The Conversation

You might never know that you're hard of thinking. Robin Zebrowski/Flickr, CC BY-NCBy Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol and Richard Pancost, University of BristolIt is an unfortunate paradox: if you’re bad at something, you probably also lack the skills to assess your own performance. And if you don’t know much about a topic, you’re unlikely to be aware of the scope of your own ignorance.

Nationals MP George Christensen told Parliament that the hot temperatures of 1896 have been "wiped from the official record". It's a bit more complicated than that. AAP Image/Lukas CochBy Neville Nicholls, Monash University

Pfizer's evergreening tactics have made it the target of protests. Michael Fleshman/Flickr, CC BY-SABy Hazel Moir, Australian National University and Deborah Gleeson, La Trobe UniversityEfforts by pharmaceutical companies to extend their patents cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year. In some cases they also mean people are subjected to unnecessary clinical trials.

Knockaloe Camp. Stefan ManzBy Stefan Manz, Aston UniversityThe German-Jewish painter and writer Paul Cohen-Portheim had spent a peaceful summer in 1914 visiting friends in Devon and enjoying the beautiful south-west coast. But his idyllic holiday came to an abrupt end after Britain’s entry into war on August 4. Despite there being no suggestion of any sympathy towards his homeland’s military ambitions, Cohen-Portheim was classified as an “enemy alien” and prevented from leaving the country.

Wearable tech isn't just for humans any more. whistle.comBy Clara Mancini, The Open UniversityWith the likes of Google Glass, Fitbit, and Emotiv wearables are now a familiar concept. Perhaps less known is that animals have been fitted with wearable technology for decades.

The human Y chromosome has retained only 3% of its ancestral genes. So why is it a shadow of its former self? Rafael Anderson Gonzales Mendoza/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SABy Jenny Graves, La Trobe UniversityThe Y chromosome, that little chain of genes that determines the sex of humans, is not as tough as you might think. In fact, if we look at the Y chromosome over the course of our evolution we’ve seen it shrink at an alarming rate.

Hang on? Oh, there you are… ESA, Author providedBy Monica Grady, The Open UniversityPhew, what a day it was yesterday. Ended up having a quiet drink at the hotel. Last drink of the day – a nice cup of tea!

It’s a known fact that exercise is addictive. But CrossFitters – those who take part in CrossFit’s brutal workouts and stringent diet – are infamous for their fanatical devotion to their fitness philosophy. They can be found doing pull-ups and heavily weighted squats, flipping tires or hitting them with a sledgehammer, climbing ropes, tossing medicine balls, and “going Paleo.”

India's sterilization program focuses on women. EPA/STRBy Sabu S Padmadas, University of Southampton

Kakadu National Park, Australia. Rita Willaert/Flickr, CC BY-NCBy Bob Pressey, James Cook University and Euan Ritchie, Deakin University

The bobtail squid and bioluminscent bacteria are just one of hundreds of examples of mutualism. Klaus Stiefel/Flickr, CC BY-NCBy Alex Jordan, University of Texas at Austin