The UK government yesterday announced that it is inviting proposals for building a new generation of nuclear power stations in England and Wales. After many years in which nuclear power has been seen as The Big Bad Wolf, this is quite a turnaround for the government... and especially for some individuals in government, who were active anti-nuclear protestors in their youth. So, why the change? Well, a big part of the answer is carbon dioxide (CO₂). » read more »

Season's Greetings to everyone!

cartoon by Michael Mittag

Risk analysts often use death as the worst-case scenario when measuring the outcome of risky events. However, as is often the case with risk communication, people's perceptions don't match the thinking behind the experts' calculations. The recent discovery by police of 2 bodies, buried at a house in the south of England, allowed us a unique insight into the reality of personal tragedy. » read more »

Why is it funny when somebody slips on a banana skin? We're talking about an accident with a significant risk of personal injury. Is that funny? Do accidents just happen or should we find someone to blame? People in the UK have been obsessed with safety for years. Now, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has issued a report in which it calls for a more balanced perception of risk. » read more »

In October 1975, 11-year-old Lesley Molseed was found stabbed to death on the Yorkshire moors in the north of England. The following year, Stefan Kiszko was jailed for her murder. He spent 16 years in prison, before he was finally proved innocent and released in 1992. Kiszko died the following year. His mother, who had doggedly campaigned to clear his name, died a few months later. Another man, Ronald Castree, was this week convicted of the murder of Lesley Molseed. The evidence consists mainly of a DNA match with traces of semen found at the crime scene 32 years ago. How reliable is this conviction? » read more »