al-mofhariz

Yesterday, the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced a rule change. Coming into effect in 2016, Rule 14-1B will prohibit the use of so-called "anchored strokes" in sanctioned play. Rather than try to describe what "anchoring" is, here's a helpful graphic provided by the USGA:

As a strategy for putting, "anchoring" has become increasingly popular—and controversial—over the last decade or so. According to ESPN, four out of the last six winners in major championships used "anchored strokes," a rate of success that has fueled speculation about what (if any) competitive advantage such a stroke might confer.

I'm not a golf fan, and I don't have an opinion one way or the other. What I'm interested in is the way this issue has been both contested within the golf community and portrayed in the media. Specifically, I was struck by how the old clash between "science" and "tradition" is playing out in some interes…

How much control do you have over your brain? In recent years, scientists have discovered a tremendous amount of human behavior is actually motivated by unconsciousprocesses. At the Secret Science Club, neuroscientist Heather Berlin delves into your deepest, darkest thoughts. 
She asks:

--Who’s really in control? Is there a neural basis for free will? -- How do conscious impulses and thoughts become unconscious (as in repression) and vice-versa (Freudian slips)?  -- What can brain imaging and neuropsychological experiments tell us about our emotions, obsessions, and compulsions?  --What is consciousness and how did it evolve? What purpose does it serve? A cognitive neuroscientist in the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Berlin researches impulsivity, compulsivity, and emotions with the goal of developing more targeted treatments for a variety of disorders. She has appeared as a featured scientist on the Discovery Channel’s Superhuman Showdown…