Asphyxiation is out (during courting, anyway), check. No big tunas, check. Hamsters okay?

I remember that big wave in the social sciences, the shock all those sociologists and political scientists went through when, yes, they realized that they would have to learn advanced mathematics and statistics in order to be competent in their fields. 

There's a distinct lack of any corroborating data in this article. It's like a time warp.