Category Archives: Science

“SKEEVY”—A NEW REGIONALISM. Sager gives an example of a new regionalism: “Relatively new (that is, in the last 40 years), the term skeevy has arisen primarily in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to describe something gross or dirty.” I … Continue reading →

FORENSIC LINGUISTCS—DEVIL STRIPS. I learned from Sager’s article that there is a specialty dealing with forensic linguistics. Sager tells about a ransom note which directed that the ransom be put in “the green trash kan on the devil strip” at … Continue reading →

WHY DON’T HUMANS HAVE STRIPES? The Economist article says that: “Another obvious question, though, is why other species have not evolved this elegant form of fly repellent….” and suggests the possibility of humans developing black and white stripes. I think … Continue reading →

EVOLUTION AND ZEBRA STRIPES. The puzzle of how the stripes on zebras gave an evolutionary advantage has been around since Darwin’s time. This Guardian article by James Randerson from 2009 tells how Alfred Wallace, who discovered natural selection at roughly … Continue reading →

DOTS AND LINES—ZEBRAS. There is an ongoing mystery about the evolutionary reasons why zebras have their stripes. This article gives four conjectures: predator avoidance, social benefits, thermoregulation, and protection from biting tsetse flies. This article in the Economist (February 11) … Continue reading →