New book tutors future presidents and public on science behind the...(yths and gathers facts that even many ph...)

"A lot of people base their opinions on the equivalent of urban legends: stories that are so powerful that you assume they are incontrovertible, but which may not actually be true," Muller said.

Among these legends is that of the danger of radioactivity at even small doses. Muller said an irrational fear of radioactivity interferes with discussion of nuclear power as an alternative to other, more polluting sources of power, including coal.

"People are afraid of radioactivity because it is invisible and unknown," he said. "But that doesn't mean that we can't detect and work with it. Part of this wariness is that people don't trust the government when it says, 'Don't worry.' Well, they don't have to trust the government - they can actually learn what levels of radioactivity are and what they cause and make their own judgment."

Muller emphasized that the facts he presents in the book are not meant to change people's minds but, rather, provide background for making decisions. "Policy," he said, "is outside the purview of physics - but policy should be based on facts and understanding.

"When I teach my class, I say, 'I don't care if you are pro- or anti-nuke, you're going to learn about nukes. Maybe your opinion will be strengthened; if so, you will have a way of defending your opinion that is far more powerful than just stating it. Maybe your opinion will change. I don't know, and that is not my role. My role is to give you the facts. Once you understand the facts, your opinion is as good as anyone else's - and maybe better.'"

Muller's "refuge in the facts" runs counter to the attitude of some scientists today, he said. For example, while the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wrote an objective report on the perils of global warming, "many who describe the report, even members of the panel, when speaking as in
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