Welcome. I’m Eric Dorfman, President of The Linda Hall in Kansas City, with a long-standing curiosity about how power works, how nature surprises us, and how science gets explained, distorted, or ignored.
This blog is where those threads meet. I write about strange and wonderful organisms, about leaders who shaped history by force of ego or failure of judgment, and about science as a human activity rather than a set of settled facts. The pieces below offer a good place to begin. They reflect what I have been thinking about most recently, and how I approach the world on a good day.
Are Octopuses Aliens? Debunking Extraterrestrial Theories
A thoughtful analysis of the once-seriously suggested theory that octopus intelligence is of extraterrestrial origin.
Understanding Caligula: The Role of Illness and Power
From promising youth to sadistic excesses, Emperor Caligula’s madness was a combination of illness, environmental toxins, and absolute power.
Did a Jousting Accident Turn Henry VIII into a Tyrant?
Could King Henry VIII’s frightening totalitarianism been the result of a brain injury?
The Hoatzin: Celebrating One of Nature’s Oddities
A tribute to the Hoatzin, a unique bird with ancient traits and a distinctive lifestyle, highlighting the marvels of evolutionary quirks.
Counting Your Chickens: The World’s Most Numerous Bird
An exploration of the staggering global chicken population and its implications for our understanding of the Anthropocene.
That’s the tour. There’s more tucked away in the shelves and corners if you’re the type who likes to keep poking around.
ERIC DORFMAN 