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Smoke and Mirrors - Gemma Milne ***

It's a bit of a strange one, this. The subtitle is 'how hype obscures the future and how to see past it'. Hype is a real problem in science communication, and I was really looking forward to an exploration of the nature of science communication hype, where it comes from, why it happens and how to correctly interpret it. Gemma Milne starts promisingly by explaining the origins of that familiar term 'smoke and mirrors'... but then it's as if you've bought a whole different book - because Smoke and Mirrors is not primarily about hype.

 Don't get me wrong, hype does come into it as a linking theme, but what we really have here is a set of well thought out polemics on issues in the science and technology field, with the main thrust being on what the issues are and what might be done about them, but with a sideline in how hype can give the wrong focus and result in us addressing the wrong problems. So, for example, the first chapter is about 'finding the true meaning of value in the world of farming'. We get a lot on making farming greener and more ethical, making it more appropriate for those whom the food system currently fails, but the hype part is really just about overemphasis on things like artificial meat and how they are interesting but won't solve the problem. In 33 pages, only a couple in total are about the hype aspect.

 It's not that these discussions aren't interesting. They are all topics we ought to be thinking about and Milne explores the topics well, giving a rounded picture - so, for example, in that 'feed the world' chapter, she is supportive of a sensible approach to GM rather than EU-style knee jerk opposition - but hype gets a relatively small look-in in most cases. 

 As one obvious example, one of the worst types of purveyor of hype are university press offices, and I had expected to get an in-depth look at these and what they do, but they aren't really mentioned, not even getting an entry in the index. Similarly, a lot of hype comes from newspaper headlines and even science magazines have a tendency to put ridiculously hyped headlines on the covers. Again, we do get a passing mention of the tabloid newspapers' obsession with cancer cures and causes, for example, but it's not the key focus of the relevant chapter.

 The topics covered apart from food production are curing cancer, the future of batteries, fusion energy, space travel, quantum computing, computer-brain interfaces, AI and astrobiology. All topics worth our attention, but the way they are dealt with is more something I'd want from a magazine article on the specific subject, individually. What there is on hype wasn't enough to usefully tie them together as a book. A good piece of writing, then, but not what I was hoping for.
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Review by Brian Clegg
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