His first editorial post was on
World Medicine, a magazine aimed at GPs.
New Scientists circulation increased nearly twofold during this period. Dixon subsequently worked as a freelance science editor and writer. He was European Editor for the
American Society for Microbiology from 1997. He wrote columns for
Current Biology from 2000 and for
Lancet Infectious Diseases from 2001. He was a member of the
European Federation of Biotechnology's Task Group on Public Perceptions of Biotechnology. He served on committees for bodies such as the
British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Council for Science and Society and the
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. In 1974, with his colleague
Joseph Hanlon, he investigated
Uri Gellar, showing that his ability to
bend metal objects was not paranormal. Dixon campaigned on issues such as the risk of
antibiotic resistance from use of the drugs in cattle to promote growth. He wrote several books, including
What Is Science For? (1973) and
Beyond the Magic Bullet (1978). He was the general editor of an anthology
From Creation to Chaos: Classic Writings in Science (1989). ==Personal life==