Entomology, chemical ecology, evidence-based environmentalism and science in general. I like big bugs and I cannot lie.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

My fragile sanity

Sometimes whilst perusing the literature (read having an excuse to hide in the office with a cup of tea rather than wandering around the lab acusing random people of nicking my petri dishes out of the drying oven) I come across a paper title that I find quite amusing. I then wonder if it would actually be funny to the average person or whether I've just gone a bit strange in the head after reading four papers on the effect of bovine serum albumen on ovarian development, after which just about anything would seem entertaining. Perhaps you dear reader can help me judge?

Behaviour of house fly, Musca domestica L., in relation to the use of transparent plastic bags containing water.
Some papers just make you think "Why?"

The effects of the aroma of jasmine on bowling score.
Again, why? Apparently it improves score by 26.5%, but the study didn't look particularly rigourous so I wouldn't start snorting flowers before breaking out Wii Sports just yet

A new model of the trap giving a cheap and ecofriendly way of reducing common house flies, Musca domestica Linn. (Diptera: Muscidae) from the homes of poor people.
A study title that could really benefit from the advice of the PC Brigade

Seven years of parasite coprology in a hospital environment in Lyon
Sounds like a lesser known novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A device for preventing houseflies from copulating
Hmm, kinky

1 comment:

Imogen said...

Just to let you know - you are not peculiar in finding those funny. truly. The authors are the peculiar ones.
Imogen.