Duh.

I'm all for scientific research. I think it serves a very useful purpose for society at large, for the economy, blah blah blah - in essence for many things. If scientific research didn't exist we would still be thinking the Earth is flat and blood-letting to cure disease. What I don't understand is the purpose of scientific research that does not seem to bring anything new to the table. Some recent examples of studies I have read about in EurekAlert! where all I could think of was "tell me something I don't know":

• "Study finds that discrimination varies by gender and race"

• "Childhood mental health problems blight adult working life"

• "Backpack straps can decrease blood flow to the shoulder and arm"
  

• "Basic yoga moves could help prevent falls in women over 65 years old" (Ok, maybe not so obvious to the majority of the population, but to a yoga practitioner that's like telling them the sky is blue.)

And my favorite "Duh" study of the day:

• "Having a husband creates an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, according to a University of Michigan study of a nationally representative sample of US families."
  

While we're on the topic of science, I have just a couple of words for the creationist tour guides of a natural history museum (see Dateline video below): that's totally irresponsible.