I’ve got your missing links right here (12 November 2011)
Top picks
How deep is the Mariana Trench? An infographic tells all. (Don’t miss Cthulhu).
Ever wondered how hummingbirds hover in the rain? If so, have a look at this video to find out..
A beautiful documentary that asks naturalists about the future of natural history
EEG for detecting awareness in “permanently” vegetative patients
Very intriguing: Theory, and Why It’s Time Psychology Got One
Elsevier ob-gyn journal retracted paper after legal threat – a very worrying precedent, covered by Ivan Oransky.
How unfathomable were your odds of coming into being?
Seriously, though, is this a spider bite? Some amusing and snarky arthropod myth-busting.
A great ‘state of the nation’ Orwell lecture on journalism by Alan Rusbridger.
This is beautiful. Frank Swain ponders if Halley’s Comet will lose its sparkle? A post on life, death, and celestial bodies
This is great. A six-part list of requirements for reducing false positives, via Razib Khan.
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” If so, the Shadow is still the only one who does. Dishonesty detectors: a criminally flawed technology, by John Rennie.
A flower returns from the dead: this is one of those *awesome* stories about science blogs connecting people
“The trial was terminated early for futility.” On yet another case of biology trumping medical logic
An outstanding post on Inequality, Health Disparities, & Obesity by Patrick Clarkin
A wonderful post from Emily Finke on finding the spectacular in your own backyard
If you read nothing else this month, read this: Women bloggers call for a stop to ‘hateful’ trolling by misogynist men
QR codes for identifying bird songs, via Jennifer Ouellette.
Carl Zimmer’s incredible new book Science Ink is out. Here’s a slideshow in the NY Times.
Mmm… inspirational. Michelle Nijhuis on John McPhee: “He knows what readers don’t know they want to know” And more from McPhee in the Open Notebook.
READ THIS: why “gene for X” is “lazy and deeply misleading” in many, many ways.
News/science/writing
Massive congratulations to Adam Rogers for winning an AAAS award for his awesome whiskey story. If you haven’t read it yet, I can only assume that you hate good things. (And here’s the story behind the story)
A lovely piece by Ann Finkbeiner on anthropomorphism
“Krills and copepods can have as much of an effect on ocean mixing and currents as wind and tides”
No flying vertebrates have gliders as a sister group. Why? And what does this mean for bat evolution?
Ancient DNA, spotty horses and some surprisingly accurate cave paintings, by Hillary Rosner.
Did dinosaurs get measles? What about Paget’s disease?
The bioarchaeology of crucifixion
Python eats 76-pound deer. I like the lede that pitches this as inspiration for people who want to follow their dreams.
Professor plagiarises colleague’s work… then does it again 16 years later
Frozen bacteria thaw, fart
The NYT’s infographic of all the deadliest wars and despots in history
Prosecutor to Parents: Mailing Chickenpox is Illegal
Plagiarism-detection software also helps plagiarists avoid detection
“The display of one’s enemies after death reaches across cultures and time.”
So, to avoid cancer, don’t smoke, avoid asbestos, eat healthily. Also, STOP SHAGGING ANIMALS, you filthy deviant
Tyrannosaurus had “big butts and weak ankles” like power-walkers.
Why do people obey the law? Legitimacy of the police trumps fear of punishment.
Breadfruit: it’s the miracle food of the future, but nobody wants to eat it
Cash for graphene: the best thing since sliced bread
Why Do People Eat Too Much? We supersize meals to make up for a lack of social status
Great feature by Virginia Hughes on some extremely controversial ALS research
Tardigrades are set to go to Phobos: the furthest that life has ever been from Earth
The average age when scientists make key discoveries has risen by about 10 yrs since 1905
Frog-killing fungus pandemic created when 2 strains mated, as a direct result of the global amphibian trade
“For the first time in 75 years, an entire genus of mammal may go the way of the dodo”
Good overview of recent work on GM mosquitoes with a very cool infographic
Laughter as a painkiller, by SciCurious.
Quicksand: a weapon of mastodon destruction?
Professional killjoy Brian Switek destroys yet another cool carnivore – a terror bird – with his rubbish “facts” and “evidence”.
Scripps Scientists Find Giant Amoebas in the Extreme Deep sea. Four. Inches. Long.
What’s it like to get dengue fever in Indonesia? For a start, it’s bloody hard to diagnose, says Alice Lighton.
“The dinosaurs had about 25s of warning due to a lack of interest in math and physics; we can do better”
A foot-long cockroach-like creature (trilobite) with 50 legs ruled the sea floor 500 million years ago
TINY new study suggests autism starts in womb with an excess number of brain cells
A lovely piece on moving on from one lab to another and eddies in the water
Prehistoric “Shield”-Headed Croc Found
Is it going to rain on you in the next hour? There’s an app for that
What’s more expensive: Princeton or prison
Did primates go from solitary to social in one fell swoop?
“…And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum” Teeny mite found clinging to fossil spider
Another pair of “duelling dinosaurs”? Brian Switek looks at the evidence
Who were the 99% of ancient Rome? My CNN piece on Kristine Killgrove’s effort to sequence ancient Roman DNA.
First lab-grown blood cells injected into a human for the first time
Reuters report finds cultural divide in coverage of climate skepticism
How does sickle-cell anaemia gene confer resistance to malaria? A long-standing mystery solved.
Yet another drug trialled as an antidepressant fails. But why? In theory this one should work.
Three subspecies of rhino have gone extinct. The problem with the Red List is that the bad news is permanent and the good news probably isn’t
What to do when embedded with duelling scientists? Erik Vance discussed his dolphin story
I like the testimonials. What Big Homeopathy doesn’t want you to know.
On AIDS and Ancient Ideas about Disease. Check out the linked timeline too.
Optogenetics for the masses – cool!
The physics of the yellow angry bird. (Don’t miss the Q&A at the end)
Should scientists fight misleading anecdotes w/ anecdotes of their own? Tricky topic.
The capitalist network that runs the world – also, is the 1% inevitable
Susan Greenfield’s Dopamine Disaster. You really have to wonder if she’s even a real neuroscientist.
Beautiful CT Scans of Baby Mammoths Reveal Ice Age Mystery
Mo Costandi on “transient global amnesia”
“No shrimp could just walk up to another and tear its head off. They had to wait for an opportunity.”
The Mystery of the Magnetic Cows – failed attempt at replication causes scientist bunfight
Dr Stapel, I presume? No, just Mr Stapel now
The scale of date-rape poisonings
Robert Krulwich tells a mysterious and heartbreaking “last wild buffalo” story
Heh/wow/huh
Today I learned there’s an “International Dose-Response Society“. Maybe this guy’s the chairman
Alex Wild’s realistic photo of the inside of an ant’s nest totally got me
A wonderful paper title
Hey you know how it’s funny when people fall over? It’s funnier when they fall over on the Moon
White House officially announces “U.S. government has no evidence” of extraterrestrial life
“Habitual tail-chasers had 6.5 times the odds of being described as ‘Stupid’ than other dogs”
Internet/journalism/society
How tweeting about science got one blogger a trip to New Zealand
TapSense, a prototype that allows you to touch your iPhone in four different ways (not the bad way)
Ananyo Bhattacharya on why peer review is not substitute for proper reporting.
The Jekyll and Hyde problem: What are journalists, and their institutions, for?
Katharine Harmon has started what is sure to be a must-read blog: the Octopus Chronicles.
In which Brian Switek reflects on having written a book a year ago, and shows why he’s going to be really great
Papua New Guinea reporter undergoes circumcision to get the scoop
“Don’t have sex with them” and other advice on dealing w/ sources.
Alice Bell’s picks of the best Science Books For Children
Jonathan Lethem on meta-nonfiction, myth of journalistic objectivity, hating super hero movies
Philosophy: the Kevin Bacon of Wikipedia. Click on 1st links & you get there eventually
The feminist blogosophere has “unleashed a dynamic conversation about sex & gender reminiscent of an earlier era”
Previously, I merely thought of Klout as daft and useless but here’s a compelling case for why it’s evil
Scitable published a piece on the place of new science bloggers in the blogosphere, which rubbed me up the wrong way. Here are my alternative suggestions
Go Further
Animals
- How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?
- This ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thoughtThis ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thought
- Why this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect senseWhy this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect sense
- When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
Environment
- Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?
- The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
History & Culture
- Meet the original members of the tortured poets departmentMeet the original members of the tortured poets department
- Séances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occultSéances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occult
- Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?
- Beauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century SpainBeauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century Spain
Science
- Here's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in spaceHere's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in space
- Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.
- NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
Travel
- Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico