Those lovely, intelligent and witty people over at badscience have directed me to an equally witty story in the Observer. Well I assume it’s supposed to be witty, it certainly had me laughing.
Traces of Madeleine McCann’s body were found on a Portuguese beach weeks after she was reported missing, during tests by a former detective renowned for locating abducted children.
Forensic analysis by retired South African police superintendent Danie Krugel claimed to reveal Madeleine’s body had either been temporarily buried or was still beneath the beach at Praia da Luz, the resort from where she disappeared on 3 May.
Based on a combination of Madeleine’s DNA sample and GPS satellite technology, Krugel’s findings were taken so seriously by Portuguese detectives that officers twice searched the beach.
The ludicrous nature of this device has already been noted by moonflake here, but I’ll go through this story anyway and see what I can add.
Krugel, of the University of Bloemfontein, claims that his technique is able to locate a missing person anywhere in the world using only a single strand of hair.
Now this suggests to me that Krugel holds a scientific position at Bloemfontein, something that may at least give the guy so credence. Unfortunately, it appears that Krugel is actually Head of Security at Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein, hardly the status you’d expect for someone who has potential to be inventor of the century, if it actually works.
Anyway, let’s have a think about the claims of this device and see how it could possibly work.
Apparently the Matter Orientation System (MOS for short) just requires a sample of what you are looking for and it will pinpoint its location, to the accuracy of the GPS one assumes. Even if there is a mechanism for this to work surely it must be extremely susceptible to noise. If one puts in a sample of diamond, as has been claimed before, then surely any one in the surrounding area with a diamond ring/necklane/piercing must be sending the thing nuts. Particularly if it’s supposed to highly sensitive. Equally if, as is claimed, you can just put a hair in it and it’ll find someone based on their DNA it must be one bloody clever device. Not only would it need to extract any DNA from the hair, which would be required to have the follicle attached. It would have to profile it as well other wise it’s going to be very similar to the other people around as well as the chimpanzees in the local zoo.
Possibly the biggest clue to this being pure quackery is the use of the word “quantum”. As Feynman once said, “I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics”, a sentiment shared by many physicists and myself. In this day and age the word quantum is only routinely used by the popular media as a catch all to describe things that defy all scientific thinking and rationality. If we don’t know how it works or is plainly ridiculous it must be down to quantum mechanics.
What’s most troubling about this article is not lack of critical thinking by the paper, or the wasted column inches covering such pointless drivel, but the response of the Portuguese police on receiving Krugel’s bullshit evidence.
Krugel’s report of his findings to Portuguese detectives eventually led to British officers being asked to bring in sniffer dogs to supplement the search for Madeleine. The subsequent reaction of the dogs to Kate’s clothing – the so-called scent of death – led to the couple being declared formal suspects over the death of their daughter.
Whether you believe the McCann’s were involved in their daughter’s disappearance or not, the fact the evidence of this charlatan could sway police opinion is frightening. Imagine if such evidence was used in a case of a genuinely guilty person. All the defence would need to is laugh this crap out of court, potentially weakening the prosecution case significantly and calling into question any other evidence submitted.
Update: Ben has blogged about this at bad science
Filed under: Badscience, Press by badchemist
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