Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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All We Like Sheep
January 29, 2007 10:59 AM
One of the great powers of this medium, we're always told, is that it is democratic with a small "d." Those who use it can go anywhere, say anything, vote for whatever they like....
...Which brings us to the matter of sheep and sex. I was asked to do a story about them last week; there are a couple of researchers in Oregon who have been looking for biological mechanisms that might explain why some rams seem to show homosexual preferences. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, objected that the experiments were cruel and unnecessary.
So I made some hurried phone calls, sprayed emails across the planet, and wrote the piece. I hope those in it feel they were fairly represented. (The piece is HERE, in case you didn't see it.)
And for the heck of it, we included a "ballot"--one of those popups you've doubtless seen in which you're invited to vote on the matter at hand. We're careful not to call them "polls," since they're not controlled samplings of opinion. Anyone, from anywhere, is welcome to vote.
Sometimes the results, however unscientific, are interesting. In this case, they were more interesting than usual.
We asked people who was right, the researchers, the animal-rights activists, both or neither. (You can take a look HERE, though you have to vote to see the results.) I was intrigued to see the largest number of votes going to "Everyone's wrong." As our disclaimer says at the bottom of those ballots, "not a scientific survey."
I've been told since that someone posted a message on a PETA message board for young people, urging them to go to our site and vote for their cause. (Take a look HERE.)
January 29, 2007 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (3)
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Interesting story, Ned, especially in the unintended consequences of various organizations attempting to use the scientists' study for their own purposes. PETA should be ashamed of itself for trying to usurp the study for its own propagandistic ends!
Posted by: chuck | Jan 29, 2007 11:13:30 AM
Any kind of animal experimentation may be of questionable ethics. This seems to be one of those, especially if it is intended to find a "cure" for homosexuality. That, in itself, is of highly questionable ethics. Big Brotherism run rampant.
One still has to ask, though, how would we solve some of nature's medical assaults on humanity without animal experimentation? Do we, as a species, really deserve a cure? Frankly, in the long run, we may end up being victims of our own success.
Posted by: Andy | Jan 29, 2007 12:58:52 PM
Dear Ned,
I must commend you for the work you do on your blog. What you write about is always interesting, fun to read, and full of new information.
In addition, your frequent links to other articles and sites are welcome for those of us who want to learn more.
Fabulous!! Cheers to ABC for having the wisdom to have you as part of their team.
Posted by: Nora W | Jan 30, 2007 6:52:20 PM
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