Editor's choice

The difficulties of science and politicsOne thing that science and politics have in common is difficulty. They seem so simple but are so hard. People who eat a lot of fat have high death rates from heart disease. So surely cutting back on fat will reduce deaths from heart disease. Well, probably but not definitely. Or, in politics, doctors know that it makes sense to spend more on health services. But the public won't elect a government that explicitly says it will increase taxes. We know that a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol …