One of the most prominent theories in modern science is Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Bertrand Russell said there is nothing uncertain about it, but let it pass. The point is uncertainty is a natural part of all scientific research. At the same time, in the public domain, it can be used selectively to discredit unwanted results or put off important policies. Researcher Stephen B. Broomell demonstrated that perceptions held by the public may not reflect the reality of scientific study. For instance, psychology is perceived as the least precise while forensics is perceived as the most precise. Actually, forensics is troubled by many of the same uncertainties as psychology, in predicting human behaviour with limited evidence. This shows people are not connected to the practice of scientific exploration. When perceived accuracy isn’t the same as actual accuracy, the disconnect can cut off some essential disciplines — from economics to genetic engineering. “This means,” Broomell said, “we must find a way to engage uncertainty in a way that speaks to the public’s concerns.”
SNEAK PEEK
1. Panic buying
COVID-19 caused “panic buying” and stockpiling toilet paper. Reports indicate a 700% increase in sales. Perceived threat is the strongest predictor of this behaviour, to be sure. Nevertheless, we are still far away from understanding this phenomenon fully? Who studied it?
1. Max Planck doctoral student Theo Toppe
2. Tweaking odours
Mice who lost their sense of smell also lose weight. “Super-smellers” get fatter. The odour of what we eat plays a key role in how the body deals with calories. If we tweak odour inputs we can actually alter how the brain regulates energy balance. Who proposed the idea?
2. Dr Céline E. Riera (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)
3. A ‘forward bias’
In old portrait paintings, artists put more open space in front of their sitters than behind them — a ‘forward bias’: This became less rigid when cultural norms of spatial composition favoured “centering”. Who observed that “culture and cognition are two interacting domains”?
3. Helena Miton (a Santa Fe Institute Omidyar Fellow)
4. Not hard-shelled
Ancestral dinosaur eggs were believed to be hard-shelled, but they were actually soft like turtle eggs. The evidence came from the egg remains of two species of dinosaurs that lived 75-71 million years ago and 227-208.5 million years ago respectively. Who led the study?
4. Mark A. Norell (American Museum of Natural History)
5. Put it in reverse!
Rock ants use a reversed form of chemical communication. Instead of following each other’s trails, they would avoid them in order to explore unexplored spaces collectively. Who noticed that the ‘reversal’ behaviour inspires a more efficient mathematical sampling technique?
5. Dr Edmund R Hunt (University of Bristol)
6. Before the buildup
Alzheimer’s disease is usually linked with the buildup of certain substances in the brain. But the problem starts earlier – with damaged pericytes (gatekeeper cells). Who reported that “blood flow in the brain reduces like a drain that is slowly getting clogged” when this happens?
6. Angeliki Maria Nikolakopoulou (Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute)
7. Smell in navigation
People who have better spatial memory are also better at identifying odours, says a study. It builds on a recent theory that the main reason that a sense of smell evolved was to aid in navigation — to locate food and avoid predators. Who came up with that “recent theory”?
7. UC-Berkeley psychologist Lucia F Jacobs
8. I feel threatened!
“I felt threatened” is how we explain it when we feel or act negatively toward a group. In fact, people can easily be conditioned to feel prejudice and that unrecognized prejudice can be the source of a perceived threat. Prejudice can cause threat perception. Who found this?
8. Psychologist Angela J Bahns (Wellesley College)
9. Away from vectors
Being a disease vector kills a person’s status. We have ancient evolutionary adaptations to avoid them. “Lowering a person’s social status is an evolutionarily ancient method of social distancing from disease vectors.” Who wrote this in a study before the arrival of COVID-19?
9. UT Austin evolutionary psychologist David Michael Buss
[ANSWERS]
1. Max Planck doctoral student Theo Toppe
2. Dr Céline E. Riera (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)
3. Helena Miton (a Santa Fe Institute Omidyar Fellow)
4. Mark A. Norell (American Museum of Natural History)
5. Dr Edmund R Hunt (University of Bristol)
6. Angeliki Maria Nikolakopoulou (Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute)
7. UC-Berkeley psychologist Lucia F Jacobs
8. Psychologist Angela J Bahns (Wellesley College)
9. UT Austin evolutionary psychologist David Michael Buss
QUIZ No. 960
1. Who theorised that the span of our existence is short if there are no ETs out there?
– Neil deGrasse Tyson
– Christopher J. Conselice
– Stephen Hawking.
1. Christopher J. Conselice
2. Birds can see ultraviolet. Who said “Humans are colour-blind compared to birds”?
– Boardman Conover
– Mary Caswell Stoddard
– William G. Conway
2. Mary Caswell Stoddard
3. Who proposed that big and unexpected events can trigger conspiratorial thinking?
– Patricia Hill Collins
– Dr Philip Robert Corlett
– Regis Dericquebourg
3. Dr Philip Robert Corlett
4. Influenced by Vedanta, he led Watson & Crick to the discovery of DNA. Name him.
– Erwin Schroedinger
– Percy Williams Bridgman
– William Allan Bardeen
4. Erwin Schroedinger
5. The Mexican wave comes from a crowd not too bored or too excited. Who said it?
– Paul-Michel Foucault
– Arlie Russell Hochschild
– Tamas Vicsek
5. Tamas Vicsek