Why the naked ape really has pubic hair

The evolutionary origin of pubic hair in humans remains a diverting puzzle. Why, uniquely among the apes—and all other mammals—do we have a patch of hair in the pubic region but little elsewhere? The other great apes have less hair there than we have, so our evolution of hairlessness, evidently in parallel with our evolution of upright bipedalism, calls attention to the counterintuitive gain of pubic hair.

Self Sovereign Identity can do just fine, blockchain-less

Authentication is the big problem on the Internet. There is no portable authentication layer in the Internet protocol, like phone number portability between phone providers. This has been a problem since the beginning: how do you prove that a user or other entity is who they say they are? Authentication is also the basis for the term SSI or self sovereign identity, popular in policy documents today. How can you control your own online identity? And at least as important: how can you ensure that others do not abuse it?

UniSAFE – A pRoject aiming to eradicate gender-based violence in academia and research

UniSAFE is a three-year project funded by the European Commission aiming to eradicate gender-based violence in academia and research. Launched in 2021, the project will provide up-to-date, robust and reliable data on gender-based violence, including newly emerging forms of violence, in universities and research performing organisations. These results will then be translated into recommendations and a toolbox for universities and research organisations intent on eradicating it.

Blockchain for Science: Revolutionary Opportunities and Potential Problems

By Judy Smith Blockchain technology is infiltrating into every domain and sector on a global scale. What started with the choice to buy bitcoin has now evolved into a race for decentralization and tracking improvement. In many ways, what once seemed Read more […]

Professor Balthazar’s biggest flops: how the cult 1960-70s Yugoslav animation series portrayed failure in science

Some of professor Balthazar’s many frustrations If you’ve ever watched or heard of Professor Balthazar, the lead character of the eponymous cult Yugoslav animation series from the 1960-70s, you likely think of him as a successful inventor whose Read more […]