Animal analysis, aye!
It’s great to see another scientist publicly backing what the BUAV has long been calling for: a full scientific analysis on the efficacy of animal experiments in medical research (16 February, p 20). Animal research falls well short of its oft-stated achievements when systematic, rigorous scientific analysis of the actual evidence-based efficacy is applied, as US government scientists’ decision to work towards replacing animal toxicity testing with human cell-based methodology shows (online news, 15 February).
The moral case against causing pain, suffering and lasting harm to animals in experiments is undisputed.
Two-thirds of people in the UK want to live in a world where no-one wants to, or believes we need to, experiment on animals.
Defence of the hard arts
Patrick Young claims that “Any fool can get an arts or business degree if they attend occasionally” (23 February, p 20). I graduated with honours in chemistry, but I took a wide variety of classes, not only from the required maths and computer programming courses but ancient Greek law, Celtic myths, musical theory, criminology and autobiographies, among others. I am now learning a language to adapt to my new home.
I can state with certainty that these classes are just as difficult as a science course at the same level.
Much depends on the way of thinking you become good at. My worst subjects were those that required expressing unprovable points of view 鈥� English courses in particular. My sister, who is studying for an English degree, excels at these.
Not only does using a dismissive tone when speaking of arts degrees hardly endear scientists to the general public; it is a dangerous and careless way of thinking. The world requires all types of thinker.
As an arts graduate, it seems to me that Patrick Young’s hypothesis as to why so few people become scientists is somewhat lacking in academic rigour. He fails to define his use of the word “fool” in this context.
Then he erroneously equates attendance at university with effort or work, disregarding the level of individual study required of arts students.
He fails to cite his sources for his assertions regarding managers, stock market analysts and the thought processes of clever kids. Finally, and most heinously, he equates “clever” with “scientifically minded”.
As an arts graduate, of course, I have to ask why it is assumed that a “sensible” person would prefer a well-paid job and an easy life to an intellectually fulfilling but demanding career.
Clevedon, North Somerset, UK
Time, or no time
Those theorising about the possibility of time travel (9 February, p 32) should have a quick chat with those theorising time doesn’t exist (19 January, p 26), who appear to agree with the old mystic philosophers in questioning the ontological status of any time but the present.
After all, spending a lot of effort travelling to a “then” only to discover it’s still “now” would be terribly disappointing.
For the record
鈥� The reference for the paper proposing that computer operating systems should save memory to disc (23 February, p 23) should have been .
鈥� It was Richard Moon who appeared in Oliver at Turvey Village Hall in Bedfordshire, UK 鈥� Feedback somehow changed his name to “Wood” (1 March).
Sewage in the clouds
Mark Anderson mentions particle or droplet collision in a fluid in motion or shear as something only recently understood (26 January, p 44). It was discussed widely more than 100 years ago 鈥� in the context of sewage treatment. Marian Smoluchowski’s work on colloid coagulation is referred to in water treatment and colloid science texts. One should look outside one’s own speciality, as well as within, when attempting to find explanations for something.
Pole position
I was disappointed that Allen Counter feels Matthew Henson “had never received any credit for reaching” the North Pole with Robert Peary (2 February, p 44). They did so on 6 April, 1909 鈥� not 1906 as Counter states.
The expedition was unfortunately mired in controversy at the time, due to the fraudulent claims of one Frederick Cook that he had reached the pole in 1908. It was mainly due to Henson’s work that these claims were disproved.
As attitudes changed in the US, Matthew Henson received many medals and awards; has a biography written about him; met President Eisenhower in 1954; is interred in the Arlington National Cemetery; and in 1998 a US navy oceanographic survey ship was named after him. How many readers can name Roald Amundsen’s second in command on his successful journey to the South Pole in 1911?
Tongue tied down
Allen Counter really cannot be allowed to get away with the claim that the language of the Saramacca in Suriname can be understood by inhabitants of Ghana (2 February, p 44). It is reminiscent of wild statements by travellers in antiquity 鈥� such as the supposed ability, 500 years ago, of Irish sailors to communicate with indigenous North Africans.
The common speech form of the Saramacca is a pidgin whose vocabulary is 60 per cent English with some words derived from Portuguese and Dutch. There is indeed an influx of African vocabulary, estimated at about 5 per cent, and a tonal system inherited from west African languages; but it would be quite incomprehensible to any Ghanaian. I don’t believe there is any Afro-American speech form that is mutually comprehensible with an African language.
Diet and delusion
By asking only his overweight patients about their diet and lifestyle, Gregory Wlodarski has done only half an experiment: he’s forgotten his control group (1 March, p 25). To draw conclusions about the effects of diet and lifestyle on weight, he needs to ask the same questions of his slimmer patients too.
Animal savants
When I wrote that animals’ great feats of memory make them resemble autistic savants (23 February, p 8) I was not implying that they were abnormal. My hypothesis is that the Clark’s nutcracker and an autistic savant may use similar neurological mechanisms for storing and retrieving pictures of things they have seen in the past.
What amazed me was that the nutcracker’s task of remembering where hundreds of nut caches are hidden is so similar to an autistic savant remembering every street in a large city.
In my own mind all my thoughts are like photographs, and I access information in my memory like Google for images. If I think about a teapot, I see pictures of specific teapots. There is no generalised image.
Tortures vile
Your editorial on modern barbarity (23 February, p 3) and the interview with torture researcher Darius Rejali (p 44) gave only the briefest mention of the unreliability of information obtained using torture.
Many people will incriminate innocent friends and relations or confess to crimes they have never committed under torture. So any information obtained is as likely to lead to dead ends as to be useful. If we allow torture to be used then we may end up with suspected terrorists implicating innocent people, who confess to whatever they are accused of and implicate yet more innocent “terrorists”, while the authorities claim to have uncovered a vast plot that never existed.
From Jim Roberts,
The adoption of so-called “clean” torture methods that reduce the perpetrators’ chances of being held accountable is a real phenomenon to which I can attest through my contact with torture victims over many years as a human rights worker. As to whether torture “works”, if we are to avoid further descent into barbarity we must be prepared to reject its practice regardless of any perceived effectiveness.
One area of misunderstanding by many, including the US government, is the perception that psychological torture is less brutal or devastating in its after-effects than physical torture. Since psychological torture includes such practices as mock executions and being forced to observe the torture of a loved one, it should be manifestly clear that it is just as horrific, if not more so.
Long Beach, California, US
G spot on the spot
Your piece about the ultrasound study of the “G spot” (23 February, p 6) failed to mention many of the scientific problems. First, the authors’ definition in their paper of vaginal orgasm as “the orgasm experienced after direct stimulation of the anterior vaginal wall by penetration, without concomitant stimulation of the external clitoris” is technical and impossible to confirm. Is this penile penetration or were fingers or dildo used?
In 25 years as a sex therapist, I have not met many women who knew which wall of their vagina received stimulation during penile intercourse 鈥� and how do you keep other walls from getting involved? We know a lot about the ultrasound technique, but we don’t know much about the sexual practices and experiences of the women in this study.
Secondly, the way you presented this research could encourage the dangerous wave of untested cosmetic surgeries and injections that claim to “thicken the G spot”. Commercialisation of this topic greatly exceeds its scientific basis. Media that should be scientific are promoting unsafe and untested practices.
Emmanuele Jannini writes:
鈥� Some of our subjects were medical doctors and understood terms such as “anterior”. Though we used these terms in the paper, in real life we also used popular language to ensure all participants understood. Nothing we have published suggests the possibility of a surgical technique, so I disagree that this research could encourage cosmetic manipulation of the G spot.
Autistic automony
I understand the position of a mother on autism treatment for her son (23 February, p 21). As an individual with Asperger’s syndrome, I have experienced the blessing of a greater intellect and the curse of lacking the more innate social functions. I have experienced misunderstanding and prejudice, but understanding and acceptance from others.
I am under the impression that , and other groups advocating curing and preventing autism which appear to be led primarily by non-autistics, want to eliminate all forms of autism 鈥� permanently. In doing so they ignore our experience of autism and our learning to overcome our weaknesses, to utilise our strengths and to grow as human beings; and how this comes to define our identity, meaning and life-purpose as individuals.
I agree that minimising or removing negative symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders can create a better quality of life, but we need to protect people with autism from the deliberate cruelty that some inflict on them.
From Ari Ne’eman,
Growing up, my mother was my strongest ally in my efforts to ensure my educational needs were met. So I sympathise with your correspondent’s perspective and I know that she and other parents are seeking the best for their children. Like your correspondent, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network believes in finding a way to mitigate our disabilities and enable our strengths.
Unfortunately, Autism Speaks and other groups committed to finding a “cure” to make autistic individuals “normal” are acting in a way that is hostile to those ends.
Continued saturation of the airwaves with inaccurate and offensive tragedy-oriented advertisements hurts the efforts of both parents and adults on the spectrum to promote an inclusive society where those of us with autism get the support we need.
Furthermore, the idea of a prenatal test for the autism spectrum, a major possible application for the research Autism Speaks funds, is very frightening to those of us familiar with the extremely high rate of selective abortion for other developmental disabilities.
Musical hairs
Perhaps some monkeys prefer silence (23 February, p 29) because music or any noise hinders their ability to listen out for danger. It’s not as if they have leisure time in the wild. Being able to appreciate music or indeed any art form may depend on being large, quick or socially organised enough to lead less-hunted existences. Music may also be appreciated more by those species whose primary sensory inputs are not aural. Perhaps an experiment with crocodiles might confirm this?
Steven Mithen’s efforts to sing (23 February, p 39) reminded me of an experiment I conducted at school. Frustrated by my inability to sing, I used an oscilloscope to analyse my voice and that of my good friend, who was a soloist in the school choir.
His pure voice was a near sine wave; my attempt at singing was nearly a square wave.
I hypothesised that all the extra harmonics that my square wave voice produced made it difficult for my brain to hold a tune. Has this been tested?
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire, UK