODOO SCIENCE": It's not clear how they should have covered it. They should have covered it with a lot of skepticism, and they did. So, I think that was pretty good. The presence of Michael Guillen in this who affair was disturbing, but otherwise, I would say the press did rather well. They were skeptical right from the start.</s>SAN MIGUEL: What about Mr. Guillen's role in this? A player in a possible hoax or maybe somebody duped and used by the Raelians? Or possibly duped by the Raelians?</s>PARK: Well, if he was duped, that does not reflect very well on his abilities as a reporter, but it's not clear. What has come out since is that before, well before, these births were announced he was out trying to pedal an exclusive story about it, which raises serious questions about his independence in the whole affair.</s>SAN MIGUEL: And one of those networks that he tried to sell that to, including CNN. Doesn't junk science rely, on the part, on the fact that our viewers kind of eat this stuff up?</s>PARK: Oh, they do love it. And, of course, that's what's dangerous. The more science succeeds, the more we're going to see these fraudulent efforts based on science. Science is the thing to imitate these days.</s>SAN MIGUEL: Sounds like. Well, in your book, "Voodoo Science," you talk about the seven warning signs of junk science, which one of those were visible with this Clonaid and clone situation?</s>PARK: Well, really there were more than one of the warning signs that were present here. The most -- the one that is most common, I think, is that the story is pitched first to the media, real science progress you first got sell your colleagues. So present the material at scientific conferences, publish articles in scientific journals. When the first people that hear about it are the media, you've got a problem.</s>SAN MIGUEL: And there always is kind of an us-against-them kind of perspective as well. Somebody in the establishment is trying to suppress You try to pitch that as well?</s>PARK: That's another clear warning sign, is that there is this always an establishment force, usually very powerful, that is trying to suppress this wonderful discovery.</s>SAN MIGUEL: We should point out that Dr. Bob Park is also a professor of physics at the University of Maryland. His book is "Voodoo Science." Dr. Park, always good to have you on, hope to have you on again. Thank you for joining us.</s>PARK: Surely.</s>SAN MIGUEL: Well, when we come back, that's right, one of those who's hot stories, but we're not talking about celebrities. Actually, talking about all of us. Some scientists warn that 2003 could turn out to be the hottest year on record. How global warming could make for some hot politics.