[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: Could #MeToo Hurt Women's Health Care?

[Off Topic] Even good movements can create bad unintended consequences. My latest column in Forbes asks: "Could #MeToo Hurt Women's Health Care?"

I discuss recent research that fears of false accusations of sexual assault could prevent men from giving life-saving CPR to women in cardiac arrest. 

Drug-Resistant Bacteria In Space

"Drug-Resistant Bacteria Found on International Space Station Toilet"

Collector of Math and Physics Surprises

"A Collector of Math and Physics Surprises"

Payless Experiment

"Payless Opened a Fake Luxury Store, 'Palessi,' to See How Much People Would Pay for $20 Shoes The answer? A hell of a lot"

Competence Downshifting By White Liberals

Interesting psychology research from Yale: "White Liberals Present Themselves as Less Competent in Interactions with African-Americans"

I was particular struck by the work done on "normal" people (as opposed to political candidates):

The researchers found that liberal individuals were less likely to use words that would make them appear highly competent when the person they were addressing was presumed to be black rather than white. No significant differences were seen in the word selection of conservatives based on the presumed race of their partner. 'It was kind of an unpleasant surprise to see this subtle but persistent effect,' [Yale professor Cyndee] Dupree says. 'Even if it’s ultimately well-intentioned, it could be seen as patronizing.'

Plural Forms Of Last Names

"How to make your last name plural on holiday cards and avoid apostrophe catastrophe"

100 Websites

"100 Websites That Shaped the Internet as We Know It"

Bionic Eye Update

"Four Blind People Go Home With New Bionic Eyes"

Orc Prejudice

Tyler Cowen notes: "The new 'woke': 'Is Lord of the Rings prejudiced against Orcs?'

Tetris Skills

"Why Are Humans Suddenly Getting Better at Tetris?"

Fax Machines

"The Fax Is Not Yet Obsolete". Although I really wish it were.

CRISPR Babies

"Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies".

Related commentary: "What we know — and what we don’t — about the claim of world’s first gene-edited babies"

AI Boo Boo

"Chinese AI traffic cam mistook a bus ad for a human and publicly shamed the CEO it depicted for jaywalking"

Plane With No Moving Parts

"First ever plane with no moving parts takes flight":

The first ever “solid state” plane, with no moving parts in its propulsion system, has successfully flown for a distance of 60 metres, proving that heavier-than-air flight is possible without jets or propellers.

The flight represents a breakthrough in “ionic wind” technology, which uses a powerful electric field to generate charged nitrogen ions, which are then expelled from the back of the aircraft, generating thrust.

Steven Barrett, an aeronautics professor at MIT and the lead author of the study published in the journal Nature, said the inspiration for the project came straight from the science fiction of his childhood. “I was a big fan of Star Trek”...

Background Music

"Inside the booming business of background music"

Holding Cigarettes

The psychology of holding cigarettes? (Via Tyler Cowen.)

Thanksgiving Break

Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!

GeekPress will be on break the rest of this week. Regular posting will resume on Monday.

Lego Pain

"Why Walking on Legos Hurts More Than Walking on Fire or Ice"

Relativity And Supernovas

"Physicists Used Einstein's Relativity To Successfully Predict A Supernova Explosion"

Wombat Poop

"Scientists explain how wombats drop cubed poop".

Original academic presentation.