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Gender Bias In Linguistics Articles

Gender Bias In Linguistics Articles

Dec 09 2021 | comment(s)

An examination of undergraduate textbooks commonly used for linguistics courses and another of over 1,000 articles published in linguistics journals finds persistent gender bias.

Gender bias is subjective, which makes it both ironic and ideal for a linguistics paper. The authors rely on the scourge of evidence-based thinking, implicit bias, which controversially contends everyone is biased, it is just how biased that needs to be determined. Even when you are conscious of implicit bias you are still doing it, the belief goes.
The Zombie Fires Of Siberia Burn At 75 Degrees Below Zero

The Zombie Fires Of Siberia Burn At 75 Degrees Below Zero

Dec 07 2021 | comment(s)

Oymyakon, Russia is the coldest town on earth - but that doesn't stop fires.

According to Accuweather, the temperature in Delyankir, Russia, about 300 miles (483 km) to the north of the Sea of Oshkosh, fell to 75 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (59.2 degrees below zero Celsius), the lowest temperature there since January 2014.

The entire region is known for its extreme cold but Oymyakon, located about 90 miles (145 km) to the southwest of Delyankir, is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. In 1933, it claimed a record low of 90 below zero F - 67.8 below zero C.
New Test Predicts If Lack Of Impulse Control Is Pathological

New Test Predicts If Lack Of Impulse Control Is Pathological

Dec 06 2021 | comment(s)

Do you know people who just can't help themselves when it comes to buying things or engaging in behavior you and they know they will regret later?

Deemed “negative urgency,” a clinical form of impulsivity, it is linked to depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, self-harm, bipolar disorder and ADHD. A new test believes such pathological impulsivity can be predicted based on how fast you react to stimulating visuals, especially disturbing ones.

Negative urgency is traditionally measured with a self-report questionnaire, but to provide a more reliable measure, researchers developed what they call an “emotional stop-signal task.”
A False Start For Sudden Cardiac Death In Athletes And COVID-19 Vaccines

A False Start For Sudden Cardiac Death In Athletes And COVID-19 Vaccines

Dec 06 2021 | comment(s)

Social media outlets are once again bubbling with misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and cardiovascular disease. The latest uproar is over claims of a link between vaccines and increased rates of sudden cardiac arrest in athletes.

Despite the outcries of vaccination opponents, there is no connection between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden cardiac arrest in athletes. In fact, there is no increase in sudden cardiac arrests among athletes.

What is the Claim?

The Beauty Of Grossular

The Beauty Of Grossular

Dec 04 2021 | comment(s)

Old timers of this blog will recall that I am an avid stone collector. In fact, of all experimental sciences I am fond of (Physics, Astronomy, Geology above others) Geology is the one that fascinated me first, as a six or seven year old child. We are talking about almost fifty years ago, when newspaper stands in Italy used to sell small packets containing pictures of soccer players (they were not even adhesive back then: you had to use your own glue to attach them in the proper place within collection albums which were sold separately) . Kids collected those "figurine", and exchanged them with their peer after school hours (or even during school hours). Other collections offered were ones of minerals, fossils, stickers, etcetera.
Inflaming The Myths Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Inflaming The Myths Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Dec 02 2021 | comment(s)

Like the phantom heart in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, myths about COVID-19 vaccines and the risks for cardiovascular disease keep on beating.

The latest mythical bogeyman comes in the form of an abstract presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, claiming that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines increase the risk of a heart condition called Acute Coronary Syndrome. But a review of the data shows that this study is a tale that even Poe would find horrifying.

A Hunter Shot A Buck, Which Turned Out To Be A Doe With Antlers. Here's How

A Hunter Shot A Buck, Which Turned Out To Be A Doe With Antlers. Here's How

Dec 01 2021 | comment(s)

In 2021, there remains some confusion about the distinction between biological sex and gender. The fossil record only shows males and females, it does not show how those people, or even precursors of modern humans, felt about themselves. And fossil records only show what can actually be fossilized. Which is often just skeletal.

Nature can be more complex than that.

I almost always hunt in Pennsylvania and the rules say I can only shoot a buck early in the season. No does. The number of tines may vary each year in a maddening way - good luck seeing three on one side in Pennsylvania woods - but antlers mean a legal buck.

Except they don't always mean a male. 
Dr. Oz Is Running For The Senate, Which Will At Least Get Him Out Of Health Media

Dr. Oz Is Running For The Senate, Which Will At Least Get Him Out Of Health Media

Dec 01 2021 | comment(s)

Dr. Mehmet Oz became famous thanks to a celebrity worship culture that progressives embraced in their desire to believe in alternatives to medicine. Just a few years after President Clinton trashed nuclear science in America, removed supplements from any real FDA oversight, and showed his love for alternatives to vaccines by throwing money that could have gone to science to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine so they could continue to find out placebos can't replace medicine, Oprah Winfrey turned Dr. Oz into a national sensation.
Why We Can't Just Let Omicron Spread - Urban Legend That Viruses Evolve Naturally To Be Mild - Need To Control With #DOITALL

Why We Can't Just Let Omicron Spread - Urban Legend That Viruses Evolve Naturally To Be Mild - Need To Control With #DOITALL

Dec 01 2021 | comment(s)

Some news stories suggest that if Omicron is mild it is a “blessing in disguise”. Should we let everyone get it as fast as possible? It might seem it would help - if Omicron is indeed a little milder, this may reduce pressure on the health system for a few weeks. However, large numbers of cases can still overwhelm us very rapidly - if it's half the severity, just one doubling of cases (which might take < 3 days) overcomes all that advantage for the health systems.,

Australopithecus Sediba Lower Back Fossils Are The 'Missing Link' Between Climbing And Walking

Australopithecus Sediba Lower Back Fossils Are The 'Missing Link' Between Climbing And Walking

Nov 30 2021 | comment(s)

The ancient relative to modern humans Australopithecus sediba walked like a human, but climbed like an ape, filling in a gap in the fossil record long posited by biologists, finds a new analysis.

The recovery of new lumbar vertebrae from the lower back of a single individual of the human relative, Australopithecus sediba, and portions of other vertebrae of the same female from Malapa, South Africa, together with previously discovered vertebrae, form one of the most complete lower backs ever discovered in the early hominid record and give insight into how this ancient human relative walked and climbed.