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2011/01/04

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Feline Reactions to Bearded Men

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 04:48 AM PST

by Catherine Maloney, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut, Sarah J. Lichtblau, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois Nadya Karpook, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Carolyn Chou, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Anthony Arena-DeRosa, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

A feline subject reacts to a photograph of a man with a full dark semicircular beard.

Abstract

Cats were exposed to photographs of bearded men. The beards were of various sizes, shapes, and styles. The cats’ responses were recorded and analyzed.

Findings of Prior Investigators

Boone (1958) found inconclusive results in studying feline reactions to clean-shaven men. O’Connor and Brynner (1990) found inconclusive results in studying feline reactions to shaven heads. Quant (1965) found inconclusive results in studying feline reactions to bangs. Seuss (1955) found inconclusive results in studying feline reactions to hats. Ciccone (1986) found inconclusive results in studying feline reactions to hairy legs. Other related studies (Smith/Brothers 1972, Conroy 1987, Schwartzenegger 1983) have since been retracted because the investigators were not able to reproduce their results.

Norquist (1988) performed a series of experiments in which cats were exposed to photographs of Robert Bork[1] (not pictured here), a man whose beard is confined largely to the underside of the jaw. After viewing the Bork photograph, 26% of the cats exhibited paralysis of the legs and body, including the neck. An additional 31% of the cats exposed to the Bork photograph showed other types of severe neurological and/or pulmocardial distress and/or exhibited extremely violent behavior. Because of this, we did not include a photograph of this type of bearded man in our study.

Materials

Five photographs were used in the study. The photographs, reproduced here, display a range of different types of bearded men. (As noted above, one type of bearded man was, however, excluded from use in this study.)

The test subjects were female cats, all between the ages of four and six. 214 cats participated in the study. Three cats died during the study, due to causes unrelated to the bearded men. Fifteen cats gave birth while viewing the photographs.[2]

Methods

Each cat was exposed to the photographs. One photograph was shown at a time. Each photograph was visible for a span of twenty seconds. The photographs were presented in the same order to each cat.

While each cat was viewing the photographs, it was held by a laboratory assistant. To ensure that the cats were not influenced by stroking or other unconscious cues from the assistant, the assistant was anesthetized prior to each session. The cats’ reactions were assessed for changes in pulse rate, respiration, eye dilation, fur shed rate, and qualitative behavior.

Results

The results are presented in Table 1. The quantitative results are average values calculated over the entire feline subject population. The qualitative results are broken out by percentages of the subject population.

Table 1  Pulse Rate:  Runkel:         +42%  Crafts:        unchanged  Despradelle:   +87%  Pritchett:     +2%  Wiener:        unchanged  Respiration:  Runkel:        +186%  Crafts:        unchanged  Despradelle:   +317%  Pritchett:     + 3%  Wiener:        unchanged  Eye Dilation:  Runkel:        +23%  Crafts:        +1%  Despradelle:   +31%  Pritchett:     +3%  Wiener:        unchanged  Fur Shed Rate:  Runkel:        +12%  Crafts:        unchanged  Despradelle:   +19%  Pritchett:     +2%  Wiener:        unchanged  Qualitative Behavior:  Runkel:              52% attacked photograph; hissing; spitting;                   generally agitated behavior.            34% fled.            14% had no visible response.  Crafts:               2% attacked photograph.            1% fled.            1% licked photograph.            94% had no visible response.  Despradelle:               79% attacked photograph; hissing; spitting;                   generally violent, agitated behavior; chaotic                   tail twitch; screeching; incontinence.            19% fled.            2% had no visible response.  Pritchett:                7% attacked photograph.            1% fled.            91% had no visible response.  Wiener:        (100%) No visible response.

Interpretation

  1. Cats do not like men with long beards, especially long dark beards.
  2. Cats are indifferent to men with shorter beards.
  3. Cats are confused and/or disturbed by men with beards that are incomplete (e.g., Bork) and to a lesser degree by men whose beards have missing parts (e.g., Crafts).

These interpretations are not categorical. They are subject to several obvious qualifications. The most notable are listed below.

Qualification A. This study excluded photographs of men with beards confined largely to the underside of the jaw (see above discussion of Robert Bork). While data are available from studies conducted by other investigators, those studies made use of a different methodology than the one we used in our study. We are therefore hesitant to interpret our findings in light of the “Bork” findings, or vice versa.

Qualification B. This study was conducted with photographs of bearded men. In a future study we intend to investigate feline responses to animate bearded men. A large number of factors might produce significantly different results in the two studies. In particular, there has been speculation that bearded men produce pheromones which could have a significant effect on cats.[3]

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank The MIT Museum Collection for allowing us to use photographs from its Bearded Men Collection and for generously granting permission to reproduce the photographs as part of this research report. Special thanks to Sally Beddow for assistance in selecting appropriate photographs (the Collection includes more than 71,000 photographs of bearded men) and to Warren Seamans and Kathy Thurston. Special thanks also to Lisa Yane for coordinating the scheduling, travel and housing arrangements for the feline subjects and for obtaining medical clearances in connection with anesthetizing the research assistant.

Notes

  1. Bork was a nominee to the United States Supreme Court. Because of Bork’s distinctive beard, his photograph has been used in reaction studies with dogs, rats, and planaria (flatworms) and in bombardment studies with pigeons.
  2. We excluded all data pertaining to the fifteen cats who gave birth while viewing the photographs. The reproducibility of the GAVE BIRTH/DID NOT GIVE BIRTH data will be addressed in a separate, future study.
  3. Photographs do not, of course, produce pheromones, but they do emanate airborne scents derived from chemicals used in the photo developing process. Our study with animate bearded men will employ a strategy to eliminate this imbalance: before being shown to the cats, each bearded man will be immersed in a photochemical bath.

Bibliography

  • Boone, Patrick, “Cat Reactions to Clean-Shaven Men,” in Western Musicology Journal, March/April 1958, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 4-21.
  • Ciccone, Madonna Louise, “Feline Responses to Hairy Legs,” in Midwestern Sociological Review, January 1986, vol. 32, no. 1, pp 51-79.
  • Conroy, Gary, “Feline Responses to Ponytails,” in Urban Sociology Review, November 25, 1987, vol. 21, no. 36, pp. 302-321.
  • Norquist, Winthrop Grover, “Feline Reactions to Supreme Court Nominees,” in Journal of Feline Forensic Studies, vol. 12, no. 8, August 1988, pp. 437-450.
  • O’Connor, Sinead, and Brynner, Y., “Feline Responses to Shaven Heads,” in Journal of Head Trauma, May 30, 1990, vol. 42, no. 17, pp. 309-324.
  • Quant, Mary, “Cat Responses to Bangs,” in Tonsological Proceedings, May 1965, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 251-262.
  • Schwartzenegger, A., “A Study of How Cats Respond to Body Hair,” in Mind/Body Review, December 1983, vol. 3, no. 12, pp. 25-108.
  • Seuss, Doctor, “Feline Responses to Hats,” in Veterinary Developmental Studies, July 1955, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 54-62.
  • Smith, J., and Brothers, Joyce, “Feline Responses to Healthy Adults,” in Health Advice, September 1972, vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 32-33.

NOTE: After this report was published, the authors continued their research.
A later report (including newly discovered historical photos of cats reacting to Abraham Lincoln, Csar Nicholas, and others) can be seen in the Sept./Oct. 1999 issue (vol. 5, no. 5) of the Annals of Improbable Research.
And still further reports appear in many of the subsequent issues of the magazine. Also see the report Feline Reactions to Bearded Men of Beard Type #55G.

© Copyright Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)

_____________________

This article is republished with permission from the Sept-Oct 1999 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. You can download or purchase back issues of the magazine, or subscribe to receive future issues. Or get a subscription for someone as a gift!

Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.

Luke Skywalker as a Peanuts Character

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 04:10 AM PST

Tom Torrey, who previously made a TIE Fighter that looks like Charlie Brown’s head, has sculpted another piece in the same theme. This one depicts Luke Skywalker after arriving at Dagobah. Snoopy is lucky that he doesn’t taste very good.

Link via Comics Alliance

Kitteh Puts on Bunny Mask

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 03:57 AM PST


(Video Link)

Mimi, a cat, is getting ready for the Year of the Rabbit. While most cats would struggle against human-mandated costumes, she wants to put on her bunny hat!

via Urlesque

Bandoleer Magnetic Bracelet

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:36 AM PST


Bandoleer Magnetic Bracelet – $14.95

Stylish jewelry isn’t unusual – but stylish and fun? Here’s a clever jewelry called the Bandoleer Magnetic Bracelet from the NeatoShop. It’s composed of sturdy little magnetic "bullets" that come apart and snap back together to create – literally – wearable fun.

Take a look at what it can do:

Guys, get a jump on Valentine’s Day and get one for your loved ones (and then, you can um, investigate the bracelet yourself, of course! Strictly for scientific purposes): Link| More Magnet Fun

Batman Origami

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:23 AM PST

Artist Brian Chan, who made the Iron Man Origami featured on Neatorama a while ago, also created this super awesome Batman Origami.

Take a look at his Origami page for more examples of his fantastic artwork: Link

Rule #1

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:23 AM PST

Because if you don’t follow Rule #1, apparently there’s no need for Rule #2. A fantastic photo taken by Flickr user Gord McKenna in a Petting Zoo in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Mini Panda Cow

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:22 AM PST

Who says that genetic manipulation is all about the creation of horrific mutants and such? Why, what can be used for evil can also be used for cuteness. Behold, the miniature Panda Cow:

The miniature panda cow is the result of 44 years of genetic manipulation by Richard Gradwohl, a farmer in Covington, Wash., about 20 miles southeast of Seattle.

A white belt encircling the animal's midsection, and the white face with black ovals around the eyes, give the cow an appearance that is very much panda-like.

And if you wonder why people breed mini cows, the answer is that they’re used as pets.

Tom Hacker of Reporter-Herald has the story: Link (Photo: Tom Hacker/Reporter-Herald) – via Arbroath (who has a video clip of the mini panda cow)

All Plane Flights in the World in a Day

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:22 AM PST

This one is quite neat. Here’s a YouTube clip showing all of the air traffic in the world in a single day, condensed to a little over a minute:

The yellow dots are airplanes in the sky during a 24 hour period. Stay with the picture. You will see the light of the day moving from the east to the west, as the Earth spins on its axis.

Also you will see the aircraft flow of traffic leaving the North American continent and traveling at night to arrive in the UK in the morning. Then you will see the flow changing, leaving the UK in the morning and flying to the American continent in daylight.

So sit back, relax, and make sure the tray table is in its upright position, then go watch all those planes fly all over the planet: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]

Bubba, the Ladder-Climbing Roof Dog

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:19 AM PST

Bubba loves to be with his owner at work so much that he didn’t let a little thing called height keep them apart. Not when he taught itself to climb up a ladder!

Bubba is not unique in that he enjoys doing the unusual and he loves going to work with his owner, Levi Baker. Only problem is that Levi Baker is a roofing contractor. Bubba learned how to climb a ladder to be with her beloved Levi.

Bubba’s owner stated "One day we just tearing off a roof…next thing we know, we hear the dog at the edge of the roof scattering around. From that day on, it’s been a roof dog since."

Examiner has the story and the video clip: Link

Thousands of Birds and Fish Drop Dead in Arkansas on New Year

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:19 AM PST

New York City may have had the glitziest ball drop to ring in the New Year, but Beebe, Arkansas, took the cake in the weird department: shortly before midnight, thousands of blackbirds began dropping dead out of the sky!

Around 11 that night, thousands of red-winged blackbirds began falling out of the sky over this small city about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. They landed on roofs, roads, front lawns and backyards, turning the ground nearly black and terrifying anyone who happened to be outside. [...]

The cause is still being determined, but preliminary lab results from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission revealed "acute physical trauma" in samples of the dead birds. There were no indications of disease, though tests were still being done for the presence of toxic chemicals.

Link (Photo:Stephen B. Thornton/The Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Adding to the mystery, over 100,000 fish washed up dead on the banks of the Arkansas River, near Ozark – about 125 miles from Beebe:

Travis Harmon of the Department of Environmental Quality said: ‘Barges reported passing up river and churning up dead fish from the bottom of the river.

‘A single species is killed, and we don’t know the cause. If it was toxic, other species would be affected.’

Link

So, is this a premonition of sort for 2011? What do you think killed all those birds and fish? What’s going on, Arkansas?

Traffic Sheep

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:17 AM PST

These sure don’t look like your boring ol’ traffic cones! The Municipality of Gland, Switzerland commissioned Christophe Machet to create a set of reflective sheep that somehow "got lost" in the city streets, thus forcing drivers to slow down.

Say what you will, but these Traffic Sheep are great at baaaaa-rricading the streets!

Link

Space Battleship Yamato in Zen Magnets

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:16 AM PST

Flickr user Eric 10d used lots of Zen Magnets rare earth magnet balls and some nails to create this sculpture of the Space Battleship Yamato: Link

Fiddler on the Roof/You Got Served Mashup

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 06:13 PM PST


(Video Link)

Tevye may work as a dairyman, but he was born to dance. YouTube user ACDPresents, a film student, made this carefully-timed video for an editing class. It mashes up video from 1971 musical Fiddler on the Roof and audio from the 2004 movie You Got Served.

via Legal Insurrection

Previously: Bottle Dancers

Timecard: Digital Heirloom Shows Timeline of the Dearly Departed

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 12:05 PM PST

What happens to all of your digital web accounts when you die? All those Flickr photos, for instance. Well, Richard Banks, who works on a project called Technology Heirloom for Microsoft Research, created a device meant to pay tribute to a passed love one, called the Timecard:

This is a timeline viewer, meant to represent someone’s life, that we imagine might be the digital equivalent of a photo album or baby book. We’d like to think that it might become a precious object for a family, forming a new class of digital heirloom.

Hit play or go to Link [Vimeo] | Technology Heirlooms project | Interview with BBC

Battleship USB Hub

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 12:04 PM PST


Battleship USB Hub – $17.95

This desktop USB hub designed by Giffin’termeer over at the NeatoShop is cleverly shaped like a battleship straight out of Battleship game we play as kids. So who says that your USB hub has to be boring? Get connectivity and fun with the Battleship USB Hub: Link

See also: USB Hubman | More fun School Stuff | Fun Office & Desk Stuff

Boring 2010: The Conference for Really Boring Stuff

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 12:03 PM PST

No where else would a talk titled "Like Listening to Paint Dry" by William Barrett, which is composed solely of reciting every single one of 415 colors (yawn!) listed in a paint catalog, would be a hit other than at … Boring 2010.

Yes, folks. Boring 2010, organized by James Ward of I Like Boring Things Blog, is a conference for boredom enthusiasts. Betcha didn’t know there was one:

Boring 2010 sprang to life when Mr. Ward heard that an event called the Interesting Conference had been canceled, and he sent out a joke tweet about the need to have a Boring Conference instead. He was taken aback when dozens of people responded enthusiastically.

Soon, he was hatching plans for the first-ever meet-up of the like-mindedly mundane. The first 50 tickets for Boring 2010 sold in seven minutes.

"I guess the joke is on me," said the laid-back Mr. Ward. "I’ve created this trap and there’s no way out."

Proceedings at the sell-out event were kicked off by Mr. Ward himself, who discussed his tie collection at great length, accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation.

He noted that as of June 2010, he owned 55 ties, and 45.5% of them were of a single color. By December, his tie collection had jumped by 36%, although the share of single-color ties fell by 1.5%.

"Ties are getting slightly more colorful," he noted. Also, apparently, his taste was improving. By December, only 64% of his ties were polyester, down from 73% in June.

Even less stirring was a milk tasting. Ed Ross, an actor, swirled, sniffed and sipped five different milks in wine glasses, commenting on each one’s flavor, finish and ideal "food pairing." (Cereals got mentioned a lot.)

One eagerly awaited talk was about writer Peter Fletcher’s meticulous three-year—and still running—sneeze count. With the help of graphs and charts, Mr. Fletcher disclosed that he had sneezed 2,267 times in the past 1,249 days, thus gaining "a profound understanding of the passing of time."

"I’ve even sneezed when recording a sneeze," he said.

Gautan Naik of the Wall Street Journal has the surprisingly interesting details of the Boring 2010 conference: Link (Photo: Gautam Naik/WSJ)

Engkey, the English Teacherbot in Korea

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 12:01 PM PST

Imagine the classroom of the future, where students greet their teacherbot every morning? Well, that may come sooner than we’d like to think: the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has developed Engkey, a robot to teach English to youngsters.

The 29 robots, about 1m-high with a TV display panel for a face, wheeled around the classroom while speaking to the students, reading books to them and dancing to music by moving their head and arms.

The robots, which display an avatar face of a Caucasian woman, are controlled remotely by teachers of English in the Philippines – who can see and hear the children via a remote control system.

Cameras detect the Filipino teachers’ facial expressions and instantly reflect them on the avatar’s face, said Sagong Seong-Dae, a senior scientist at KIST.

"Well-educated, experienced Filipino teachers are far cheaper than their counterparts elsewhere, including South Korea," he said.

Link (Photo: AFP)

Why Humans Are Getting Dumber: Our Brains Are Shrinking!

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 11:59 AM PST

Got a crotchety old guy who kept telling you that youngsters today are getting dumber by the minute (right before he told you to get off his lawn)?

Well, he may be onto something: scientists discovered that our brains are actually shrinking!

The downsizing of human brains is an evolutionary fact that took science writer Kathleen McAuliffe by surprise.

"I said, ‘What? I thought it was getting bigger!’" she tells NPR’s Jacki Lyden. That was the story up to 20,000 years ago, she learned. Then, the brains of our ancestors reversed course and started getting smaller — and they’ve been shrinking ever since.

Cro-Magnon man, who lived in Europe 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, had the biggest brains of any human species. In comparison, today’s human brain is about 10 percent smaller. It’s a chunk of brain matter "roughly equivalent to a tennis ball in size," McAuliffe says.

The experts aren’t sure about the implications of this evolutionary trend. Some think it might be a dumbing-down process. One cognitive scientist, David Geary, argues that as human society grows increasingly complex, individuals don’t need to be as intelligent in order to survive and reproduce.

I don’t know about the science, but it sure explains Jersey Shore! Link

Photo: Emergency Inflatable Brain from the NeatoShop

43 Languages, One Message

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 09:43 AM PST


(YouTube link)

Hear New Year greetings in languages used all over the world. WojtekNYC assembled this with help from friends at Columbia University and the International House. If you can contribute any translation as to what was said, please leave them in the comments. -via The High Definite

Wizard Constable

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 09:24 AM PST

BitLit, Neatorama’s fiction blog, is posting a new story! Chapter one of Wizard Constable by Tom Van Natta is now online.

Jorac's an ordinary city constable in the city of Vaggert; he's allergic to magic but still takes the job of Wizard Constable, working for the city's overbearing, officious wizards. He encounters cutthroats, slavers, poison frogs, crazed wizards, hidden beauty, and much more – this is not stereotypical "epic fantasy", it's a fast-paced, fun adventure story.

You can bookmark the index for this individual book so you can find all of the chapters as they are posted. Link

Also at BitLit:

The Haines Shoe House

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 09:13 AM PST


(YouTube link)

The Shoe House in Hellam, Pennsylvania was built in 1948 by shoe salesman Colonel Mahlon M. Haines, who styled himself as “the Shoe Wizard”. Not only is the house shaped like a shoe, but each window has stained glass images of shoes! Read about the building’s history at Roadside America. Link -Thanks, Greg Ross!

Rabbit New Year Cards

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 08:51 AM PST

Although the Lunar New Year doesn’t begin until February third, 2011 will be the Year of the Rabbit. Pink Tentacle welcomed the year by posting several beautiful antique bunny illustrations from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The rabbit shown dates from 1903. Link -via Right Brain Terrain

The Top Dinosaur Discoveries of 2010

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 08:49 AM PST

The biggest dinosaur discoveries of the year include dinosauromorphs, or dinosaur precursors, plus dinosaur diets, dino nurseries, and dinosaur colors. Shown is the feathered dinosaur Anchiornis, whose colors were determined by feather fossils. Check out the entire list, with links to further reading, at Smithsonian. Link -via The Dystenium Science Daily

(Image credit: Michael DiGiorgio)

Sixties Seventies

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 08:31 AM PST

This Italian photo site documents the fashions of the 1960s and ’70s -miniskirts, bellbottoms, platform shoes, hot pants, go-go boots, and that hair! You’ll see some famous faces among the models. Elements of these styles come back every once in a while, but the total look of those days of fashion will never be duplicated. Link -via Metafilter

Distraction

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 08:09 AM PST

Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the internet. – @AdviceToWriters

Ain’t that the truth! And it’s a occupational hazard when your job is to offer internet distractions to everyone. This Twaggie was inspired by @AdviceToWriters. Like all Twaggies, it is available in print or t-shirt form. Link

Cthulhu Ski Hat

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:44 AM PST

Stay warm and scare children on the slopes with this crocheted Cthulhu ski hat from Etsy seller CraftyPA! There is an opening for your mouth under the tentacles. Available in red, too! Link -via Buzzfeed

Revisiting the Big Place

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:33 AM PST

Scout checked out Rye Playland, the amusement park where Tom Hanks found the Zoltar machine in the movie Big. However, Zoltar has been replaced by another machine that can make you big.

There are more pictures of the park as it appears now at Scouting New York. Link -via The Daily What

The Alcowebizer

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:29 AM PST

The Alcowebizer is a generator that simulates what a website would look like if you were under the influence of alcohol. Enter the address of a website, then you can adjust the look according to your blood-alcohol level. At the first level, Neatorama just looks like it has a few typos -which is not at all surprising. Set it further along, and colors and strange fonts appear. The screenshot here (of this post) is only about half as far as you can take the Alcowebizer. Beware -if you set it far enough, there will be music. Link -via Nag on the Lake

Name That Weird Invention!

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 07:07 AM PST

It’s time for the Name That Weird Invention! contest. Steven M. Johnson comes up with all sorts of crazy ideas in his weekly Museum of Possibilities posts. Can you come up with a name for this one? The commenters suggesting the funniest and wittiest names will win a free T-shirt from the NeatoShop. Let your imagination run wild, and good luck!

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

Posted: 03 Jan 2011 06:25 AM PST

Have any of you been to the town of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! lately? It’s in Quebec. Link
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