Subject: (urth) Weird science/BSFA

From: Matthew Davis <matthew at michaelscycles.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 04:05:56 +0000

> On 02/02/2002 22:16:29 maa32 wrote:
>
> >Speaking of Lamarck, recent research has shown that some hormones in the
> >mother's womb can affect the development of the brain in male children
and
> >increase their homosexual proclivities - and this hormone level alters
> >depending upon how many children the mother has previously had, therefore
her
> >behavior directly affects expression in her children within one
generation -
> >and it affects phenotype: the pointer finger and ring finger of children
> >affected by this increased hormone level will be approximately the same
> >length, whereas those exposed to lower levels will have greater variation
in
> >finger length.  Pretty odd, huh?

This was mentioned on a BBC documentary on genetics a couple of weeks ago.
When I mentioned this later on I had several tables of men in a gay pub all
holding out their hands and comparing finger lengths. Judging by this rather
amateur practical test there didn't appear to be any basis to this theory at
all. Ho-hum.

And since no-on else has mentioned it - Wolfe's essay "The Best Introduction
to the Mountains" is up for the British Science Fiction Association's
Non-Fiction Award

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