Why must scientists always try to debunk our long-held and cherished beliefs?

It was bad enough introducing the 'big bang' theory when for centuries we had been happy to believe God made heaven and earth in six days and took Sunday off.

Now they are saying the honest, faithful loft-loving homing pigeon does not have a sophisticated built-in radar system that guides it from the furthest point imaginable. It simply follows the main road, they say, and then recognises landmarks near home.

So how do they account for the birds that make it home from some desolate spot in the middle of nowhere, having been carted there in a truck packed with hundreds of other birds? Not all could have had a window seat.

It must be galling for the so-called experts to be stumped by a cooing, feather-brained pigeon, otherwise they would not come up with such a daft idea.