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| A scientific maverick | A scientific maverick |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| PROFILE By Richard Hollingham Science writer | PROFILE By Richard Hollingham Science writer |
| Badger lovers may not like him much | Badger lovers may not like him much |
| This week it is his belief that badgers should be culled that is in the news, but the government's chief scientific adviser Sir David King has always been a controversial figure. | |
| Sir David may have made enemies of the 95% of the population who surveys say are against a cull of badgers, but his career suggests he is unlikely to be swayed from his path. | |
| The chief scientific adviser's recommendation that large numbers of badgers should be culled to control bovine TB appeared to contradict a previous 10-year study by the Independent Study Group. | |
| Chairman John Bourne dismissed Sir David's advice as "clearly hastily written" and "very superficial". | |
| During the past seven years Sir David has advised the government on everything from GM foods to stem cell research, and foot-and-mouth disease to nuclear power. | |
| Science has never been higher up the political or media agenda, and Sir David has often been in the maelstrom where science meets politics. | |
| Mum was pretty shocked, but I wanted to see how it worked - always had that childish curiosity Sir David King on cutting up a dead guinea pig aged four Hear Radio 4's Profile | Mum was pretty shocked, but I wanted to see how it worked - always had that childish curiosity Sir David King on cutting up a dead guinea pig aged four Hear Radio 4's Profile |
| Perhaps his most controversial moment came in 2004 when he said climate change was a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism. | |
| As the statement reverberated in headlines around the world, Sir David went on to berate the US for failing to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. | |
| Friend and veteran former MP Tam Dalyell said many appreciated the scientist's stance. | |
| "It went down jolly well with many of us, who knew that he was right. It wasn't a question of sticking his head out a little bit, it was sticking his head well above the parapet." | "It went down jolly well with many of us, who knew that he was right. It wasn't a question of sticking his head out a little bit, it was sticking his head well above the parapet." |
| Born in Durban, South Africa, in 1939, it was perhaps obvious that he would one day be a scientist. At the age of four a dead guinea pig piqued his scientific curiosity. So he cut it up. | Born in Durban, South Africa, in 1939, it was perhaps obvious that he would one day be a scientist. At the age of four a dead guinea pig piqued his scientific curiosity. So he cut it up. |
| "[I] think mum was pretty shocked, but I wanted to see how it worked - always had that childish curiosity." | "[I] think mum was pretty shocked, but I wanted to see how it worked - always had that childish curiosity." |
| Apartheid interrogation | Apartheid interrogation |
| By the time he started university, he was also developing a keen sense of justice. In the early 1960s he was writing letters to newspapers and attending anti-apartheid meetings. | |
| But his activities soon attracted the attention of the authorities and he was called in for questioning. | |
| Later he recalled: "I was interrogated on the 7th floor of a police building - notorious place, had been lots of alleged suicides under interrogation there, I was interrogated in fairly aggressive fashion with window open behind me, was accused of being a communist - at that time the Ministry of Justice could incarcerate communists." | Later he recalled: "I was interrogated on the 7th floor of a police building - notorious place, had been lots of alleged suicides under interrogation there, I was interrogated in fairly aggressive fashion with window open behind me, was accused of being a communist - at that time the Ministry of Justice could incarcerate communists." |
| BSE provided an early challenge | BSE provided an early challenge |
| Deciding to leave the country, and with a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Witwatersrand, he moved to London's Imperial College before securing a post as a lecturer at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. There he continued his interest in politics with involvement in trade unionism. | Deciding to leave the country, and with a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Witwatersrand, he moved to London's Imperial College before securing a post as a lecturer at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. There he continued his interest in politics with involvement in trade unionism. |
| In 1974 he moved straight from being a lecturer to a professorship at Liverpool University. At the age of 34, to gain this sort of appointment was extraordinary, says Michael Bowker, who had been Sir David's first Phd student. | In 1974 he moved straight from being a lecturer to a professorship at Liverpool University. At the age of 34, to gain this sort of appointment was extraordinary, says Michael Bowker, who had been Sir David's first Phd student. |
| "Liverpool recognised at that point that they had really a star on their hands and grabbed him as quickly as they could." | "Liverpool recognised at that point that they had really a star on their hands and grabbed him as quickly as they could." |
| Dubbed the "king of catalysis", his research on how atoms and molecules behave on metal surfaces formed part of the science underpinning catalytic converters in car exhausts. | Dubbed the "king of catalysis", his research on how atoms and molecules behave on metal surfaces formed part of the science underpinning catalytic converters in car exhausts. |
| In 1988, he was appointed 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, but his regular sojourn in the public eye really came with his appointment as the chief scientific adviser in 2000, in time for the fall out from the BSE inquiry report. He had to quickly master the field of neurological disease. | In 1988, he was appointed 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, but his regular sojourn in the public eye really came with his appointment as the chief scientific adviser in 2000, in time for the fall out from the BSE inquiry report. He had to quickly master the field of neurological disease. |
| Sir David's work was crucial in communicating complicated ideas to politicians and the public, then science minister Lord Sainsbury says. | |
| "He can master almost any subject very quickly and then also explain it in layman's language very clearly." | |
| But he has also been criticised over his backing for nuclear power and his targets to reduce the UK's carbon emissions. | But he has also been criticised over his backing for nuclear power and his targets to reduce the UK's carbon emissions. |
| Keith Allott, head of climate change at the World Wildlife Fund, says: "There have been some concerns that some of the advice that he's been giving is actually veering on the political rather than the scientific." | Keith Allott, head of climate change at the World Wildlife Fund, says: "There have been some concerns that some of the advice that he's been giving is actually veering on the political rather than the scientific." |
| He cites a "growing consensus" about the need to cut domestic emissions by 80% by the middle of the century, adding: "The government is still wedded to a 50-60% reduction and Sir David is going along with that line." | He cites a "growing consensus" about the need to cut domestic emissions by 80% by the middle of the century, adding: "The government is still wedded to a 50-60% reduction and Sir David is going along with that line." |
| Sir David is set to remain a controversial figure but he's likely to be remembered more for climate change than his views on badgers. | Sir David is set to remain a controversial figure but he's likely to be remembered more for climate change than his views on badgers. |
Send us your comments using the form below. | Send us your comments using the form below. |