Thursday 3 January 2019

New Scientist 22 Dec_Dumb Bears

We start of with a discussion on how I had mis identified harmless fishing spiders as the cunning Funnel Webs. The former have the ability to walk on water, and in this case not walk on water and sink to bottom of my pool. The latter have also survived lurking at the bottom of my pool but are a tad more dangerous. The big fangs are a give away and my horror just went up a notch when I found out that they bite and remain attached and have to be picked off.

Now the dreadful reality for me is that my rehab had plateaued with me struggling with odd word or turn of sentence. High level I am still okay being able to predict where the articles are going and dissect dodgy science. I have to admit that I am largely disappointed with the lack of sophistication of what I read.

Pointing out that Cave bears have a brain to brawn ration of 0.6 compared to humans at 6.28 was rather uninspiring. What does this mean with males at 1000 kg and females at 250 kg? Then the nitrogen 15 isotope debate seems incomprehensible. Surely you would nail this one by samples from herbivore pandas. I am obviously missing something. N 15 tracing is a really involved science.

I think the greater issue with toys are really valuable for cognitive literacy is the need to wean ourselves of cheap junk toys which have high impact by low resilience and adaptability. I think the process of experimenting with ancient toys is just good science in that you have to be really cautious with any results.

The gratitude study by placing cameras in the homes of eight different cultures really is an exercise in bogus statistics and people's ability to over reach any form of sound science.

Science spats is possibly one of the most disappointing articles I have read in a fair while. Science snobbery and mean spiritness is just so pervasive and really kills women's and normal people's interest in science. It is the soap opera and human weakness that has a intrigue and stupidity that draws people in so they don't have to wrestle with the burden of the responsibility that come with being able to work out the consequence of your actions.

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