The week in six bits: 1. Nope, pruny fingers and toes don’t give you a “better grip”. Researchers claim to demonstrate that people with wrinkly hands are no better at set-up tasks requiring grip acuity. However, does this really disprove the underlying evolutionary hypothesis? I mean, does the study really […]
Evolution
Yes, it’s a list! Five Profoundest Scientific Breakthroughs of 2013
Okay, 2013 is as good as over, and you’re no doubt currently bombarded by countdowns and reviews describing cultural highlights from the last 12 months. Basically, it was all twerking, One Direction, Rob Ford, North West-Kardashian, Edward Snowden, horsemeat, and Syria. I get it. (Please make it stop…) There has also been […]
My kingdom for a zorse (kind of)
Say hello to Ippo. No, not the Japanese manga boxer (after whom he’s no doubt named), but this little fella: He’s a zonkey. Or a zebroid. Or a zorse. Or a zony. Or a zemule. Or a zebonkey. Or even a zebronkey. Or a zebadonk. Or a donkra. Or…wait for it… …a horbra! (Just don’t say that one out loud). […]
Favourites List (29.11.13)
The week in six bits: 1. Self-tickling is impossible even if you think someone else is doing it. Allowing me to break new ground by posting a picture of a cat on the internet. 2. Evolution Doesn’t Look Like You Think It Does. This has always annoyed me too. This, and […]
Knowing me, knowing you (Eureka!)
If there is “more than one way of knowing”, then how can you know that that is true? Presumably, if you know that it is true, then I can simply ‘know’ that it is not true. And I can further simply choose to ‘know’ that I am right in a […]
Forthcoming: Master of Delusion
Time to reprint those fan t-shirts, folks, as a new date has been added to my world tour. Next Tuesday evening I’m giving the keynote lecture at Psych Fest 2013, the, er, psychology festival at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick. Drum roll for the abstract…