R M Cullen MD MSc MFM BA DipStats DipProfEthics

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some thoughts			some opinions

opinion pieces

On this page, and the pages off it, are occasional opinion pieces on topics where I reckon I have some expertise (evolution, elite athlete development, education, and health)

evolution

there was a first human, november 2015

There are biologists who say that there was no first human, no first homo sapiens. Their argument goes like this: according to standard evolutionary theory the change from one generation to the next is very very small. So small as to be undetectable... there is no one animal whose parents are not human but who is human. ... read full piece

standard evolutionary theory offers only a plausible explanation for complex adaptations (May 2015)

A central problem in evolutionary theory concerns the development of complex adaptive features such as eyes and wings. These are the 'modifications' central to Darwin's conception of evolution as descent with modification from a common ancestor. ... read full piece

punctuated equilibrium is a challenge to standard evolutionary theory (Mar 2015)

A pillar of Darwin's theory of evolution is the claim that evolution proceeds by the continuous accumulation of very small changes each of which confers a reproductive advantage to individuals possessing that change. Gould and Eldredge with their theory of punctuated equilibrium challenged the notion that evolution is a "continuous accumulation". ... read full piece

human races exist! (Feb 2015)

In The Myth of Race: the troubling persistence of an unscientific idea Robert Sussman, Professor of physical anthropology at Washington University in St Louis writes (p 305) "Race is not a biological reality among humans; there are no human biological races. What humans have designated as races are based on non-existent differences among peoples. People are more similar to one another biologically and genetically as a whole than they are to any of the classifications that racists have devised." ... read full piece

why are there polynesians?(Dec 2014)

Four thousand years ago there were no polynesians. The islands of polynesia, roughly speaking those islands in a longitudinal line from Hawaii, down through Tonga and Samoa to New Zealand and across the Pacific to Easter Island, had no human inhabitants. ... read full piece

elite athlete development

when should a rugby league junior move to australia? (december 2015)

Every year there is a dramatic migration of junior rugby league talent from New Zealand to Australia. Sometimes the kid goes because the family is emigrating for other reasons. Often, the shift refelcts a preceived disenchantment with rugby league development pathways, particularly in Auckland. ... read full piece

converting teenage talent into a long professional career (october 2015)

As the NZ Warriors rugby league team follows another disappointing season with another review, one which it has been flagged will find the players at fault ... read full piece

Can social risk taking in teenage elite athletes be influenced? (september 2015)

Promising teenagers drink, have sex, get into fights, use marijuana, and perhaps experiment with other recreational drugs. Most athletes grow out of this. Some do not. ... read full piece

what happens when the sport's administrator's are rubbish? (august 2015)

Young elite athletes need opportunities for recognition. If the athelete is in a development programme, or plays for a recognised team, ... read full piece

Dealing with thuggery (july 2015)

Rugby league likes to refer to itself as a family. The sport's administrators have taken up, and been paid to promote, the "It's not OK" campaign against family violence. So, it is instructive to look at how this family, headed by the Auckland Rugby League and the New Zealand Rugby League responds to a very public incident of violence. ... read full piece

preventing suicide in young elite sportsmen (april 2015)

Suicide prevention falls into three parts. First is the club systems which make suicide risk negligible. Second is the identification of at-risk club members. Third is the internal review to ensure that those at-risk are not falling between cracks in the systems. ... read full piece

drug testing in school sport? (Jan 2015)

Promising teenagers smoke, drink, have sex, get into fights, use marijuana, and perhaps experiment with other recreational drugs. Some good young players who are 'too small' try anabolic steroids, peptides, or banned supplements in an attempt to get bigger and stronger faster than nature intended for them. Many, perhaps even most, players on a weight training programme use supplements as well. ... read full piece

the killing of stephen dudley (Oct 2014)

Stephen Dudley was a 15 year old Maori boy urged into a fight after rugby training at kelston boys high school. His would be opponent's big brother jumped in and landed the first shot, a blind shot. The two Samoans left Stephen dying on the ground. The killers have both been discharged without conviction and granted permanent name suppression. The elder is heading for a professional rugby career. Last year he was a member of the kelston boys high school first fifteen. This year he was a part of the Auckland under 19 and Samoan under 20 rugby teams. ...read full piece

preparing tomorrow's professional athlete (june 2013)

The first problem is a biggie. Despite several decades of study, there is no reliable method of predicting which promising 17 year olds will go on to professional careers...The second problem is acknowledging the importance of mental and character attributes, as well as the player’s home and social environment ...read full piece

suicide in young elite sportsmen (may 2013)

In the last few months two young elite rugby league players have committed suicide in Australia....It seems from the response of the clubs and that of National Rugby League, that both deaths are going to be attributed, wrongly, to undiagnosed depression. ...read full piece

education

Why can't New Zealand kids do basic math? (march 2013)

The number one reason our kids can’t count is their parents can’t count. Number two, their teachers don’t have mastery of basic math. ...read full piece

health

Not all babies should be vaccinated against pertussis (june 2015)

Mass vaccination against whooping cough has increased the burden of disease in under one year olds, rather than halving it as was the aim. The vaccine confers short term protection against the disease when compared to the long lasting, possibly lifelong immunity which follows natural infection. ...read full piece