Last year, the Department for Children, Schools and Families introduced the Diploma qualification in England which combines theoretical study with practical experience.

BBC: Q&A: Life in a harsh jobs market

However, he warns that if you want to pursue the arts and social sciences, you should either combine the study with a more practical major or go for a graduate degree.

FORBES: The 10 Worst College Majors

Over the years these have included polo, competitive horse carriage driving (a sport in which he has represented Britain) science, the study of UFOs, practical jokes, painting and taking the wheel of his own London taxi.

CNN: Prince Philip: The man behind the queen

Either they went to Scotland to be taught, or else they learned at their father's workbench, picking up practical scraps that, combined with evening study, cohered into a system of proper knowledge.

ECONOMIST: 18th-century science

But, from the beginning, there was a failure to reconcile the lofty aspirations and dreams with the practical realities of conducting a focused and feasible study.

FORBES: What Caused A Billion Dollar Federal Study Of Child Health To Implode?

Yet the GMO industry has a practical advantage beyond the battling message points or the purported refutation of one scientific study by research leading to diametrically opposed conclusions.

FORBES: 'I Was Wrong:' How One Activist's Apology Changes the GMO Debate

Professor Leridon said the study had been carried out because it was important to answer a range of practical questions about the chances of either natural or artificially aided conception so that couples could be given more precise information about the potential risks of postponing childbirth beyond a given age.

BBC: The researchers evaluated women's chances of conceiving