Keeping Abreast of the Latest Research

I confess, gentle reader, that I wasn't entirely sure how to approach this story. There were three options available to me; I could titter, I could sneer or I could take it seriously.

Well, first of all, there was little to no chance of my not tittering. Not least because I get to use the word 'titter'. But to sneer or not to sneer? In the end, I opted for both. And, therefore, for all three.

First of all, boobies and poo in the one story. Let's just sit back for a moment and ponder on the sheer awesomeness of this research. Let us consider the mindset of scientists who decided that this was an experiment worth running. In fact, let us consider the mind who came up with the idea in the first place.

Actually, it's probably best not to.

But tittering aside, my first second thought on reading the story was that it was going to be another of those stories one reads about where some mad scientist has come up with a wacky, and monstrously inane, experiment for which copious amounts of funding have been received. Almost inevitably, a brief consideration will reveal a valid purpose behind this experiment and, even if the results are negative, it ends up adding to the knowledge available to other researchers. I've increasingly found these stories irritating the more I read, and there seemed no reason to consider this differently. Well, okay. There were two reasons. And poo. Three reasons.

If the over-shoulder boulder holder does indeed constrict the digestive system, then it's potentially a matter of concern, and one that's unquestionably worthy of study. However...

 Seven healthy females (11-41 yrs) volunteered as participants

 Really? Seven?

I'm no statistician, but I'm pretty sure that this is what those who crunch numbers for a living would call 'insignificant'. I doubt that this is even enough to warrant a proper study.

If it is, though, then this is the perfect opportunity for us non-scientists to play a role. With little more than a chatup line and a weighing scales, we can do our bit for the cause. We happy few, whose interaction with the brassiere all too frequently involves nothing more than sneaking a peek down one, can invite a woman around for the purposes of Scientific Research. And then bring the topic around to removal of the aforementioned apparatus.

Of course, sooner or later the magic line 'will you take a dump in this bag for me?' will have to arise. That'll be when things get tricky.