Etymology is a fascinating subject. The threads connecting words are often fascinating and startling. Who would have thought, for instance, that chauvinism, meaning fanatical patriotism or prejudiced belief in the superiority of one’s own kind, is a twin (etymologically speaking) of Calvinism? But, rather than casting aspersions on Swiss
Movies, from King Kong to Jurassic Park, have conditioned us to think of Tyrannosaurus rex as a solitary behemoth, stomping and screaming through the steaming jungles of primordial nightmare. A modern analogy might be the tiger – which is why Larry Niven based his nightmarish aliens, the Kzin, on tigers. But
One of the greatest fallacies of modern times is the conceit of “settled science”. Anyone who has followed scientific trends with a clear eye for any length of time should be well aware that science is ever anything but settled. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne repeats
cheryl k. chumley ronpaulinstitute.org Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s go-to for all things coronavirus, said on Sunday on national news that even those who’ve been vaccinated should not gather indoors, or eat indoors, or remove their masks — or basically, in essence, do anything that involves
Jesse Rogerson York University, Canada Jesse is an Assistant Professor at York University where he teaches Astronomy and Planetary Science. He is an avid science communicator and educator; you’ll often find him on social media nerding out on something super cool in space. History has been made on Mars:
Transgenderism is one of the most dangerous fronts in the woke war against science and reason. Not only is it blatantly being used as a wedge for all manner of creepers to get their slimy claws into a generation of children and slither their way into women’s protected spaces,
400 years after Galileo, a new curtain of darkness is being drawn over the Enlightenment. Scientists and thinkers dare not publish heretical texts, for fear that their careers and even their lives may be summarily destroyed by a superstitious mob and an Inquisitorial establishment. While they may not throw heretics
We all know that academia has long since become little more than a taxpayer-funded circle-jerk for people who’d rather collect PhDs than actually work for a living in the real world. To some extent we could live with that: if only the onanistic eggheads kept their furious
Jamie Howarth Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Rupert Sutherland Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamie Howarth‘s interest in the Earth Sciences lies in developing proxy records of environmental change preserved in sediments. He uses these proxy records to better understand high magnitude, low frequency geomorphic
Simon Thornley covidplanb.co.nz In a recent interview with Radio New Zealand, a vaccine expert claimed that the risk of blood clot was 165,000 times higher after having covid-19, compared to the risk after having the AstraZeneca jab. This claim illuminates several misunderstandings of the nature of
In their book Trick or Treatment? Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst evaluate the evidence to support a range of “alternative therapies”. As they write, contrary to common excuses, all of these “alternatives” have been rigorously scientifically tested. As they show, almost none of them measure up to their claims. Some
Perhaps Tim Flannery really is one of Australia’s most accomplished scientists. After all, it’s not many people whose name gets made into a vernacular verb, but an increasing number of Australians have taken to remarking that “It’s really Flannerying down”, when the weather turns wet. A “Flannery”
David Martill University of Portsmouth Cariad Williams University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign David Martill is a Professor of Palaeobiology working mainly on pterosaurs, theropod dinosaurs and exceptional preservation of fossil vertebrates. He is particularly interested in the Cretaceous with projects on the dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight, the
Jonathan Miltimore fee.org Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org. His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Star Tribune. Bylines: Newsweek, The Washington Times, MSN.com, The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller,
Countess Elizabeth Bathory was said to be obsessed with the notion that bathing in the blood of young girls was the key to eternal youth. To that end, legend has it that she murdered as many as 600 girls. It seems that Bathory was a pioneer for today’s wealthy
