Marc Abrahams's Blog, page 73

Considering the Uncanniness of Cozying Up to Clones

Several researchers who are not themselves clones try to gauge what the reaction of the populace might be if and when they were to encounter a gaggle of clones. Details are in this study:

“The clone devaluation effect: A new uncanny phenomenon concerning facial identity,” Fumiya Yonemitsu, Kyoshiro Sasaki, Akihiko Gobara, and Yuki Yamada, PLoS ONE, vol. 16, no. 7, 2021, e0254396. The authors, at Kyushu University, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kansai University, Kyushu University, and Ritsumeikan University, Japan, explain:

“we examined what impressions images of people with the same face (clone images) induce. In the six studies we conducted, we consistently reported that clone images elicited higher eeriness than individuals with different faces; we named this new phenomenon the clone devaluation effect. We found that the clone devaluation effect reflected the perceived improbability of facial duplication.”

Canine Cleanroom Suit [patent]

“It is desirable that dogs that perform jobs in restaurants, hospitals or other health care facilities, and manufacturing areas wear distinctive garments to indicate that they are service dogs and not unauthorized pets. Such garments are preferably also protective for the dogs and for the facility.”

United States Patent 7975656 , assigned to Californian inventor Bradley A. Prill, detailed how a canine cleanroom suit could be implemented. Although the suit covers ‘substantially all of the body’ it can be seen from the accompanying drawing that a crucial part of the canine anatomy remains uncovered – the nose.

Other important body parts are also catered for :

“Another elongate portion surrounds the tail. An elastic band holds the tail portion firmly near the base of the tail so that wagging or waving of the tail may be clearly seen by the dog’s handler.”

Pat(i)ent Researcher Martin Gardiner

How Music Can Be Used to Torture People

This study suggests that music can be a double-edged sword:

“Pathways to Music Torture,” Morag Josephine Grant, Transposition. Musique et Sciences Sociales, vol. 4, 2014. The author explains:

“Forms of music torture that are discussed in the article include exposure to loud music, forced singing, and the use of music in connection with other forms of enforced physical activity.”

The author gives advice about pathways away from music torture, in this brief video:

Two weeks from today: The 2021 Ig

The 2021 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony webcast happens two weeks from today: on Thursday, September 9.

The ceremony live stream will be in the traditional English language. There will also be a special Japanese-language stream. And we expect (but it’s not certain yet) there will also be a special Spanish-language stream.

Colorful Use of Coffee

Methylene blue, methyl orange, and a jug of coffee commune almost poetically, with the third of these acting attractively in opposition to the first two, in this newly published study:

“Carbon Adsorbents from Spent Coffee for Removal of Methylene Blue and Methyl Orange from Water,” Inga Block, Christina Günter, Alysson Duarte Rodrigues, Silvia Paasc, Peter Hesemann,  and Andreas Taubert, Materials, vol 14, no. 14, July 16, 2021. The authors are at Universität Potsdam, University of Montpellier-CNRS-ENSCM, and TU Dresden.

Saint Choice and the Fight Against Covid-19

Hopes and prayers lie at the heart of a saint-centric study about mitigating the effects of the pandemic. The study is:

“Which Saint to Pray for Fighting Against a Covid infection? A short survey,” A. Perciaccante, A. Corallic, and P. Charlier, Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, vol. 18, September 2021, 100674. (Thanks to Andrea Rapisarda for bringing this to our attention.)

The authors, at Paris-Saclay University (UVSQ), France and Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina, Italy, explain:

In the absence of a treatment still considered universally effective, and of a vaccine validated by the health authorities, we wanted to know which Catholic saint the European Christian community turned to in the event of infection with Covid-19 to request a miraculous healing.

Methodology— An online survey was carried out on a sample of 1158 adults using social media tools.

Results—All results are presented in this research, with a few saints in the majority, and some dictated by the symptomatology of the Covid-19 infection or the personalities of certain « doctor guru »….

All results are summarized in Table 1.

Podcast Episode #1079

In Podcast Episode #1079, Marc Abrahams shows an unfamiliar research study to psycholinguist Jean Berko Gleason. Dramatic readings and reactions ensue.

Remember, our Patreon donors, on most levels, get access to each podcast episode before it is made public.

Jean Berko Gleason encounters:

“Cats Prefer Species-Appropriate Music,” Charles T. Snowdon, David Teie, and Megan Savage, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 166, 2015, pp. 106-111. 

Seth Gliksman, Production Assistant

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Podcasts, AntennaPod, BeyondPod and elsewhere!

A New Engineering Opera, in the Ig

The theme of the 2021 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, evinced in the opera and other bits, is ENGINEERING. The ceremony will include the premiere of a new mini-opera called “A Bridge Between People”. The crude drawing you see here summarizes the opera’s plot.

‘Centrifugal Bed Rotator’ [new patent]

Inventor Vern Ader has just been granted (Aug 10th 2021) a full US patent for his ‘Centrifugal Bed Rotator’. The new invention is a progressive development of his Gym & Rehabilitation System Designed for Space – in that it can centrifuge not just one, but two people at the same time.

The present invention provides a passive exercise apparatus comprising a centrifuge having a central pivot base to which riding arms or beds are connected. The beds are also supported by components that are similar to components of a skateboard. The centrifuge increases gravitational forces on the body, i.e, induces hypergravity. This artificial hyper-gravity machine may provide comprehensive counter measures capable of improving all the user’s physical systems at once (including muscles, joints, etc.), particularly when combined with other exercise. The inventive hypergravity apparatus may provide a total body low impact workout while comfortably and passively lying on a spinning centrifuge, as demonstrated by state-of-the-art NASA proven centrifuge systems.

A video presentation of the previous one-person model in action can be seen here

Note: Followers of the Ig Nobel Prizes will note some shared design features with the invention of the late George and Charlotte Blonsky of New York City and San Jose, California, who were awarded the 1997 Ig Nobel Prize for Managed Health Care for their device (US Patent #3,216,423) to aid women in giving birth — the woman is strapped onto a circular table, and the table is then rotated at high speed.

Research research by Martin Gardiner

Goal Scoring and Birth Control

The search continues, to find timely meaning in soccer (football) and childbirth:

“More Goals, Fewer Babies? On National Teams’ Performance and Birth Rates,” Luca Fumarco and Francesco Principe, IZA DP No. 14448, June 2021

The authors, at Tulane University, IZA, the Tinbergen Institute, and ECASE, explain:

“Does national team performance boost birth rates? We compiled a unique dataset combining country-level monthly birth rates for 50 European countries, along 56 years, with measures of national teams’ performance in 27 international football events. We find that an increase in national teams’ performance in international cups is associated with a drop in birth rates nine months after the event. We hypothesize that these results might be explained by individuals’ time allocation choices.”