Profile: Fred Hoyle; March 1995; Scientific American Magazine; by Horgan; 2 Page(s)

In the dead of night, when the demons come, a special fear may creep into the hearts of scientists: What if Fred Hoyle is right? Then astronomy is a sham, biology a house of cards and modern medicine an illusion.

Those who adhere to the paradigms that be have more reason than usual to harbor such worries these days. The media, no doubt bored by the glacial pace of mainstream research, have acquired a sudden fondness for Hoyle, whom they had long vilified or ignored. Journalists are treating the British iconoclast's attacks on the big bang theory and other pillars of modern science with newfound respect. "A second dawn for the universal rebel, " proclaimed the London Times last fall.