It's said that the test of a good scientific theory is whether or not it can be falsified.
This week's summer scare theory which amongst other things hypothesises that soy sauce damages fertility would seem to pass that test with flying colours. There are one and a quarter billion Chinese well placed to falsify it.
It's also worth noting that Europe's population was growing very fast in the seventeenth century when beer was consumed at all times in preference to water.
It's time for a summertime embargo on journalists attending scientific conventions - a bit like a hosepipe ban. BBC Breakfast in particular needs to demonstrate an understanding of the difference between the provision of balanced 'news' and 'a new report published today'.
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