The researchers looked at data on children featured in the British Cohort Study - a large group of people born in April 1970 - to look at the link between reading and maths scores at age 10, and earnings at ages 30, 34 and 38.
But a protest was held near the Conservative Party conference on Monday against the proposed HS2 high-speed rail link involving the STOP HS2 group, which has expressed concerns over the environment and funding.
The dispute spawned an industry self-regulatory group that pledged not to link personally identifiable information to Web browsing unless the person opted in.
Thalidomide patient Nick Holness and his 15-year-old daughter Rebecca are being presented by the group as evidence of "second generation" Thalidomide link.