Feinerman said his expertise comes from extensive reading on the subject, and attending international conferences on stem cell research, sometimes as many as six a year.

CNN: U.S. patients try stem cell therapies abroad

At the same time he displays so much ignorance about the rest of the world, despite his extensive reading and travels, that it seems almost wilful.

ECONOMIST: America's armed forces

It is worth bearing in mind that if you read any patient information leaflet, the list of potential side-effects is usually extensive and often makes alarming reading.

BBC: Whooping cough vaccine a 'no-brainer' during pregnancy

Now, Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues have tested this idea by giving extensive hearing tests to grown-ups with a wide range of reading abilities.

ECONOMIST: The cat sat on the tam | The