Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 24 OctOber 2018
Top scientists say Brexit could hurt research across Europe

By JILL LAWLESS fears are growing the U.K.
LONDON (AP) — Top sci- might leave without a deal
entists from around Europe in place, leading to chaos
warned Tuesday that Brexit at ports and major eco-
could leave Britain and nomic disruption.
the European Union "more On Tuesday, May ordered
insular," harming research her Brexit minister to provide
across the continent, as the Cabinet with weekly
Prime Minister Theresa May updates on preparations
met her divided Cabinet to for a "no-deal" Brexit.
discuss the state of divorce The main roadblock to a
negotiations. deal is the 310-mile (500-
A letter signed by 29 Nobel km) border between the
laureates and six winners U.K.'s Northern Ireland and
of the Fields Medal math- EU member Ireland.
ematics prize urged May Britain and the EU agree
and European Commis- there must be no barriers
sion President Jean-Claude that could disrupt business-
Juncker to ensure the "clos- es and residents on both
est possible cooperation sides of the border and un-
between the U.K. and the dermine Northern Ireland's
EU" after Britain leaves the hard-won peace process.
bloc. But so far, each side has re-
The letter said scientific in- jected the other's solution.
novation "requires the flow The EU has proposed keep-
of people and ideas across In this image taken from Parliament TV, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement ing Northern Ireland in its
borders to allow the rapid to the House of Commons about the European Council summit, in London, Monday Oct. 22, 2018. customs union after Brexit,
exchange of ideas, exper- Associated Press eliminating the need for
tise and technology." border checks. But Britain
"Creating new barriers to ers to the flow of people, welcome in this country." said Tuesday. "But what I says that is unacceptable
such ease of collaboration goods and services would The British government says can say is we are aware because it would mean
will inhibit progress, to the be detrimental to British sci- it is seeking "an ambitious that, if we want to be the checks between Northern
detriment of us all," said the ence. relationship on science and go-to place for science - Ireland and the rest of the
signatories, who include bi- Crick director Paul Nurse, innovation with our EU part- which is our ambition as a U.K.
ologist Venki Ramakrishnan who shared the 2001 No- ners" after Brexit. But the de- nation - then mobility and Britain's counter-proposal is
and economist Christopher bel Prize in medicine for his tails of new arrangements reducing friction has to be to keep the whole U.K. tem-
Pissarides. cancer research, said "we will not be worked out un- a key part of that." porarily in a customs union
The London-based Francis need a deal that replaces til after the U.K. leaves the The two sides hope to have with the bloc. Irish broad-
Crick Institute, the biggest the science funding lost bloc in March. a withdrawal agreement caster RTE reported Tues-
biomedical research lab because of Brexit, that pre- "There isn't absolute certain- and the outlines of a deal day that the EU was willing
under one roof in Europe, serves freedom of move- ty now, which I would love on future relations in place to offer Britain a U.K.-wide
also warned that a "hard ment for talented scientists, to be able to give," U.K. Sci- well before the U.K. leaves customs union, though de-
Brexit" that put up barri- and that makes them feel ence Minister Sam Gyimah the EU on March 29. But tails remained unclear.q

Experts caution study on

plastics in humans is premature

By FRANK JORDANS millimeters — have previ- surprising that microplastics
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists ously been found in water, would be found in human
in Austria say they've de- animals and food, but so samples too, and said the
tected tiny bits of plastic far studies haven't proved Austrian study raises many
in people's stool for the first they pose a risk to human questions.
time, but experts caution health. "It's small scale and not at
the study is too small and Still, there is growing public all representative," said
In this Sept. 9, 2018 photo plastic waste sits on a freshly culti- premature to draw any concern about their appar- Martin Wagner, a biologist
vated field in Nauen, Germany. credible conclusion. ent ubiquitous presence in at the Norwegian University
Associated Press Presenting their findings at the environment, and the of Science and Technolo-
a congress in Vienna on head of Germany's Green gy. He noted that the study
Tuesday, researchers from party said the Austrian wasn't reviewed by inde-
the Medical University of Vi- study was "a further alarm pendent scientists and the
enna and the Environment signal." authors haven't provided
Agency Austria said their Robert Habeck told the details about the measures
pilot study detected so- Funke media group that taken to prevent samples
called microplastics in all microplastics should be from becoming contami-
samples taken from eight banned from cosmetic nated.
volunteers in Europe, Russia products and the use of "In the worst case, all the
and Japan. plastic packaging should plastic they found is from
Microplastics — defined be greatly reduced. the lab," Wagner told The
as pieces smaller than 5 However, experts say it's not Associated Press.q