Lemmings jumping off cliffs myth disney how to#
Many other examples exist, of which one of the worst was the maniacal blind faith, the Branch Davidians showed for their leaders in the siege at Waco, TX, that led to many deaths.Ī challenge in science is how to present new concepts that challenge orthodoxy and ‘fixed thinking’. Indeed, Martin Luther lamented ‘That fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside-down’. When Copernicus proposed that it was the earth that revolved around the sun and not the reverse, he was challenged by many learned men who were unable to accept the new science that Copernicus was presenting. ‘Blind faith’ is not just a challenge for scientists, but for anyone seeking the truth, especially if the ideas challenge common conceptual views. 2, 7 Thus, the lemming phenomenon has another meaning, for it is also an example that what we are taught may not always be true. 7 Indeed, the documentary produced by Disney in 1956 was staged, with captured lemmings dumped from a truck on the edge of the cliff and then forced to jump off the cliff. Yet studies of the biology of lemmings suggest they do not jump from cliffs or do other group behaviours that lead to intentional or unintentional death. The idea that lemmings perform such behaviour became so common in the lay literature that many viewed this finding as established. However, the ‘lemming phenomenon’ has another twist, and that is the belief that lemmings can commit mass suicide is more folklore than truth. However, the fact that at least nine different groups counted the same number raises the possibility to this author that it is easy to be trapped into seeing what one wants to see, of having bias from preconceived ideas, and of not wanting to challenge that which has been published if one obtains conflicting data.Īt one level, one might view the repeated error in counting chromosomes as a type of lemming phenomenon in which we take for faith what we have been taught to the point that we ignore that which is right in front of our eyes. Certainly, the technique was difficult in those days, and hence it is possible that they represent innocent errors. One might ask how scientists could incorrectly count the number of human chromosomes for 30 or more years. 5 Yet, just two years later, two scientists based in Lund, Sweden, Joe Hin Tjio and Albert Levan, reported that there was an error in the counting and that the actual number of chromosomes in humans was 46. 4 Indeed, in 1954, Dr Leo Sachs from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel wrote ‘the diploid chromosome number of 48 in man can now be considered an established fact’. 3 For the next 30 years, there were numerous reports confirming these findings from various laboratories in the world. In 1923, a zoologist by the name of Theophilus Painter reported, based on microscopy, that humans had 48 chromosomes.
A great example comes from studies of the human chromosome. One might view this as a graphic example of how blind faith or trust in others can lead to extremely unfortunate consequences.īlind faith can also impact the field of science.
It has been commonly accepted that when this happens, that the lemmings may follow the lemming in front of it wherever it would go, including jumping off cliffs to their death. The Arctic lemming is a small mouse-like creature that lives in the tundra and has intermittent population explosions that force them to migrate to search for food. 2 Truthfully, it did not help me sleep at all, but as I counted the unfortunate lemmings jump, I did gain some insights into the challenges associated with scientific discovery. 1 The video was taken from the Walt Disney documentary, the White Wilderness, which was released in 1958 and received an Academy Award. Some people count imaginary sheep jumping a fence to help them drift off to sleep, but last night I found myself reliving a YouTube video showing Arctic lemmings jumping off a cliff to their death.
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