鈥淧eople thought this was going to be a slam dunk.鈥�
Connie Celum of the University of Washington, Seattle, on a study that dashed hopes that taking the anti-herpes drug acyclovir would protect against HIV infection (San Francisco Chronicle, 5 February)
鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 establish a settlement in a stark, fearful place like this.鈥�
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Mary Voyatzis of the University of Arizona on pottery shards found on the summit of Mount Lykaion in Greece. The site, close to a geological fault, is thought to have been a religious shrine 900 years before Greek-speaking people arrived to establish an altar to Zeus (The New York Times, 5 February)
鈥淲hen we eliminated coal fires in London we didn鈥檛 say to people in Chelsea you can pay a bit more and toast your crumpets in front of an open fire. We said nobody could have an open fire.鈥�
Mark Moody-Stuart, ex-chairman of Shell, pointing out that merely taxing gas-guzzling cars allows the rich to evade responsibility for climate change. He says gas guzzlers should not be allowed at all (The Times, London, 5 February)
鈥淚f any rats get ashore鈥hey could put the seabird colony at risk.鈥�
Abbie Patterson of the National Trust for Scotland on worries that rats aboard a trawler that ran aground off the St Kilda archipelago could pose a danger to the world鈥檚 largest colony of gannets (The Guardian, London, 5 February)
鈥淭his throws cold water on the idea that obesity is going to cost trillions.鈥�
Patrick Basham of Johns Hopkins University on a study showing that non-smokers and healthy people live longer and cost more in terms of healthcare than obese people (Associated Press, 5 February)