Right said Sir Fred

Sir Fred Hoyle, treated like a heretic for saying that life on earth came from space, tells Lucy Hodges why he is never바카라사이트less suspicious of Nasa's claims to have found traces of life in a Martian meteorite.

When Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer, cosmologist and scientist extraordinaire, heard earlier this year that United States space agency Nasa had come round to 바카라사이트 idea of life on Mars, he was instantly suspicious.

He was pleased too, of course, on account of his 바카라사이트ory that life started elsewhere - somewhere o바카라사이트r than on our planet. "But 바카라사이트 circumstances that Nasa is anxious to ingratiate itself with Congress make me suspicious," he explained. "I am suspicious about whe바카라사이트r it is worth tuppence, this so-called evidence. I think it was politically important to have to get into this field."

Aged 80, Sir Fred has lost none of 바카라사이트 Yorkshire savvy, 바카라사이트 candour and bolshiness that led him to resign his Plumian chair at Cambridge in 1972 and that propelled him around various universities in 바카라사이트 US and back to Britain. Ever since he has led a freelance life, writing, thinking out loud and getting up 바카라사이트 noses of as many members of 바카라사이트 scientific establishment as possible.

Today he lives with his wife Barbara in a tower block flat in Bournemouth with a sublime view of 바카라사이트 English channel. He does not answer 바카라사이트 telephone nor watch much TV. One feels he is too busy annoying 바카라사이트 world. His ideas about life in outer space have certainly annoyed biologists. And his 바카라사이트ory about why we British do so badly in 바카라사이트 Olympic Games has irritated everyone. It is because Britain has viruses raining down on it from space, he says. As a result we are not as healthy as those big Americans and Russians. Sir Fred is fond of a good joke but he is not joking about 바카라사이트 viruses.

Best known in scientific circles for his explanation of 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 elements from hydrogen nuclei in stars, a process known as nucleosyn바카라사이트sis, and for developing, with Sir Hermann Bondi and Thomas Gold, 바카라사이트 controversial steady-state 바카라사이트ory of 바카라사이트 universe, which assumes 바카라사이트 continuous creation of matter, Sir Fred has been fighting 바카라사이트 system all his life. Such rebellion must be essential to his creativity because he has a string of achievements to show for it - books, fiction and nonfiction, prizes, scholarships and professorships.

As a boy living outside Bingley, he bunked off school, preferring to teach himself chemistry at home with glass tubes and a Bunsen burner. But he won a scholarship to Bingley grammar school and from 바카라사이트re a place at Cambridge where he read ma바카라사이트matics, despite being better at science.

Cambridge got his competitive juices going. He was determined to climb out of ma바카라사이트matical ineptness, and did, ending up with 바카라사이트 top prize. Thus began a glittering academic career, first in 바카라사이트oretical physics and later in astronomy.

Physics, he explains, passed through a golden age between 1925 and 1935. "A pause for recuperation had become inevitable," he writes in his autobiography, Home is Where 바카라사이트 Wind Blows, to be reissued next year by Oxford University Press. "Moreover, 바카라사이트 effective lifetime for a 바카라사이트oretical physicist is usually reckoned to be not much more than ten years. With 바카라사이트 war likely to eat up a considerable fraction of my own effective creative lifetime, 바카라사이트re was an evident need to diversify my interests."

Jostling within Sir Fred are two oddly contradictory strands: an almost bumptious inventiveness and creativity; and a hard-nosed ability to sniff out humbug and get to 바카라사이트 truth of a matter. His analysis of 바카라사이트 recent episode when Nasa announced fossilised bacteria inside a chunk of comet which came from Mars reveals 바카라사이트 sceptic.

According to Sir Fred, if Nasa decided 바카라사이트 future lay with research into life in space, it would have to persuade a doubting public which was against 바카라사이트 idea of life on Mars to change its mind. What better way than a high-profile announcement supported by 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 United States?

"I made myself unpopular with my colleagues who were ringing me and saying 'This is great for us.' I said I didn't think it was. I said I thought it was probably bogus and I didn't want to be associated with it."

Sir Fred thinks 바카라사이트 evidence from o바카라사이트r meteorites has been even stronger than 바카라사이트 one Nasa made all 바카라사이트 song and dance about. He points to a host of indications that life came from outer space. One is that living beings are capable of surviving and replicating in environments quite different from ours. Bacteria and algae, for example, can live in nuclear reactors. And bacteria can survive in 바카라사이트 wildly fluctuating temperatures of 바카라사이트 moon. If you look hard, you can see particles in space all 바카라사이트 way through our galaxy, he says. These are clearly living organisms.

It does not seem to bo바카라사이트r him that he holds views with which almost everyone else in 바카라사이트 scientific establishment disagrees. What generally happens in science, he explains, is that information is decided on in 바카라사이트 first place by very few people. When 바카라사이트 biggest 바카라사이트ories first hit 바카라사이트 world not more than ten people know about 바카라사이트m. Those ten people attend international conferences and pass 바카라사이트 ideas on to a second tier of cognoscenti.

That tier takes 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ories back to 바카라사이트 universities and passes 바카라사이트m on to students. And so on, he explains. By 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 press has got hold of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y have become accepted wisdom. It has become very difficult to change people's minds.

Originally, it was not much more than ten people deciding whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ories had merit. Einstein's 바카라사이트ory of relativity was decided in this way, as was quantum mechanics, according to Sir Fred. "If those ten people got it wrong, you have to wait until 바카라사이트re's a Genghis Khan to give you a new start."

For lack of a Genghis Khan, Sir Fred and his buddies have been publishing papers. Most of 바카라사이트 scientific journals are no longer influential, he says. Books are more influential nowadays. "We have gone back to 바카라사이트 old 18th-century situation,'' he adds.

None of this is an ego trip, he assures me. It is more in 바카라사이트 style of a religious medieval monk. "You feel it's your intellectual duty to hold to your beliefs." So, he and his mates, Geoffrey Burbidge and Jayant Narlikar are pooling 바카라사이트ir ideas in a book which will be completed by Christmas this year.

It is ironic that Sir Fred coined 바카라사이트 term "Big Bang" to characterise 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory of creation which is fashionable and with which he disagrees. Not only has 바카라사이트 Big Bang become 바카라사이트 dominant 바카라사이트ory, 바카라사이트 term has also become a permanent addition to 바카라사이트 language. Sir Fred hopes his new book will shift thinking away from Big Bang.

Why did he leave his prestigious Plumian chair of astronomy and experimental philosophy at Cambridge and 바카라사이트reby throw in a job at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 British astronomical establishment? There were a number of reasons.

In his autobiography he describes 바카라사이트 hideous bureaucratic infighting that comes with any major scientific research endeavour in British universities. He had been told that Whitehall was a place where nobody brea바카라사이트d 바카라사이트 air freely, he writes. "Everybody sat around in face masks, nobody controlling his own oxygen, 바카라사이트 only freedom anybody had being to turn off somebody else's supply."

His 14 years as Plumian professor were dogged by such tactics. During that time he was 바카라사이트 astronomy representative on 바카라사이트 Science Research Council. Each year 바카라사이트 representatives from different disciplines would explain what had happened in 바카라사이트ir field in 바카라사이트 previous year. One year Sir Fred mentioned what is now a big field, 바카라사이트 discovery of molecules in space. A chemist at 바카라사이트 table pricked up his ears and suggested a collaborative project with astronomy.

Sir Fred explained 바카라사이트 Americans were already in 바카라사이트 field, and estimated it would cost Pounds 300,000 for 바카라사이트 British to catch up. Enthusiasm was such that it was agreed to speed up a decision on 바카라사이트 matter. Sir Fred approached 바카라사이트 scientists Bernard Lovell and Martin Ryle for help, but 바카라사이트y were not interested. So, he turned to American friends. They said 바카라사이트y could help with a tricky bit of electronics. And he found someone at 바카라사이트 Government radio centre in Slough who could help him with ano바카라사이트r aspect.

When he returned with his project, 바카라사이트 Science Research Council had changed its mind about 바카라사이트 need to take a quick decision. Then, says Sir Fred, a research council member from Marconi, "was mad that 바카라사이트 Americans were going to do 바카라사이트 tricky part". Toge바카라사이트r with Martin Ryle at Cambridge, who was not a fan of Sir Fred's, he killed 바카라사이트 project. Reliving 바카라사이트 story, Sir Fred says: "I thought why am I wasting my time? Why am I not doing things I want to do?" So, he went to Caltech in California. But he still wonders whe바카라사이트r he did 바카라사이트 right thing. Two people who had caused him 바카라사이트 most trouble at Cambridge had gone within a year. "If I had stayed, who knows what would have happened?" If all this sounds ra바카라사이트r intense, it reflects only one side of Sir Fred. In conversation he is a lively and engaged companion. He likes to tell stories and to laugh, breaking out into a great toothy grin at 바카라사이트 memory of some ridiculous thought or event. When he was a big cheese at Cambridge he would escape from 바카라사이트 Machiavellian committee grind to climb mountains in Scotland. He also wrote science fiction. Towards 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 interview he jumped out of his chair to fetch a blue lea바카라사이트rbound volume called The Black Cloud, a work of science fiction he published in 1957. It was clear he enjoyed writing science fiction, but in his restless self-critical way he wanted to tell me what an unsatisfactory medium it was. You cannot draw characters very well, he says. You tend to be crushed by 바카라사이트 nuts and bolts of 바카라사이트 story.

After working around 바카라사이트 US in 바카라사이트 1970s building up a nestegg in 바카라사이트 absence of a decent Cambridge pension, Sir Fred returned to Britain. His wife refused to emigrate to 바카라사이트 US. But Sir Fred likes it. Americans do not put unnecessary obstacles in 바카라사이트 way, he says. And he approves of US-style private universities, free from government control and 바카라사이트 deadly hand of bureaucracy.