Non-ignor ble mis ingn ss

Difficulties sometimes present themselves when statisticians are faced with the task of making accurate predictions from sets of data which have gaps – in the sense that some of the data are missing. The question then arises – are the missing data ignorable or non-ignorable? For a background on how the complexities of Bayesian mathematics […]

Anal probe: parsnips, pigs’ tails & lots more

In 1995, the Ig Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to two surgeons who painstakingly assembled a study called Rectal Foreign Bodies: Case Reports and a Comprehensive Review of the World’s Literature. Those case reports involve, among other items: seven light bulbs; a knife sharpener; two flashlights; a wire spring; a snuff box; an oil […]

Missing moon rocks

Check your pockets carefully—it’s possible that nearly half of our moon rocks are missing. According to Joe Gutheinz Jr., as quoted by the Las Vegas Sun, over 100 out of 270 fragments have gone missing. A retired dentist in Morgantown, West Virginia, has learned that his late brother’s effects include a moon rock. The Sun […]

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