It's tough work but...

Every week I listen to the ABC’s Science Show. It covers some pretty interesting topics. But on last week’s podcast, one item caught my interest: a report on a study of lap dancers. The research was conducted in New Mexico, and reported in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior in October 2007 [1]. (I don’t know why it took until February 2011 to reach the Science Show [2].) The study tested whether humans advertise their fertility to the opposite sex when they’re ovulating, i.e. ‘on heat’ –

as some other mammals including dogs and goats do. The researchers studied 18 lap dancers who performed 5,300 lap dances in a 60-day period. They collected data on how much money was paid in tips at various stages of the menstrual cycle. Of the 11 women with normal menstrual cycles, tips rose by about 50% when they were ovulating compared with the rest of their cycle. The other seven women, who were on the pill and thus not ovulating, earned less money in tips, with no variation over time. This research suggests women subtly signal when they’re most fertile, though just how they do it isn’t clear. One expert said ‘It is highly possible that estrogen modulates motion abilities…[in which case]…‘it seems to be most likely that body motion – and not pheromones – is the information carrier’. Clearly more research is needed. I’d be more than happy to help out. Ho hum.

I hope you're right, Tim.

Today’s ‘Positive and Optimistic Sunday’. The Bureau of Meteorology has just released its Annual Australian Climate Statement 2010 [1]. It says 2010 was our coolest year since 2001. Question: what does this tell us about global warming? Answer: nothing – because weather’s short-term and climate’s long-term [2]. In fact the Bureau’s Statement says that the 10-year period ending in 2010 was our warmest on record. Atmospheric CO2 continues to rise. Inexorably so. In the year to November 2010 it rose from 385.99 to 388.59 ppm; and its rise isn’t slowing [3]. Further, governments – especially my country’s – aren’t doing much about it. At least that’s my take. I admit I’m no expert in this field. So I rely on the media and books. Though as a cup-half-empty man (Darling sister Sue wants me to change. I’d like to, but I don’t know how.), maybe I’ve invoked confirmation bias [4]. Anyway last Monday’s ABC Science Show was entirely devoted to eminent climate change expert (and former Australian of the Year) Tim Flannery (pictured) [5] giving a talk and then answering questions. Surprisingly, Flannery was upbeat about global warming and climate change mitigation processes and future outcomes. The program’s an hour long [6]. If you’re already positive and optimistic about these matters, don’t bother listening. But if you aren’t, it’s well worth an hour of your time. Almost certainly, once you’ve listened you’ll declare: ‘How positive and optimistic is that’.

That's my hope too, David

Today’s ‘Positive and Optimistic Sunday’. At the end of an interview on the ABC’s Science Show last week, David Suzuki said this:

‘The largest run of sockeye salmon, the most prized salmon species in the world, is in the Fraser River in Canada. Now before white people came, we think that the traditional runs of sockeye were over 100 million. Then all kinds of things happened and it went down to where a 15-20 million run was a big run. But that's been that way for about 80 or 90 years. Last year, we had a run just barely over one million sockeye, and that, for a lot of us, we were grieving. We said they've had it. The government set up an enquiry to find out what the hell happened, and we thought this species was gone. This year, they had the largest sockeye salmon run in 100 years: 35 million. Nobody has a clue what the hell is going on! I have no illusion the species is out of the woods, but wow, what a surprise. Nobody could've imagined there would be that return of biomass. It was an incredible experience. Nature, I think if we give her a chance, nature can be far more forgiving than we deserve, and that's my hope. Thank you.’ [1]

How positive and optimistic is that. That’s my hope, too.

P.S. Here’s more about the Fraser River sockeye salmon [2, 3].