UK Science

An article at Slate examines the fact that Brits are generally more up on science and technology than Americans. An interesting point is made in this paragraph:

Did I mention odd sex practices? The Brits can't get enough of them, yet they're wonderfully rational about it. The latest uproar is over first-cousin marriages in some immigrant communities (never mind that Charles Darwin did it, too). In contrast to the pious calls for prohibitive legislation that we'd surely have heard from Congress under similar circumstances, the British press actually looked at the genetics of cousin marriage. And the answer seems to be that education and genetic screening are a better way to go.

So basically,while Americans get their jeebus-themed undies in a moralistic bunch, the British explore the facts of the issue. Interesting concept, that: rational thought applied to a controversial issue.