Editing Simon Singh (section)

==Career==
In 1983, he was part of the [[UA2 experiment]] in [[CERN]].<ref name = "MTS">{{cite web|url = http://meettheskeptics.libsyn.com/mts-meet-simon-singh|title = Meet Simon Singh|date = 20 July 2013|access-date = 15 January 2014}}</ref>
In 1987, Singh taught science at [[The Doon School]], an independent all-boys' boarding school in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/brunch-stories/there-s-math-in-simpsons-simon-says/article1-1171686.aspx|title=There's math in Simpsons, Simon says|work=Hindustan Times|date=12 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112004638/http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/brunch-stories/there-s-math-in-simpsons-simon-says/article1-1171686.aspx |archive-date=12 January 2014 }}</ref> In 1990 Singh returned to England and joined the BBC's Science and Features Department, where he was a producer and director working on programmes such as ''[[Tomorrow's World]]'' and ''[[Horizon (BBC TV series)|Horizon]]''. Singh was introduced to [[Richard Wiseman]] through their collaboration on ''[[Tomorrow's World]]''. At Wiseman's suggestion, Singh directed a segment about politicians lying in different mediums, and getting the public's opinion on whether the person was lying or not.

[[File:Simon Singh.jpg|thumb|Simon Singh signing a book for a fan, Brisbane, 23 May 2005]]
After attending some of Wiseman's lectures, Singh came up with the idea to create a show together, and ''Theatre of Science'' was born. It was a way to deliver science to normal people in an entertaining manner. Richard Wiseman has influenced Singh in such a way that Singh states:
{{quote|My writing initially was about pure science but a lot of my research now has been inspired by his desire to debunk things such as the paranormal – we both hate psychics, mediums, pseudoscience in general.<ref name="Richard Wiseman and Simon Singh: How we met">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/richard-wiseman-and-simon-singh-how-we-met-9757880.html | title=Richard Wiseman and Simon Singh: How we met | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | author= Jacques, Adam|date=29 September 2014 | access-date=7 October 2021}}</ref> }}

Singh directed his [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] award-winning documentary about the world's most notorious mathematical problem entitled ''Fermat's Last Theorem'' in 1996. The film was memorable for its opening shot of a middle-aged mathematician, [[Andrew Wiles]], holding back tears as he recalled the moment when he finally realised how to resolve the fundamental error in his proof of [[Fermat's Last Theorem]]. The documentary was originally transmitted in January 1996 as an edition of the BBC ''Horizon'' series. It was also aired in America as part of the [[Nova (American TV program)|NOVA series]]. ''The Proof'', as it was re-titled, was nominated for an [[Emmy Award]].

The story of this celebrated mathematical problem was also the subject of Singh's first book, ''[[Fermat's Last Theorem (book)|Fermat's Last Theorem]]''. In 1997, he began working on his second book, ''The Code Book'', a history of [[codes]] and [[codebreaking]]. As well as explaining the science of codes and describing the impact of [[cryptography]] on history, the book also contends that cryptography is more important today than ever before. ''The Code Book'' has resulted in a return to television for him. He presented ''The Science of Secrecy'', a five-part series for Channel 4. The stories in the series range from the [[cipher]] that sealed the fate of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], to the coded [[Zimmermann Telegram]] that changed the course of the [[First World War]]. Other programmes discuss how two great 19th-century geniuses raced to decipher [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]] and how modern encryption can guarantee privacy on the Internet.

[[File:Simon Singh TAM London 2009.jpg|thumb|right|Singh speaking at [[The Amaz!ng Meeting|TAM London]] in October 2009]]
On his activities as author he said in an interview to [[Imperial College London]]:

{{quote|When I finished my PhD, I knew I wasn't exceptionally good and would never get the Nobel prize. As a kid, I wanted to be a footballer then a commentator. If I couldn't be a physicist, I'd write about it.<ref>[http://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=2579 The Simon Singh interview] Imperial College, 1999</ref>}}
In October 2004, Singh published a book entitled ''Big Bang'', which tells the history of the universe. It is told in his trademark style, by following the remarkable stories of the people who put the pieces together.

[[File:Singh and Wiseman - EdSciFest 2014 (1).JPG|thumb|Simon Singh speaks to [[Richard Wiseman]] on the ''[[Edinburgh International Science Festival]]'' (2014)]]
He made headlines in 2005 when he criticised the [[Katie Melua]] song "[[Nine Million Bicycles]]" for inaccurate lyrics referring to the size of the [[observable universe]]. Singh proposed corrected lyrics, though he used the value of 13.7 billion light years; accounting for expansion of the universe, the [[comoving distance]] to the edge of the observable universe is 46.5 billion light years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/comment/story/0,9828,1581826,00.html|title=Katie Melua's bad science|last=Singh|first=Simon|date=30 September 2005|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=12 December 2008 | location=London}}</ref><ref name=ly93>{{cite magazine | last1 = Lineweaver | first1 = Charles | first2 = Tamara M. |last2=Davis | year = 2005 | url = http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=misconceptions-about-the-2005-03&page=5 | title = Misconceptions about the Big Bang | magazine = [[Scientific American]] | access-date = 6 November 2008}}</ref> [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''Today'' programme brought Melua and Singh together in a radio studio where Melua recorded a tongue-in-cheek version of the song that had been written by Singh.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/listenagain_20051015.shtml |title= Listen Again |publisher= BBC Radio 4 |work= Today Programme |date= 15 October 2005 |access-date= 18 May 2008}}</ref>

Singh was part of an investigation about [[homeopathy]] in 2006. This investigation was made by the organization [[Sense about Science]].<ref name=MTS/><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/malaria-and-homeopathy.html|title = Malaria and homeopathy
|access-date = 15 January 2014}}</ref>
In the investigation, a student asked ten homeopaths for an alternative to her preventive malaria medication. All ten homeopaths recommended homeopathy as a substitute.<ref name = "skepticality">{{cite podcast|url =http://www.skepticality.com/dodgy-homeopathy/|title = Dodgy Homeopathy |publisher= [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]|host=[[Fraser Cain]]|date = 24 October 2006|time=8:50|access-date = 29 July 2014}}</ref>
This investigation was reported by the [[BBC]].<ref>{{cite news|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5178122.stm|title = Malaria advice 'risks lives'|publisher = [[BBC News]]|date = 13 July 2006|access-date = 15 January 2014}}</ref>

Singh is a member of the Advisory Council for the [[Campaign for Science and Engineering]].<ref name="CaSE Advisory Council">{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/about/who/advisory.htm|title=Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering|access-date=11 February 2011|archive-date=28 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828110110/http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/about/who/advisory.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Singh has been involved in television and radio programmes, including ''Five Numbers'' (BBC Radio 4, 11 March 2002 to 20 September 2005).<ref name="bbc.co.uk/p00cl73s">{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Simon |title=Simon Singh's Numbers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cl73s/episodes/player |publisher=BBC Radio 4|access-date=24 December 2022}}</ref>