In this blog post, we’ll explore the history of doping, the effects of banned substances, the scientific principles behind doping tests, and the emergence of new doping techniques designed to evade detection.   Why has doping become a problem in sports? The article “The Bowed-Head ‘Marine Boy’ and the Temptation of Steroids” in ‘Science Dong-A’ addresses the controversy...

In this blog post, I will examine the explanation of reciprocal altruism presented in ‘The Selfish Gene’ from the perspectives of the theory of the selfish gene and game theory, and I will critically review the implications and limitations of applying evolutionary game theory to biological behavior in nature.   Explaining Reciprocal Altruism in Animals Through the Theory of the...

In this blog post, I will examine the theory of kin selection as explained by Richard Dawkins in ‘The Selfish Gene’, and explore altruistic and selective behaviors in animals—which are difficult to explain solely through kinship—from the perspectives of environmental factors and social interactions.   Introduction Richard Dawkins’ ‘The Selfish Gene’ explains the...

In this blog post, I will examine the concept of “memes” proposed by Richard Dawkins to explain human behavior and culture, and explore the potential and limitations of memes as a framework for explaining human culture and behavior.   How Can Memes Explain Human Behavior? Ever since the emergence of culture, humanity has continuously worshiped something in the form of primitive religions...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the role of roads—which function like the blood vessels of a city—and explore how road scale and the number of lanes are determined based on traffic volume.   Roads are like the lifeblood of a city. Just as oxygen, nutrients, and waste products travel through our blood vessels, the movement of goods and people in a city occurs via roads, and urban...

In this blog post, we’ll examine why cities form and grow from the perspective of urban economics, and explore how factors such as the efficiency of trade and production, economies of scale, and the Industrial Revolution have shaped today’s major cities.   What Is a City? Today, people around the world live in “cities”—political, economic, and cultural hubs ranging from major metropolises...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the principles, operating process, advantages, and limitations of absorption chillers, which use the heat generated by burning natural gas for cooling.   On September 15, 2011, a baseball game in progress at Mokdong Stadium was suddenly suspended due to lighting issues, and in residential areas, many people were startled and rushed out into the...

In this blog post, we’ll explore how the vast amounts of data we generate in our daily lives are analyzed and utilized, and how past data can help us predict future trends and inform decision-making.   How Does Our Daily Life Become Data? How much data do you think you encounter throughout the day? Thanks to advances in information and communication technology, everything from the KakaoTalk...

In this blog post, we’ll explore the types of motion recognition technologies that could replace keyboards and mice, their applications, and their future potential.   You probably clicked on this post while holding a mouse in one hand. As this example shows, keyboards and mice are still essential tools for inputting and receiving information. However, in the not-too-distant future, even...

In this blog post, I’ll examine the causes of free-riding in college group projects and potential solutions from the perspective of evolutionary biology, and further reflect on why we should live righteously.   A few months ago, a carbonated beverage commercial became a hot topic. The ad features Seol-hyun, who feels frustrated by a senior’s demand—“Hey, underclassman, I’m a senior, so leave...