Richard Doll 1912–2005

the differences of organic production. However, the exclusion of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers from organic systems is fundamental. Given this, the authors asked, why did the magnitude of differences in species density and abundance vary so much between the different groups they looked at? One factor may be the differential impacts of timing and special scales on the colonization traits of organisms. Plants are more directly and immediately affected by both pesticide and fertilizer inputs, but have the ability to recolonize from the seed bank immediately following conversion to organic management and freedom from pesticides. For other groups, such as the spiders, carabid beetles, birds and bats studied, recolonization is affected by proximity of populations able to move into the new environment. " Many organic farms are isolated units, embedded in in non-organic farmland managed with conventional levels of pesticide and fertilizer inputs, often coupled with with relatively low levels of habitat heterogeneity, which inevitably affects species colonization, " the authors say. Also, most existing organic farms probably offer insufficient resources to affect population sizes of species with large spatial needs, notably birds. The authors suggest that extension of organic farming is a potential means of re-establishing heterogeneity of farmland habitats, and thereby enhancing farmland biodiversity. " Strategies aimed at increasing both the total extent of organic farming and the size and contiguity of individual organic farms, could help to restore biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, " the authors report. Few researchers can probably imagine they will live to see a brand new, world-class institute established and named after them, but Sir Richard Doll, who died last month at 92, lived to see just that. As the doyen of epidemiologists, he proved the link between lung cancer and cigarette smoking. He came to prominence in 1950 when, with Sir Austin Bradford Hill, he shattered government and public ignorance with research among patients in 20 London hospitals. Over three decades the registrar general's records had shown a very rapid and unexplained increase in lung cancer deaths amongst men. The search, involving patients with and without lung cancer, had no obvious causes to target. The prime suspects were the smuts from coal fires, exhaust fumes from cars, and tarring of the roads in response to the increase in car ownership. Doll, working with Bradford Hill, recorded the lifestyle and habits of men admitted to London hospitals with suspected lung cancer. Later, after the …