Right,
this article does not have much to do with the brain and nope, there
are no serious PubMed articles on the effects of April fools' pranks on
the central nervous system. However, considering that April is
approaching, this might be of general interest.
April Fools' Day is not a national holiday. Still, traditionally, it is well known in most of the western world. Every year on the first of April, people play practical jokes on each other. People are sent on errands that do not exist or are made to believe ridiculous things. The joke is then revealed by shouting out “April fool!” (or “April, April” in Germany).
The origin of this tradition is unclear, but reports date back to the 17th century in Germany. The press and other media tend to report hoax stories on this day, and the stories are revealed as fake on the subsequent days. The BBC did a famous hoax on April 1, 1957, presenting a documentary on how spaghetti can be harvested from spaghetti trees. Hundreds of listeners then called them, inquiring about how to grow spaghetti trees themselves [1].
Google is also famous for its April fools' hoaxes. In 2005, they announced the marketing of the drink Google Gulp. They claimed that it analyzes the DNA of the drinker in real time and carefully adjusts neurotransmitters to enhance intelligence while using the Google search engine. How, you might ask? Well, according to Google this works through a patented technology that involves monoamine oxidase inhibition. It was offered in four flavors: Glutamate Grape, Sugar-Free Radical, Beta Carroty, and Sero-Tonic Water [2].
Easy to identify as a hoax for us scientists, don't you think? Of course, on other topics we might be just as susceptible to hoaxes as others. Maybe this year everybody reading the CNS Newsletter will be a little better prepared!
[1] http://goo.gl/YZ91EN
[2] http://goo.gl/0L8aUY
by Ann-Christin Ostwaldt, PhD Alumna (AG Fiebach)
This article originally appeared March 2015, Vol. 08, Issue 01, Humour
April Fools' Day is not a national holiday. Still, traditionally, it is well known in most of the western world. Every year on the first of April, people play practical jokes on each other. People are sent on errands that do not exist or are made to believe ridiculous things. The joke is then revealed by shouting out “April fool!” (or “April, April” in Germany).
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| 'Washing of the Lions' hoax from 1857Credit: http://bit.ly/1EQgssI |
The origin of this tradition is unclear, but reports date back to the 17th century in Germany. The press and other media tend to report hoax stories on this day, and the stories are revealed as fake on the subsequent days. The BBC did a famous hoax on April 1, 1957, presenting a documentary on how spaghetti can be harvested from spaghetti trees. Hundreds of listeners then called them, inquiring about how to grow spaghetti trees themselves [1].
Google is also famous for its April fools' hoaxes. In 2005, they announced the marketing of the drink Google Gulp. They claimed that it analyzes the DNA of the drinker in real time and carefully adjusts neurotransmitters to enhance intelligence while using the Google search engine. How, you might ask? Well, according to Google this works through a patented technology that involves monoamine oxidase inhibition. It was offered in four flavors: Glutamate Grape, Sugar-Free Radical, Beta Carroty, and Sero-Tonic Water [2].
Easy to identify as a hoax for us scientists, don't you think? Of course, on other topics we might be just as susceptible to hoaxes as others. Maybe this year everybody reading the CNS Newsletter will be a little better prepared!
[1] http://goo.gl/YZ91EN
[2] http://goo.gl/0L8aUY
by Ann-Christin Ostwaldt, PhD Alumna (AG Fiebach)
This article originally appeared March 2015, Vol. 08, Issue 01, Humour
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