Improbable Research

Dr Gábor Horváth [pictured here], who discovered that white horses attract fewer flies (described here a few months ago), now may have shed light on an old, somewhat related question about Vikings.

The study is “On the trail of Vikings with polarized skylight: experimental study of the atmospheric optical prerequisites allowing polarimetric navigation by Viking seafarers”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 12 March 2011, vol. 366 , no. 1565, pp. 772-78, which says:

Vikings might have been able to determine the azimuth direction of the Sun with the help of skylight polarization, just like some insects… According to this theory, the Vikings could have determined the direction of the skylight polarization with the help of an enigmatic birefringent crystal, functioning as a linearly polarizing filter.

The beloved question “why are there more fat people now?” may (or may not) have found an equally lovable explanation. A new study study suggests that central heating is a major cause of people becoming fat:

“Could increased time spent in a thermal comfort zone contribute to population increases in obesity?” F. Johnson, A. Mavroggiani, M. Ucci, A. Vidal-Puig, J. Wardle, Obesity Reviews, published online: January 24, 2011. (Thanks to investigator Hector Mendez for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at University College London and at the University of Cambridge, explain:

“Domestic winter indoor temperatures in the USA, UK and other developed countries appear to be following an upwards trend. This review examines evidence of a causal link between thermal exposures and increases in obesity prevalence, focusing on acute and longer-term biological effects of time spent in thermal comfort compared with mild cold.”

BONUS: The link between heeled shoes and schizophrenia

Today’s Headline of the Day is from the Science Daily web site:

Men More Likely to Stick With Girlfriends Who Sleep With Other Women Than Other Men

The press release describes a paper done by a daughter-and-father team [pictured here, at right]:  “Sex differences in response to imagining a partner’s heterosexual or homosexual affair,” Jaime C. Confer and Mark D. Cloud, Personality and Individual Differences, 50(2), 211, pp. 129-134.

(Thanks to Daria Romsky for bringing this to our attention.)

BONUS: Word spreads.

(Our Headline of the Day calls out research that may or may not be worth your attention.)

A growing body of scientific studies have examined the implications of finger-length ratios, But until recently up to 50% of humanoid distal appendages may have been largely overlooked – for what of toe-length ratios? Progress towards rectifying this digital imbalance has been made with a recent study from the Department of Psychology, Penn State University, Harrisburg, US. Professor Marissa Harrison has published one of the very few studies to investigate the relationship between second toe length and androgen linked behaviours.
The toes of 107 college students were (self)-examined. The participants filled in questionnaires regarding not only the length of their second toes

Today’s Headline of the Day appeared in Slate several days ago:

The Enema of Your Enemy is Your Friend

The article, by Emily Walker, explains only slightly more mundanely that “Fecal transplants could be a cheap and effective treatment for gastrointestinal disorders”.

(Thanks to investigator Rebecca Skloot for bringing this to our attention.)

(Our Headline of the Day calls out research that may or may not be worth your attention.)