Do clinical trials actually benefit the volunteers who take part? Is scientific research used as a tool by political spin doctors? And just how impossibly glamorous is the life of a science journalist? All of these questions and more will be posed at the BA Festival of Science, an annual fixture in the British scientific calendar that features exhibitions, lectures and public debates, and aims to engage the public with science. In the week of 6 September, Michael Hopkin brings you updates on the biggest talking-points from Exeter, UK.
