The road will be mastered by the walker

Anonymous questioning by the distribution of questionnaires among 1,600 young people (68.9% of them were city dwellers, 31.1% were villagers) was carried out. The questioning covered 1,079 adolescents aged 12-16 years (67.3%), 501 young people aged 16-19 years (31.3%) and 20 respondents aged 19-23 years (1.4%). The analysis of answers to questionnaires indicated that all respondents had the same level of knowledge on the subject, but the information they possessed was not duly analyzed and had no influence on their own behavior. It should be pointed out that 1% of persons aged 12-19 years took drugs by intravenous injection. These data, as well as other materials, gave grounds for the development of a new educational program on the prophylaxis of HIV/AIDS/STD and its introduction in 1997. The program is intended for a school course of 6 years (forms 6-11) and must provide adolescents with reliable and comprehensible information, conductive to the formation of a healthy mode of life.     

Egg-clustering: Mother Wants her Neighbour's Offspring to be Eaten First

Book reviewed in this article: Bischof , N. (1991): Gescheiter als alle die Laffen. Ein Psychogramm von Konrad Lorenz (A psychological analysis of K. L.) Besprochen von Wolfgang Wickler Wuketits , F. M. (1990): Konrad Lorenz, Leben und Werk eines großen Naturforschers (Life and work of a great scientist). Piper Verlag Besprochen von Paul Leyhausen Karlson , P. (1990): Adolf Butenandt. Biochemiker — Hormonforscher — Wissenschaftspolitiker Besprochen von Dietrich Schneider Henke , W., ed. (1988): Biology and physiology of amphibians. Vol. 38 Progress in Zoology (Biologie und Physiologie der Amphibien. Bd 38, Fortschritte der Zoologie). Gustav Fischer Verl. Reviewed by Wolfgang Böhme Wada , M., S. Ishii , & C. G. Scanes (1990): Endocrinology of birds. Molecular to behavioral (Endokrinologie der Vögel. Vom Molekül zum Verhalten) Besprochen von H. R. Güttinger Kinne , R. K. H., E. Kinne-Saffran , & K. E. Beyenbach, eds. (1990): Comparative Physiology Vol. 8.: Balthazart , J., vol. ed. (1990): Hormones, brain and behaviour in vertebrates. 1. Sexual differentiation, neuroanatomical aspects, neurotransmitters and neuropeptides (Hormone, Gehirn und Verhalten bei Wirbeltieren. Bd. 1: Geschlechtsdifferenzierung, neuroanatomische Aspekte, Neurotransmitter u. Neuropeptide) Vol. 9.: Balthazart , J., vol. ed. (1990): Hormones, brain and behaviour in vertebrates. 2. Behavioural activation in males and females — social interactions and reproductive endocrinology (Bd. 2: Verhaltensaktivierung bei Männchen und Weibchen, soziale Interaktionen u. Reproduktionsendokrinologie) Reviewed by Volker Blüm Klaus , S., H.-H. Bergmann , C. Marti , F. Müller , O. A. Vitovic & J. Wiesner (1990): Die Birkhühner Tetrao tetrix und T. mlokosiewiczi (The grouses). Die Neue Brehm-Biicherei Bd. 397, A. Ziemsen-Verlag, Wittenberg Lutherstadt Besprochen von W. Scherzinger Schönn , S., W. Scherzinger , K.-M. Exo & R. Ille (1991): Der Steinkauz: Athene noctua (The little owl). Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei, Band 606. A. Ziemsen Verlag, Wittenberg Lutherstadt Besprochen von Theodor Mebs     

Hypotheses and humility: Ideas do not have to be right to be useful

Hypotheses need not be completely right to be useful. A hypothesis that explains an important aspect of the world, but not all of the world, can stimulate new ideas and new experiments which take science forward. Phlogiston is a typical case study. While not universally accepted at the time, and subsequently proved to be wrong, the hypothesis that there was a ‘fire-giving’ substance in inflammable materials prompted the development of quantitative chemistry, and the subsequent discovery of oxygen. Hypotheses today do not have to explain all aspects of the world perfectly. But they should be honest about those aspects they do not explain, and demonstrate some humility in their limitations. It is very unlikely that a single idea explains everything in a biological system. Theorists should recognise this: if they do not, their readers will, and will discount their ideas because of their lack of awareness of their context. Humility may get you a hearing.