Science is infuriating.

You almost never get the yes-no answers you seek, just some data and a request for more money. (The illustration is from an Australian government page on the health effects of mobile phones.)

Sorry about that. If you want certainty go to a preacher. They may be certainly wrong, but they are bound to be certain.

The latest edition of the Reflex study , funded by the European Community, indicates there is some cellular damage from using phones at the recommended power levels. But how bad is it?

More money, please.

Project leader Franz Adlkofer said, "We don't want to create a panic," then added some sentences bound to create panic, advising against the use of a mobile phone when a fixed line phone is available, and for the use of a headset whenever possible.

Scary stuff. But here's why you should not panic at all.

The interests of more efficient use of the spectrum and health match very closely.

The easiest way to reduce the amount of radiation that goes into your body from a phone is to reduce the power on the phone, or to take that radiation in short pulses.

Lower power phones that spend less time emitting radiation allow the frequency spectrum to be used by more people, in tighter spaces.

I fully expect manufacturers to take all this on board and deliver a wealth of improvements in phones, separating the headset from the handset, reducing the power requirements, and cutting radiation levels.

The result will be more useful designs, longer battery life, and a push toward people grabbing these improvements quickly in the name of their health.

Win-win, I'd say.