Hot Laptops and (Potential) Fatherhood

How would you like to have been on this research team? Research conducted by Stony Brook University Hospital, in New York, has found that the heat from a laptop could damage fertility. And they came to this conclusion by measuring -- get this -- scrotal temperature before and after laptop use. This was one of the top health stories on Google News this morning. The top links cited under this happy little banner were:

• Want to be a dad? Stop bouncing a laptop on your knee The Age (subscription)
• Technology; Hot laptops could cook men's fertility Keralanext

But the absolute best headline for this story was in the number three slot:

• Chestnuts roasting on an open FireWire VNUNet.com

Priceless. And I just realized something: When you are a scientist who can get funding to conduct research on scrotal temperature, what can't you do? You don't get clout like that overnight, no sir. It really speaks volumes about your standing in the scientific community.