The Darwin Awards Next Evolution: Chlorinating the Gene Pool by Wendy Northcutt Page B
Authors: Wendy Northcutt
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that some species of duck feature a long corkscrew penis is an intriguing observation. The complexities of female genitalia in those species are no less intriguing. Solving the puzzle of their interrelationship required research into areas that had previously received little scientific attention. Particular findings in that work added testable new knowledge to human understanding of sexual selection’s role in evolution. Researchers have opened a new window into the process by which complex social interactions can result in the evolution of some astonishing physical features.
The responsibility to tell a young person about “the birds and the bees” is a daunting one. Yet it may be possible to take solace from the study of birds. Were we less like humans and more like ducks, explaining reproduction and sexuality to the next generation would be considerably more complicated than it actually is.
Brennan, P. L., R. O. Prum, K. G. McCracken, M. D. Sorenson, R. E. Wilson, et al.,
2007. Coevolution of Male and Female Genital Morphology in Waterfowl. PLoS
ONE. 2(5): e418. plosone.org/doi/pone.0000418.
Catlin, Roger. July 11, 2007. Duck Sex. TV Eye. blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin
_tv_eye/2007/07/duck-sex.html.
McCracken, Kevin G., Robert E. Wilson, Pamela J. McCracken, Kevin P. Johnson,
September 13, 2001. Are ducks impressed by drakes’ display? Nature. 413: 138.
Williams, Liz. May 3, 2007. Duck genitals locked in arms race. Cosmos Online.
www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1277.
Bowerbird mating techniques:
www.msri.org/ext/larryg/pages/15.htm
Scheduled for a Halloween delivery in 1972, Jason Stevens wisely postponed his birthdate until November 12. The years to follow would see him learning to walk, talk, and program primitive computers with line-numbered BASIC. His lifelong interest in science and technology is joined by interests in the performing arts, politics, history, and philosophy. During his college years he earned distinction as a member of the Bradley University Speech Team and rent money as a board operator/announcer for public radio’s WCBU-FM. Since then he helped establish two short-lived small businesses, played keyboards with an even more short-lived rock band, and typed an unknown number of gratuitously long sentences. The publication of this piece constitutes a milestone in his ongoing quest for prosaic succinctness.
CHAPTER 6
W ORK W OES
We spend a large number of our waking hours at work. Due to shortcuts, boredom, and inattention to safety our waking hours are often ended by work accidents. Nuclear plants, boats, farm workers, demolition experts, teachers, and welders give their all for their jobs. The lighter side of work!
Darwin Award: Absolutely Radiant
Confirmed True by Darwin
10 DECEMBER 1968, OZYORSK, RUSSIA
While researching nuclear accidents a physicist found this Darwin Award. The following report is quoted directly from a Los Alamos review document, with a few sentences added to help make the situation clear to the layperson.
Mayak is a nuclear fuel processing center in central Russia that was experimenting with plutonium purification techniques. The report states that they were using “an unfavorable geometry vessel in an improvised operation as a temporary vessel for storing plutonium organic solution.” In other words they were pouring liquid plutonium into an unsafe container.
Keep an eye on the shift supervisor.
“It was noticed that the solution was a combination of organic and aqueous solution [gunk in the tank]. Two operators [instructed by the shift supervisor] used an improvised setup to decant the dark brown [concentrated plutonium] organic solution. The shift supervisor then left to tend to other duties. During the second filling of the bottle a mixture of aqueous and organic solution was drawn in. As a result the operators stopped filling the bottle.”
One asked the shift supervisor for further instructions. He was told to continue decanting the solution. This
The responsibility to tell a young person about “the birds and the bees” is a daunting one. Yet it may be possible to take solace from the study of birds. Were we less like humans and more like ducks, explaining reproduction and sexuality to the next generation would be considerably more complicated than it actually is.
Brennan, P. L., R. O. Prum, K. G. McCracken, M. D. Sorenson, R. E. Wilson, et al.,
2007. Coevolution of Male and Female Genital Morphology in Waterfowl. PLoS
ONE. 2(5): e418. plosone.org/doi/pone.0000418.
Catlin, Roger. July 11, 2007. Duck Sex. TV Eye. blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin
_tv_eye/2007/07/duck-sex.html.
McCracken, Kevin G., Robert E. Wilson, Pamela J. McCracken, Kevin P. Johnson,
September 13, 2001. Are ducks impressed by drakes’ display? Nature. 413: 138.
Williams, Liz. May 3, 2007. Duck genitals locked in arms race. Cosmos Online.
www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1277.
Bowerbird mating techniques:
www.msri.org/ext/larryg/pages/15.htm
Scheduled for a Halloween delivery in 1972, Jason Stevens wisely postponed his birthdate until November 12. The years to follow would see him learning to walk, talk, and program primitive computers with line-numbered BASIC. His lifelong interest in science and technology is joined by interests in the performing arts, politics, history, and philosophy. During his college years he earned distinction as a member of the Bradley University Speech Team and rent money as a board operator/announcer for public radio’s WCBU-FM. Since then he helped establish two short-lived small businesses, played keyboards with an even more short-lived rock band, and typed an unknown number of gratuitously long sentences. The publication of this piece constitutes a milestone in his ongoing quest for prosaic succinctness.
CHAPTER 6
W ORK W OES
We spend a large number of our waking hours at work. Due to shortcuts, boredom, and inattention to safety our waking hours are often ended by work accidents. Nuclear plants, boats, farm workers, demolition experts, teachers, and welders give their all for their jobs. The lighter side of work!
Darwin Award: Absolutely Radiant
Confirmed True by Darwin
10 DECEMBER 1968, OZYORSK, RUSSIA
While researching nuclear accidents a physicist found this Darwin Award. The following report is quoted directly from a Los Alamos review document, with a few sentences added to help make the situation clear to the layperson.
Mayak is a nuclear fuel processing center in central Russia that was experimenting with plutonium purification techniques. The report states that they were using “an unfavorable geometry vessel in an improvised operation as a temporary vessel for storing plutonium organic solution.” In other words they were pouring liquid plutonium into an unsafe container.
Keep an eye on the shift supervisor.
“It was noticed that the solution was a combination of organic and aqueous solution [gunk in the tank]. Two operators [instructed by the shift supervisor] used an improvised setup to decant the dark brown [concentrated plutonium] organic solution. The shift supervisor then left to tend to other duties. During the second filling of the bottle a mixture of aqueous and organic solution was drawn in. As a result the operators stopped filling the bottle.”
One asked the shift supervisor for further instructions. He was told to continue decanting the solution. This
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