Month: May 2013
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Multi-pedigree is the new term for our dog Jackie
Last night we were watching a video of Jan Fennell, the dog listener, and almost fell off the couch when she used the term multi-pedigree when referring to a client’s dog. The dog was obviously of doubtful parentage – the sort of dog I would normally have referred to as a mongrel, mutt, or mixed-breed dog. So…
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When did we first understand the world was not flat?
Most of us have heard of flat-earth beliefs. It is commonly understood that the early explorers were always fearful of falling off the edge of the earth. I certainly “knew” that everyone, with the exception of some early sceptics, believed in the flat-earth model until the last couple of centuries. Well, it turns out that…
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Anecdotal evidence?
The plural of anecdote is not evidence. Anecdotes are unreliable for all sorts of reasons as discussed in The Role of Anecdotes in Science-Based Medicine. However beliefs about cause and effect are rife in our society. Many of the health-related ones became planted in the minds of our parents and grandparents at a time when medicine…
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How to blow your nose
We all do it and most of us have never asked ourselves if we are doing it correctly. Well, if you look at the science it seems most of us have it wrong. Strangely, it seems footballers can teach us something here; you’ll often see them doing the one-finger-one-nostril salute. Here’s a test for you:…
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Does vegetarianism really reduce animal suffering?
You may have noticed I have a bit of a thing about science and evidence-based beliefs. Tell me something a bit off-centre and I’ll probably say, “Show me the evidence.” Now I’m an omnivore, and somehow always felt a bit guilty in the presence of a vegetarian. I had this nagging feeling that perhaps they held…