"Mobile phone killed my man," screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.

For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.

One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous"memory loss" study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can't comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive abilities. "I'm pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory," he says.

Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses exposed to microwaves become more -- rather than less -- receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.

An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.

"If _ doesn't certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn't going to cause cancer in humans," says William. And while there's still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don't be afraid.

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. Did an American newspaper report on brain heating and cell phones?
2. Are scientists worried about cell phones killing brain cells?
3. What animal is mentioned in the West Coast experiment?
4. Where did Mr. Preece work?
5. How long were the rodents put near those waves?
6. What is the name of a military oriented building on the West Coast?
7. Are microwaves okay for rodents?
8. Were the furry lab species provided with chocolate for this experiment?
9. What side of the head was tested in by Mr. P?
10. What was one title from a publication?
1. no
2. no
3. mice
4. University of Bristol
5. two hours
6. the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
7. yes
8. unknown
9. left
10. Mobile phone killed my man