No-one understands...

The science journalist’s first and foremost duty is to understand the science – and secondly – in terms of time – to re-write this science into popular language. Simple!

So what’s happening - why aren’t the public not better informed? Why has scientific rationale appeared to bypass the public debate over GM crops? And why do scientists continually lament to the poor standard of scientific knowledge held by the general public (in Africa and elsewhere)? Time and again during interviews in South Africa on the implications of biotechnology I have heard from scientists that the general public basically knows nothing about biotechnology, they’re misinformed, or they hold views that are fly in the face of rationality. Presuming that the scientists themselves feel they know more - what’s going wrong with science journalism in Africa?

Keep sniffing

Anosmia refers to the inability to smell, the lack of olfactory activity. Hyposmia on the other hand refers to an increased ability to smell. It is hard to imagine a world without smell, a curse of sorts, as it is hard to imagine living in a world of enhanced smell, in the sensory world of the dog for example, a curse of sorts too.

Anosmia can be temporary or permanent. A cold or sinusitis or any upper respiratory tract infection may temporarily deprive you of a sense of smell. It is more than likely if not inevitable that you would lose your sense of taste too. Taste and smell are bound together, as if partners in a dance of sensory joy.

Salty, sour, sweet, bitter, umami (richness) and astringent (sharp or severe) are our six distinctive tastes but we are able to smell about 10,000 scents that conspire with taste to give us the magic of flavour. When one can’t smell anything food loses most of its flavour.

It's not about the bottle

‘One of the first perfumes based on a completely synthetic smell’ Diane Ackerman wrote in her Natural History of the Senses ‘was Chanel No.5, which was created in 1922 and has remained a classic of femininity.’ (New York, Vintage, 11-12). Asked impertinently once what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe apparently shot back, coyly, ‘Chanel No.5’!

The ‘synthetic smell’ molecule in No.5 belonged to class of what is known as aldehydes, which is an organic compound formed by the oxidation of alcohols. In the music-like language of fragrance, the aldehyde is Chanel No.5’s first ‘note’; the substance you smell first, as it is often is the smell that disappears first too. It is the perfume’s introduction.

This is followed by the smell of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, orris (a preparation of the fragrant rootstock of an iris used in the past in medicine) and the Malaysian and Filipino ylang-ylang (a sweet-scented oil obtained from the flowers of a yellow-flowered tropical tree widely used in aromatherapy and perfumes).

The multipurpose Buchu

Likely discovered and certainly used extensively by one of humanity's most ancient of peoples, the Khoi and San, Buchu is a special plant type found on the damp lower slopes of the mountains and hills of the South Western Cape. Also known as boegoe (Afrikaans) or ibuchu (Xhosa), buchu belongs to the Rutaceae (citrus) family of fynbos.

Appearing in a bountiful 125 different varieties, buchu is a flowering plant. Some versions are richly and unmistakably fragrant: 'The volatile oils in the glands clotting the leaves and fruit' the website www.plantzafrica.com records, 'emit an easily recognizable buchu fragrance when touched or crushed'. It is evergreen and belongs to the class of mountain fynbos.

The Khoi and San apparently used buchu as one ingredient to make body lotions and chewed their leaves as a cure for stomach cramps. Medicinal applications are now well known, as a general health tonic, to treat mild cystitis and prostatitis, an appetite stimulant (in small doses) and to aid digestion, and these Khoi and San pioneered.

It can act as diuretic, a stimulant (apparently good for a hangover) and to treat colds, flu, coughs, rheumatism and gout. It has been used to wash and clean wounds. Buchu can be taken orally in the form of an infusion tea or as a tincture in brandy or vinegar. The leaves can also be chewed fresh or dried. As it has a mild laxative effect, the herb should not be taken in excess.

Considering the genome

It’s a comforting thought that there’s nothing particularly special about the African Genome – or more particularly – that there is nothing particularly special about the social implications of genomics in Africa (see Part 1). I would definitely conclude that Watson’s ‘intelligent’ guesses as to the biological basis for intelligence have not shown up in my research (see Genes, Race and Brain Function). I do not want to say too much about the detail of Watson’s comments: to paraphrase one person I interviewed, “giving more oxygen to these comments may be counter-productive.” However, I do want to say something about how Watson’s comments provide a context for the social and ethical debates currently being held in Africa concerning the role of genomics.

But will he be good for science?

South African scientists are greatly concerned about Jacob Zuma becoming President of our country. Is the fear justified? Zuma’s comments about disposing of a viral infection by taking a shower indicated breathtaking ignorance and a stunning lack of judgment: he then used his lack of education as a defense in a rape trial!

South Africa is Africa’s technologically most advanced nation. We deserve a leadership that can take us forward in science and technology, not backwards. Our endowment of universities, research laboratories, biotechnology companies and government’s science council sector must be able to grow, flourish and advance.

The people deserve a leadership that must think about all the ways and means of using science and technology to combat poverty, build houses, lay sanitation pipes, supply clean water, deal with disease, grow food, promote nutrition, dispose of environmental waste, promote the use of recyclable materials and find alternative sources of energy.