Ambassadors
Seen around Edinburgh in June-July, height of the tourist season.
Seen around Edinburgh in June-July, height of the tourist season.
It’s a little perplexing to see this press release from my very own institution, which unwittingly provides fodder for creationists:
Edinburgh researchers studying Soay sheep on the island of Hirta, St Kilda, have shown that the animals’ average body size has decreased by five per cent over the past 24 years. ... The reduction in body size opposes the trend that would be expected from evolutionary research. Large sheep have the most offspring, and body size is inherited from one generation to the next, so sheep should tend to become bigger over time. Researchers say that in the case of the Soay sheep, the dwarfing effect of the animals’ environment has been greater than the opposing effect of evolution.
Last July, in an artistic master-stroke, Edinburgh City Council installed a dramatic sculpture on the Royal Mile commemorating the victims of Burke and Hare: