Ancient peoples had bizarre misconceptions about weasel conception. They believed weasel mothers conceived children in their ears and gave birth through their mouths, as weasels carry their tiny young in their mouths. For a long time, they were considered sexual deviants because of it. However, weasels’ reputation changed after their “bizarre conception” was likened to the Annunciation of Christ, where the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus Christ after an angel whispered in her ear. After that, weasels were regarded as fertility talismans, bringing good luck to mothers and would-be mothers. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here