Search on for good-looking octogenarian

SCIENTISTS have launched a search for an 80-year-old man whose good looks symbolise the role of chemistry in improving health.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) said James Bond actor Sir Sean Connery, who turns 80 this summer, was internationally admired for his undimmed appeal in old age as it set out to find another "equally imposing gentlemen who should share the octogenarian limelight".

The aim is to show the importance of British scientific research and development, currently threatened by December's 600 million science-funding cuts, in improving the health and fitness of the nation, the RSC said.

The reward for the man whose looks are judged to be the equal of Sir Sean's will be a collection of the star's films, a designer tracksuit, 300 cash and a 20-year subscription to Chemistry World magazine.