Mainstream scientists and doctors who cling to cherished
beliefs about how things work would be “screened” and “reviewed” by those
on the
outer edge holding new and challenging views. This would be
a no-mercy “debate,” featuring any sort of name-calling and perhaps even
kicking and screaming.
XS would reveal how science is rife with the type of back-stabbing and
conflicts of interest that rule the manner in which so-called “knowledge”
is spread.
Unlike in the daily world of science where the “Established View”
dominates and works tirelessly with duped media to censor the competition,
those on the outer edge of science would now have the full opportunity to
present their views and stir things up, without fear of immediate
retaliation, such as losing access to research funds and having their
academic employment terminated.
Of course, those holding mainstream scientific views would also be
encouraged to feel guilt-free in publicly trashing the ideas of their
accusers.
Each team would have an on-air support/research staff of near-naked
“assistants.” Armed guards would be on hand to prevent extra extreme
encounters.
XS would focus on a single topic each week. Here are three “debates”
that would head my list:
WEEK 1: MAD COW
DISEASE
As fears about mad cow disease spread across continents, including
North America, scientists on the “outer edge” would love to take a strong
public poke at current theory about what causes the disease.
The conventional wisdom is that the culprit is a rogue protein called a
“prion.” It has been found in brain tissue in people affected by the human
form of the disease. So?
Have the prion researchers jumped the gun? Being there in tissue
doesn’t necessarily mean it does anything. Some “outer edge” scientists
think the scientific world is becoming infused with prion nonsense. Some
believe that a microorganism, possibly bacteria, may trigger the disease
process. Others believe that certain toxic chemicals used in farming may
contribute to a prion attack.
Week 2: AIDS
DRUGS
Government scientists who have ferociously championed the prescription
of highly toxic AIDS cocktails to HIV-positive people with relatively
intact immune systems and no sign of symptoms would be “reviewed” by
scientists who have referred to this practice as lacking scientific basis,
downright stupid and, in some cases, murderous.
The “debate” peg would be the recent flip-flop on AIDS treatments by
the government scientists who now claim that mostly only those whose
immune systems have been damaged should receive these drugs. The “outer
edge” scientists and doctors would hammer home questions to the government
scientists about the near half-decade of unnecessary suffering experienced
by many thousands of people due to the widespread hype surrounding the
need to prescribe these toxic drugs to anyone who solely turned up
HIV-positive.
I see this particular “debate” as possibly requiring an extra unit of
armed guards to prevent extreme hostilities, given the long history of
tensions surrounding this issue.
WEEK 3:
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Is Alzheimer’s disease really triggered by insoluble lumps of amyloid
protein that accumulate on nerve cells in the brain? And does this
accumulation lead to the build-up of thread-like protein, referred to as
“tangles?” Well, that’s the hallowed mainstream view that has dominated
research and funding for years.
This “debate” would feature those well-funded mainstream scientists who
won’t budge an iota on this issue. The “outer-edge” scientists and doctors
who have serious questions about this theory would “review” the
conventional science and also point to recent research, including a study
with chimps, gorillas and orangutans - that shows no signs of tangles in
the presence of amyloid deposits in the brain. Furthermore, a study with
100 patients who died of dementia showed very few had brain plaques.
Perhaps Alzheimer’s causation needs some re-thinking. I’m sure the
“debate” would make this very plain to see. Possible flash points for
highly aggressive behavior on the set include any discussion of why
Alzheimer’s drug treatments have mostly been a miserable failure.
But the real danger of XS is not the possible blood that might be
occasionally spilled, even with tight security; rather, I predict that the
ultra-high ratings to be expected for XS will inevitably lead to mass
public confusion, which will translate into a lack of faith in science and
hence, public despair.
That, however, could lead to spin-off educational re-programming aimed
at teaching the masses that scientific knowledge is actually forever
changing and that many new “outer-edge” ideas eventually blot out the old
established lines of thought and practice.
In fact, there could even be a network spin-off that allows the public
- and scientists—to tell their stories of how they got sucker-punched by
some theories in science and then eventually recovered. 
The likelihood of an extreme science television show airing the
views of mavericks and the establishment in science is pretty small.
Typically, change in science takes a long time and it often occurs outside
the public’s view. But many ideas, such as cloning, that were once thought
impossible or bizarre, actually get realized. This week World News
Tonight is scheduled to take a Closer Look at some of those concepts
on the frontiers of medicine in a three-part series called “Medicine On
the Outer Edge.”
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Nicholas Regush produces medical features for ABCNEWS. In his
weekly column, published Mondays, he looks at medical trouble spots,
heralds innovative achievements and analyzes health trends that may
greatly influence our lives. His latest book is The Virus Within.
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