Brian Cox on CERN's supercollider

Brian Cox Why we need the explorers

It's a great pleasure to speak after Brian Cox from CERN.

Rock star physicist Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive project.

In tough economic times, our exploratory science programs from space probes to the LHC are first to suffer budget cuts. Brian Cox explains how curiosity driven science pays for itself, powering innovation and a profound appreciation of our existence.

As the International Herald Tribune reports, one aspect of the Chinese government s campaign against corruption is a clampdown on expensive gifts. As a result, according to Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Capital Markets, it s no longer acceptable to have a big chunky watch on your wrist.

For example, when the new class of painkillers called Cox 2 inhibitors was introduced, regulators, physicians, and patients were unaware that these drugs could cause heart attacks and strokes. Tens of thousands of innocent patients perhaps more suffered such ADR s before the first two drugs of this class were withdrawn.

It is especially difficult to attribute an adverse reaction to a drug if the medical event is common in the user s age group or in the condition being treated. Because the risk of heart attacks is high in older people, many of whom have arthritic pain requiring treatment with painkillers, it took six years to link Cox 2 inhibitors to a two to three fold increase in the risk of heart attacks.