In contrast to Davy, with his charisma and flair, Faraday was a gentle, soft-spoken man whose lectures always put science, rather than the scientist, at centre stage.
Another remarkable young scientist, Jacqueline Chan (Centre for Systems Biology, UK), outlined the use of high-throughput sequencing to track pathogenic bacterial infections in hospitals and the use of phage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics.
The scientists' work centres on the concept of habitable zones – the "Goldilocks regions" of space around stars where the surface of a planet is neither too hot nor too cold for that essential for life, liquid water, to flow.
Bernie Pauly, a scientist at the Centre for Addictions Research of BC, at the University of Victoria, and Tim Stockwell, the centre's director, are finishing a major study of five Canadian managed alcohol programmes.
Alice Hooker-Stroud, a scientist from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, used the platform to argue that a zero-carbon Britain was attainable with existing energy technologies.
Today, Phil Jones, the scientist at the centre of the email chains, said he would not be judged on not his emails but on his scientific papers.
Nick Reynard, lead natural hazard scientist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said the picture was further complicated trying to link increased rainfall to flooding.
"We think there are some possible risks that were not adequately considered," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist with the Centre for Food Safety non-profit group.
The committee held its only evidence session yesterday and interviewed witnesses including Phil Jones, the climate scientist at the centre of the media storm.
"The population is a little indifferent," said Jean Faniel, a political scientist at the Centre de Recherche et d'Information Socio-Politiques, a research institute in Brussels.
She was asked by the FBI to authorise a wire tap on Wen Ho Lee, a scientist at the centre of Chinese spying allegations.
