This is an article I originally wrote for Wikinews here.
Researchers have found a crucial genetic difference between humans and chimps that could help explain our language and speech abilities. The difference lies in a gene called FOXP2 which encodes for a protein of the same name. This acts as a transcription factor, controlling the activity [...]
Category Archives: wiki
Scientists find key human language gene
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Stub
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My new mission: To write a short article on ticket stubs. Then I can put at the bottom “this stub-related article is a stub”
Systemic bias
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Oh dear god, this is about the most depressing thing I’ve ever seen on Wikipedia. The diffs speak for themselves: [1] [2].
Same user, three minutes apart.
See also WikiProject Countering systemic bias for some glimmer of hope.
Wikipedia Day
Thursday, January 15, 2009
I’ve been following the Wiki dramahz going on today (and just spent a fruitless 20 mins trying to explain it to one of my housemates), but managed to completely miss that it’s Wikipedia’s 8th birthday! See the official blog. I can hardly believe it’s 8 years old, and even less that I’ve been there for [...]
Random article: Faddeev-Popov ghost
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Things like this make me wonder if quantum physics isn’t all a hugely elaborate practical joke by scientists on the rest of us mere mortals. Negative probabilities? Seriously?
In physics, Faddeev-Popov ghosts (also called ghost fields) are additional fields which need to be introduced in the realization of gauge theories as consistent quantum field theories.
…
The Faddeev-Popov [...]
Random article: Rosenhan experiment
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Rosenhan experiment was a famous experiment into the validity of psychiatric diagnosis conducted by David Rosenhan in 1972. It was published in the journal Science under the title “On being sane in insane places.”
Rosenhan’s study consisted of two parts. The first involved the use of healthy associates or “pseudopatients,” who briefly simulated auditory hallucinations [...]
40 percent bigger than Jesus
Sunday, April 6, 2008
John Lennon once aroused controversy, by claiming that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Well, over 40 years later he has been proven right, thanks to the wonderful Wikipedia traffic statistics. In February the article on The Beatles was more popular than that on Jesus, almost 40% more popular in fact.
The Beatles are just [...]
Random article: War of Jenkins’ Ear
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The War of Jenkins’ Ear was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748. After 1742 it merged into the larger War of the Austrian Succession.
Under the 1729 Treaty of Seville, the British had agreed not to trade with the Spanish colonies. To verify the treaty, the Spanish were permitted [...]
Random article: Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Schmidt Sting Pain Index or The Justin O. Schmidt Pain Index is a pain scale rating the relative pain caused by different Hymenopteran stings. It is mainly the work of Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist for whom the index is named. Schmidt has published a number of papers on the subject and claims to [...]