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A Nobel calling in question

WHAT happens to some minds that win Nobel prizes? Does the gleam of the medal embolden them to air views no one else would dare? Are they more likely to be asked questions that take them out of their comfort zones? Or are they just more likely to put their feet in their mouths?

Not very notoriously, Tim Hunt , with Paul Nurse and Leland Hartwell, for elucidating how protein molecules control cell division. Very notoriously, he told the World Conference of Science Journalists earlier this month that the 鈥渢rouble with girls鈥� in the laboratory was that 鈥測ou fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry鈥�.

Amid the outcry that followed, 51动漫 consultant Debora MacKenzie assessed his argument for single-sex labs (at bit.ly/LabStorm). Clearly he hasn鈥檛 thought it through logically. 鈥淢aybe lesbians can work with straight males,鈥� Debora wrote: 鈥淏ut some straight males might frustratingly fall in love with lesbians. The gay guys could work with straight women, but we all know straight women are forever falling for them.鈥�

The 鈥渕oonlight dust therapy鈥� ad that Catherine Kneale sends mentions 鈥淣obel prize-winning molecular water鈥�. She worries: 鈥淗ave I been washing with non-molecular water all this time?鈥�

No country for old men

DEAN BURNETT, writing for The Guardian, also considered the case for segregated labs (). Constructing an argument at least as rigorous as Hunt鈥檚, he concluded that one group were unlikely to contribute much scientifically, while causing much commotion, and should be excluded forthwith: old men.

Donning a hair shirt

IT鈥橲 not just men who put their foot in it. Last month, Alice Huang, biologist, former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and agony aunt for the journal Science, was asked by a researcher what she should do about an adviser who kept looking down her shirt.

鈥淚magine what life would be like if there were no individuals of the opposite 鈥� or preferred 鈥� sex. It would be pretty dull, eh?鈥� came Huang鈥檚 breezy reply, before concluding: 鈥淎s long as your adviser does not move on to other advances, I suggest you put up with it, with good humor if you can.鈥� Readers were less than good-humoured at the advice: the article was swiftly retracted.

Return of the steppe monsters

SOMETIMES science and non-science interact in the strangest ways. In 1956, archaeologist published her theory that the Indo-European languages were spread by a warrior people from the steppes. She identified them by their characteristic burial mounds, called 鈥渒urgans鈥�.

In the 1970s her theory began to attract attention from feminist scholars seeking to answer the question: how did men come to have so much power? How did a transition from the relatively egalitarian societies of many hunter-gatherer peoples happen? So far, so science.

Then, however, the theory was latched on to by those who would reinstate a presumed matriarchal religion. Not science. Indeed, Gimbutas鈥檚 own last book was titled The Civilization of the Goddess. Mention of the Kurgan people in polite scholarly circles drew increasingly odd looks.

Now, a team of geneticists has sequenced Y chromosomes from 334 men across Europe. They found that two-thirds of them seem to descend from just three men who were alive between 3500 and 7300 years ago (). Daniel Zadik that possibly all three were from the Yamnaya people.

Who were they? Nomadic herders and mound-builders who spread from the steppes four millennia ago. Daniel wondered how they had so many descendants and mused, 鈥渋f a male elite was established with the advantages of Yamnaya culture [and] monopolised women鈥︹�� Gimbutas may, in a way, have been more right than even she imagined.

A non-response to nothing

A MORE recent take on falling in love and/or power relations is provided by the customer care department of dating site eHarmony, who told Richard Eibeck: 鈥淎t this time, we are no longer accepting e-mail inquiries that are submitted outside of our FAQ web form鈥� We regret to inform you that the e-mail message that you have submitted was not received and you will not receive a response鈥︹��

Bologna and flatulence

THINKING of ancient Indo-European languages reminds us of the fruitloop marketing for the 鈥淧ranava Energy Activator鈥�, promoted on the premise that 鈥淧rana is Sanskrit for 鈥榯he Breathe of the Creator'鈥�, and that it 鈥渂asically charges each crystal with a special Lifetronic Light Frequency or Prana鈥︹�� (16 February 2013). Giuseppe Sollazzo says that in Bologna, Italy, 鈥減ranare鈥� is the local word for 鈥減roducing flatulence鈥� 鈥� a fitting way to sum up such promotion.

Works of gametical genius

FINALLY, Jo Abbess questions our dedication to recognising the contribution women have made to science. She notes a caption to a photo of mathematician Emmy Noether saying that she 鈥渞emains largely unknown, despite her seminal work鈥� (25 April, p 33).

We like Jo鈥檚 suggestion that such founding contributions should, instead, be declared 鈥渙val鈥�. This adjective is particularly appropriate in Emmy Noether鈥檚 case, Jo says, 鈥渟ince she majored in rings and other topological things.鈥�

Leader: 鈥�Sexism isn鈥檛 just bad for scientists 鈥� it hurts science too鈥�