Monty Python's silly walk: A gait analysis and wake-up call to peer review inefficiencies

HowOdd

Science Daily -- Date: March 12, 2020 Source: Dartmouth College


Summary:

Fifty years ago, Monty Python's famous sketch, 'The Ministry of Silly Walks,' first aired. The sketch

pokes fun at the inefficiency of government bureaucracy. It opens with the Minister (John Cleese)

walks in a rather unusual manner to his work, the Ministry of Silly Walks, where Mr. Pudey (Michael

Palin) is waiting for him. Based on a gait analysis, a research team finds that the Minister's silly walk

is 6.7 times more variable than a normal walk.


FULL STORY


Fifty years ago, Monty Python's famous sketch, "The Ministry of Silly Walks," first aired on BBC One. The sketch pokes fun at the inefficiency of government bureaucracy. It opens with the Minister (John Cleese) walking in a rather unusual manner to his work, the Ministry of Silly Walks, where Mr. Pudey (Michael Palin) is waiting to meet with him to apply for a government grant to develop his silly walk. In the spirit of Monty Python's humor, based on an actual gait analysis, a Dartmouth research team finds that the Minister's silly walk is 6.7 times more variable than a normal walk.

The findings are published in Gait & Posture. Although Mr. Pudey's walk was found to be only 3.3 times more variable than a normal walk, the research team agreed with the Minister's decision that he had a promising silly walk that was deserving of a Research Fellowship. T

he team points out how bureaucratic inefficiency can be likened to that of the peer-review process associated with academic research in the health sciences, particularly when applying for funding. Applying for a federal grant is extremely time consuming and can take months to prepare. 

An application may require a 150-page proposal followed by a review by a panel of researchers, who are often flown in for the occasion. Peer review protocols often require that the panelists must reach a consensus of 75 percent or more to approve a proposal. By contrast, the Dartmouth team points out how the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia pioneered a streamlined grant application process in 2013, which resulted in an estimated savings in 2015 of $A2.1-$4.9 million per year.

"The peer review research process has become rather unwieldy," said Nathaniel J. Dominy, the Charles Hansen Professor of Anthropology, who co-authored the study with Erin E. Butler, who was a postdoctoral fellow at the Neukom Institute at Dartmouth at the time the research was conducted. "If the process was streamlined and grants were awarded more quickly, researchers could start their work earlier, accelerating the timeline for research. Similarly, grant administrators would recoup time and money, which could potentially free up more money for research funding," explained Dominy.



Story Source: Materials provided by Dartmouth College. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.



Journal Reference: Erin E Butler, Nathaniel J Dominy. Peer review at the Ministry of Silly Walks. Gait & Posture, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.02.019



Cite This Page: MLA
APA
Chicago
Dartmouth College. "Monty Python's silly walk: A gait analysis and wake-up call to peer review inefficiencies." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 March 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200312163830.htm>.


...

Monty Python's silly walk: A gait analysis and wake-up call to peer review inefficiencies -- ScienceDaily

Fifty years ago, Monty Python's famous sketch, 'The Ministry of Silly Walks,' first aired. The sketch pokes fun at the inefficiency of government bureaucracy. It opens with the Minister (John Cleese) walks in a rather unusual manner to his work, the Ministry of Silly Walks, where Mr. Pudey (Michael Palin) is waiting for him. Based on a gait analysis, a research team finds that the Minister's silly walk is 6.7 times more variable than a normal walk.
×
Stay Informed

When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.

Adorable Dog @ Sarge's Animal Rescue Needs a Foste...
WNC Nature Center Spotlight Feature May 4, 2020
 

Most Popular Post

Marge
10 June 2020
Wnctimes Blog
Brunswick County Schools responded to questions on their FaceBook page about Joann Tucker. Tucker's Facebook post went viral on social media. The meme, a noose included the words "If we can't make Ame...
Marge
21 September 2019
Wnctimes Blog
Butternut Squash SoupPrep: 20 minCook: 40 minYield: 6 servingsIngredientsOne 2- to 3-pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 medium onion, chopped6 cups chicken stockNu...
Cron Job Starts