DESPITE its inherent fascination, the subject of the size of
birds鈥� testicles is not one that often crops up in people鈥檚 minds. It is,
however, a current topic of discussion on a bird-watchers鈥� discussion group
(ukbirdnet@dcs.bbk.ac.uk).
Apparently, species where polyandry is common are particularly well endowed.
The common dunnock fits into this category and develops a particularly large
undercarriage in the spring. Alpine accentors (close relatives of the dunnock
found in mountainous European and Asian locations) are even more impressive.
They have a greater male to female ratio per breeding group than dunnocks, so
there is more sperm competition among them. As a result, the equivalent size of
their appendages in humans would be two large footballs.
A rather uncomfortable thought, Feedback feels.
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meanwhile, we are indebted to the New Zealand agricultural
research journal Agresearch Science for its report on the results of 12
years of experiments by a Dr Morris which have shown that: 鈥淗igh scrotal
circumference in bulls is genetically linked to early puberty in female
relatives. Genetic selection has given a 15 per cent increase in the
reproductive capability of the beef herd鈥檚 yearling heifers as a result of
earlier puberty.鈥�
How or why this is the case we do not know. Perhaps a little dunnock could
tell us.
last week, we reported again on the strange error messages that computers
sometimes beflummox their users with. Here are some messages that computers do
not come up with, but perhaps should. They are taken from the 鈥淭op 50 Geek
T-Shirt Slogans鈥�, which were sent to us by a reader who found them somewhere or
other on the Internet.
- Computers make very fast, very accurate mistakes.
- Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are.
- Best file compression around: 鈥淒EL鈥� = 100% compression.
- The definition of an upgrade: Take old bugs out, put new ones in.
- Access denied鈥攏ah nah na nah nah!
- Bad command or file name鈥攇o stand in the corner!
- Bad command. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaay . . .
- Why doesn鈥檛 DOS ever say 鈥淓XCELLENT command or filename鈥�?
- As a computer, I find your faith in technology amusing.
- File not found. Should I fake it? (Y/N)
- Does fuzzy logic tickle?
- Windows: Just another pane in the glass.
-
Press
to continue. - Smash forehead on keyboard to continue.
- Enter any 11-digit prime number to continue.
- All wiyht, rho sritched mg kegtops awound?
- Press any key . . . no, no, no NOT THAT ONE!
- Press any key to continue or any other key to quit.
DO shoemaker鈥檚 children go barefoot? Would you go to a dermatologist covered
with eczema? Feedback is reminded of these questions by a new study of divorce
among physicians who graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in
Baltimore.
The study of over a thousand doctors who finished medical school between 1948
and 1964 found an overall divorce rate of 32 per cent over 40 years. The
researchers then sorted the findings by speciality, and guess who ended up on
top? Psychiatrists, of course, with a 51 per cent divorce rate.
No other group came close to that. Paediatricians and pathologists came
lowest with only a 22 per cent rate. So it would seem that if you are having
problems in your relationship, don鈥檛 see a shrink. Pretend you鈥檙e a child, and
book an appointment with a paediatrician instead.
IS The Guardian losing its highly respected marbles? It
has just been pointed out to us that back on 22 February, the esteemed paper had
this to say about Greece鈥檚 possible shift to Central European Time:
鈥淪hifting to CET would help bankers, traders, merchants and government
services dealing with the EU. But it would rob sun-lovers of one hour鈥檚 worth of
daylight in both summer and winter . . . CET would shorten the daylight hours by
one hour throughout the year.鈥�
Amazing what you can do by fiddling around with a clock, isn鈥檛 it?
HOW often do you blink? More than 12 times a minute? If so, you
have probably been watching too much TV鈥攐r, at least, that鈥檚 what doctors
in China think. They have identified an entirely new disease, which they have
called 鈥渏uvenile rapid blink syndrome鈥�.
According to China Daily, the official English-language Chinese
newspaper, Wang Yinqi, deputy director of the Henan Institute of Ophthalmology,
says hospitals in his city have received increasing numbers of children who have
contracted the disease. He says swift-changing TV images can give rise to
overexcitement of the optic nerve after excessive watching. As the child鈥檚 eyes
are not yet fully developed, overexcitement of the optic nerve can lead to a
preventative reaction鈥攖he video twitch. Patients may blink more than 12
times a minute.
Wang says the symptoms disappear two or three months after the patients stop
watching TV. After that, patients should only be allowed to watch TV for less
than one hour a day.
One thing puzzles Feedback. Children in the West have been watching TV in
bucketloads for years. Why has nobody noticed them blinking all the time? Is it
just that we were all too worried about them getting square eyes?
IN FEBRUARY we appealed for your help in compiling an anthology of
strange-but-true science stories that have appeared in New 杏吧原创.
We offered prizes of 拢50 for the best lists that were sent in.
Your lists have proved very helpful. Thanks very much to all of you who
contributed. The following, especially, put a large amount of work into their
entries, so we are offering prizes to all seven: C. J. Harris, Gill Champion,
Chris Benn, C. Macafee, Ian Simmons, James O鈥橦agan, Phil Abraham. Cheques are on
their way.
Meanwhile, we can鈥檛 offer any more prizes, but if any more readers happen to
recall a story in the magazine that caught the imagination because it was so
strange, we would be very grateful to hear about it.