Boobquake Puts Cleric's Theory to the Test
A senior Iranian cleric's controversial theory that immodestly-dressed women can cause earthquakes is being put to the test, thanks to an Indiana student and 80,000 accomplices.
as saying that "Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes."
Jennifer McCreight, a Purdue University senior majoring in genetics and evolution, told CBS Affiliate WLFI correspondent Niccole Caan she wanted to take a light-hearted approach to field testing the cleric's scientific theory.
She's asking women to dress immodestly on Monday, April 26, so that any discernable effects upon the Earth's tectonic plates can be traced.
"I want to do good science to counter the bad science this cleric had performed," she told WLFI. "I'm going to compare the frequency and severity of the earthquakes on the 26th to earthquakes previous to that, and see if there is a statistical difference."
She admitted her experiment, dubbed Boobquake, was "light-hearted mockery," but had no idea it would take off the way it has.
Thinking the Boobquake guest list would be limited to a small circle of friends, McCreight soon found news of the event, posted on a Facebook page devoted to Boobquake, had gone viral, with many willing to participate in the experiment.
By Friday, more than 80,000 women had signed up, adding even more heft to the scientific calculus.
McCreight did not dictate what to wear - only that women should dress as immodestly as they feel comfortable doing.
"I'm not forcing people to dress differently than they would be," McCreight told WLFI. "Even showing an ankle to some people would be immodest, so you can interpret that however you wish."
For the record, on Monday she wore a tank top.
For more info:
Blag Hag (Jennifer McCreight's blog)
Addendum: The last earthquake measured in Indiana, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was a magnitude 2.5 tremor, epicenter 20 miles SSW of Vincennes , on Saturday, April 24 at 5:05 a.m. ET. As of press time on Monday, no seismic activity in Indiana has been reported.