There's been a lot of research into personality, intelligence etc effects of one's birth order, ie. being the youngest, middle, only, etc. Results are mostly highly disputed, with each study showing some effect met by another showing none. About the only thing that seems certain is that if a man has mutiple older brothers he's more likely to be gay ( Read more... )

• DNA crime scene analysis -- a wonderfully useful investigative tool. Or is it?

"It turns out that standard molecular biology techniques (...) enable anyone with basic equipment and know-how to produce practically unlimited amounts of in vitro synthesized (artificial) DNA with any desired genetic profile. This artificial DNA can then be applied to ( Read more... )

• Acceptosaurus -- this, and the comments underneath, are very funny whether or not you're involved in submitting papers, evolutionary biology, etc.
• Lady GaGa is an Illuminati puppet -- does this surprise anyone at all? And the Bad Romance song and video are all about Baphomet, as they would be.
• George Monbiot slams the feed-in tariff -- my own feeling ( Read more... )

• Body Ritual among the Nacirema -- famous and influential anthropological article by Horace Miner. A bit dated now (hog hairs?) but it still works pretty well as satire, both of the society and of anthropogical perceptions.
• Are you being ripped of by motor insurers? -- specifically, have they tried to write off your car for a nugatory value when you ( Read more... )

Did anyone see this on Channel 4 last night? I'll try and pick it up on a catch-up service when I have a moment, but this article on the subject by the presenter is interesting reading. Although, being the Telegraph, many of the comments are frankly scary ( Read more... )

Just learned that Bob Lloyd, who I haven't seen in ages (as he went to live in Spain, and me in Ipswich) has got his book out -- Leaving the Land of Woo.
"Leaving The Land Of Woo takes a critical look at the strange theories underpinning the claims of alternative medicine, food therapies such as diets and detox, religion, and the paranormal. ( Read more... )

In all this recent kerfuffle about ZOMG sperm!, I haven't yet noticed any of the media coverage making reference to John Wyndham's 'Consider Her Ways'. Which you'd think would be obvious. A small kduo to the first mainstram commentator to do so, I think -- tell me if you spot one ( Read more... )

Is anyone else watching The Incredible Human Journey? I'm finding it pretty interesting. Not about two dogs and a cat (or even a human) traipsing across North America, but about the early migrations of the human species. Paleoanthropology is a discipline that has been shaken up so radically in recent years, with the arrival of DNA analysis ( Read more... )

The Open University / BBC are giving away a rather nice-looking poster showing the branching evolutionary descent of various assorted interesting animal groups -- click here to get one. Nice if you have or know kids that you want to indoctrinate, or just want to know more about it yourself of course. UK and RoI only though, sorry ( Read more... )

Two roundups which between them demonstrate just how useless humans are at thinking things through.

• Does ideology trump facts? Studies say it often does"If the findings of some political scientists are right, attempting to correct misinformation might do nothing more than reinforce the false belief ( Read more... )