It’s been a good week for Internet-related nonsense in British newspapers. From The Sun, we had ‘Atlantis’ spotted on ocean floor off Africa, in which a grid-like pattern on Google Earth was attributed to the remains of an ancient civilization 3½ miles below somehow causing perfectly straight lines to be created on the ocean above. It’s obviously not just an imaging artifact: that just seems too implausible.

Bernie, 38, of Chester, said: “It looks like an aerial map of Milton Keynes. It must be man-made.”

It would be great if Atlantis was found and did actually resemble Milton Keynes. Maybe that city should be hidden underwater never to be found again as well?

This story was also picked up by the Telegraph, who appear to be attempting to take the crown of ‘most scientifically illiterate newspaper’ from the Daily Mail.

Not to be outdone in this contest, however, the Mail gave us How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer. This is of course as stupid as it seems on first glance, but tell that to the users of the paper’s website, who are sick and tired of the advice of “experts”:

I’m not at all shocked by this! Under "Brown’s Britain", street crime has soared and so its no surprise that kids would choose to stay at home and use facebook rather than go out and get stabbed.

This is what happens when our so-called government decide to give every kid a computer – the kids learn violence from the terrible computer games and when they do eventually go out, they enact what they’ve seen on screen.

What’s wrong with promoting sports and playing outside? Oh… I know… its because the computer companies give Mr. Darling loads of money to make sure we keep promoting them!

- Matt, London, UK, 19/2/2009 4:39

The so called "experts" you want us to listen to are just a bunch of depressive pessimistic idiots who find danger in everything they study,it’s only THEIR opinions, not ours. Experts have been proved wrong on so many occasions, why bother listening to their views. I am an expert on experts and they are rubbish, believe me.

- LYN, London, 19/2/2009 11:26

Oh please……….. for the love of God……… these ‘Experts’ seem to pop up all over with unsubstaniated rubbish… maybe they’re trying to justify keeping their jobs in this present currant economic crisis.

- Graeme, Oakwood, Cheshire, 19/2/2009 1:44

Perhaps this will discourage any scientists with actual health advice from bothering Daily Mail readers with it in the future. They’re had enough!