Bobblebrook has released a nice little evolution game: “Put on your garden boots (or your lab coat, if you prefer) and breed a unique collection of flowers! Each flower in “Rare Breeds: Petunia” has its own genetic code. Crossbreed two flowers and their genes will combine, with random mutations sprinkled in. Create [...]
An internal document, however, sheds light on what was going on in Mr. Hauser’s lab. It tells the story of how research assistants became convinced that the professor was reporting bogus data and how he aggressively pushed back against those who questioned his findings or asked for verification.
During the past century, though, a mutant form of math has deflected science’s heart from the modes of calculation that had long served so faithfully. Science was seduced by statistics, the math rooted in the same principles that guarantee profits for Las Vegas casinos. Supposedly, the proper use of statistics makes relying on scientific [...]
Kon-Tiki is a Norwegian documentary about the Kon-Tiki expedition led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947, released in 1950. The movie, which was directed by Thor Heyerdahl and edited by Olle Nordemar, received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 24th Academy Awards in 1951. The Oscar officially went to Olle Nordemar. It [...]
Human evolutionary change has been rapid and extensive; so much so that the genetic similarity and recent divergence between the human and the chimp lineages came as a profound surprise. Three million years ago humans were relatively minor elements of a rich East African mammalian fauna. Since then, our lineage has expanded geographically, demographically and [...]
Marc Hauser who is famous for his work into animal cognition, as well as a number of popular science books (e.g. Wild Minds), has been investigated for scientific misconduct:
The findings have resulted in the retraction of an influential study that he led. “MH accepts responsibility for the error,’’ says the retraction of the study on [...]
