Identical twins aren't 100% genetically identical. They differ by an average of 5.2 early developmental mutations. nature.com/articles/s4158…
Interesting paper! A few thoughts... [1/3]
1. It was always a safe bet that identical twins would be slightly different genetically. Indeed, there was already evidence for it (e.g., nature.com/articles/ejhg2…; HT @Scientific_Bird). The main contribution of the paper is carefully quantifying the differences. [2/3]
2. The fact that identical twins aren't genetically identical doesn't undermine twin studies. It may mean they slightly underestimate heritability. But the differences are so minor (M = 5.2 mutations in 3 billion base pairs) that, most of the time, it may have ~0 effect. [3/3]
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One of the most fascinating papers I've read for a long time: People dislike their political opponents for views that most don't actually hold. psyarxiv.com/cr23g/ [Preprint; N = 4,993.]
"(Over)estimation of political opponents' agreement with extreme issues predicted cross-partisan dislike, which in turn predicted unwillingness to engage with opponents, foreclosing opportunities to correct misperceptions." psyarxiv.com/cr23g/ [2/5]
"If you empower the government to censor, you are giving the powerful more power... Do you trust what a Biden administration would do with that power? If so, do you trust what the next Trump would do with that power?" areomagazine.com/2021/05/25/ans…
"Censorship doesn't generally change people's opinions, but it does make them more likely to talk only to those with whom they already agree. And what happens when people only talk to politically similar people? The well documented effect of group polarization takes over."
Misguided Criticisms of Evolutionary Psychology #2: Evolutionary psychology provides an excuse for bad behavior – in particular, for the kinds of bad behavior that men specialize in. From #TheApeThatUnderstoodTheUniverseamazon.com/Ape-that-Under…
Misguided Criticisms of Evolutionary Psychology #3: Evolutionary psychology implies that certain undesirable phenomena – old-fashioned sex roles, xenophobia, war and aggression – are ultimately ineradicable. From #TheApeThatUnderstoodTheUniverseamazon.com/Ape-that-Under…
Inspired: Dan Baldassarre (@evornithology) submitted a joke science article to a predatory journal, to see if they'd actually publish it. They did. The paper is called "What's the Deal with Birds?" and it's hilarious. 😂 irispublishers.com/sjrr/pdf/SJRR.…
Come to think of it, though, what *is* the deal with birds? 👇