Hardened children, “Well known that”, Fascist disease, Eely gross

This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has four segments. Here are bits of each of them: Hardened children — “It is well known that the best means of preventing colds is hardening,” writes Sidikova Maryam Amankeldievna in the Journal of Medicine, Practice and Nursing. To prevent parents from going overboard, she warns that […]

People who squirm when seeing squirming or non-squirming eel

A description of the behaviour and general demeanour of eels might well include the word ‘squirm‘. But it’s not just eels which squirm, humans do too, sometimes when observing eels. Dr Alex Rhys-Taylor BSc, MA, PhD, PGCert, of Goldsmith’s College, London, describes such a scenario in ‘Disgust and Distinction: The case of the jellied eel.’ […]

Improbable Research