I’ve got your missing links right here (19 November 2011)
I’m travelling for a bit so this week’s selection is a bit truncated. Also, I have limited internet access so if there are broken links you’ll have to fix them yourself.
Top picks
Fantastic stuff: Carin Bondar hands HD flip cameras to field biologists, edits them & shoots her own presenter segments to create these great videos of science in action
Excellent piece from John Rennie about people who quibble over the causes of climate disasters
Which is more unethical: doing medical research on chimps, or stopping it? Great piece in the New York Times. Meanwhile, Brandon Keim has a great piece on the life of retired lab chimps.
A woman’s stirring beat-by-beat account of how social media saved her husband’s life in Kyrgyzstan
A stunningly beautiful post about a psychiatric interview, by Shara Yuirkiewicz
Behold The Crux: Discover’s new group-blog about big ideas in science. Here are two examples by top writers. “Life during wartime: can mental illness be a rational response?” by Vaughan Bell. And “If food can overrule genes, can it mess with evolution?” by John Rennie. However, check out this thorough fisking from Tara Smith who slams one of the posts on the HPV vaccine.
Nature is also the 99%.
I LOVE THIS. An artist is creating an illuminated manuscript version of Origin of the Species
Incredible. A 1994 paper in which a doctor reinvents calculus and names it after herself
Carl Zimmer describes Svante Paabo’s remarkable work on Neanderthals
Megan Garber reminds us that, when it comes to the Future of News, all this has happened before and all this will happen again
Over your lifetime, your heart will beat 3 billion times. Here’s the story of one of those beats, by Alok Jha, Kevin Fong and others.
A great piece on the future of genome studies, by Misha Angrist. “Kids with serious undiagnosed conditions do not give a sh*t” about things ethicists agonise over.
Be sure to check out Emily Willingham’s new blog Double X Science, which aims to “bring science to the woman in you.” Good read for both genders.
Science/writing/news
Brain cell genomes show their individuality
Europe Bans X-Ray Body Scanners Used at U.S. Airports – concerns over “small number of cancer cases”
Are orangutans in Indonesian Borneo doomed to extinction?
NASA is actually accepting applications to be an astronaut
Suicide is “one of the most under-researched areas in all of psychiatry.”
Moth’s True Colors Shine After 47 Million Years
Brains scans used to make animation of female orgasm
The Latest on the Great Magnetic Cow Smackdown
Lutetia, the asteroid that may have witnessed the birth of the Earth
Very cool. Leonardo’s Formula Explains Why Trees Don’t Splinter
A very nice explainer on graphic cigarette packets
On freelancing. This is brilliant. AND UNTRUE.
Related to my GM-mosquito piece in Slate, here’s a really good interview with Luke Alphey, who released some GM-mozzies in the Caymans.
BBC drop climate change episode of Frozen Planet for marketing overseas, says the Telegraph. However, the BBC clarifies the reason for the choice.
What an hour of deep-sea vent life looks like in 2 mins, w/ TONS of sea spiders
Judy Mikovits is being sued by her former employer. The XMRV-CFS story just rolls on.
You know, real scientists actually *test* their hypotheses, rather than endlessly generating them.
Sloppy, risible science: my rant on the new paper on the Pill and prostate cancer
Woah! Optogenetics in monkeys!
Malaria preserved in amber
“NASA says the sun doesn’t have enough energy to hurl a fireball 93 million miles to destroy Earth.” Goody.
From BBC Lab UK, a nationwide morality test
This is the best link you’ll read this week about spiders, presents, sex and pretending to be dead.
“What good is green technology if it’s based on minerals whose extraction is so, well, ungreen?”
Animal-spotting app lets you be a conservationist with your iPhone
A collection of famous sufferers of debilitating tropical diseases.
Heh/wow/huh
Evil gannet will consume your soul.
Unfortunate headlines #3512
Amazing photo of a caterpillar emerging from a translucent egg
This sh*t is OLD.
RSPCA’s Young Photographer of the year award
“Roulette is your best bet [for making money]– 20x as good as lotteries, and 160x as good as premium bonds…”
“The trouble with video games isn’t the violence. It’s that the characters are dicks”
A Matchmaking Service to Unite Scientists and Citizen Volunteers
A prize-winning essay on the nocebo effect, by Penny Sarchet.
What blinds 270k people every year? This infographic tells all.
Brain scans indicate… less than you think they do.
The Neuroskeptic on the new study showing more brain cells in autism
Internet/journalism/society
Great feature on the Winklevii : two people who really really hate losing but are great at it
The plagiarizing authors who don’t even exist!
Boring conference in danger of being too interesting
Blogging a paper causes a spike in downloads equivalent to 3 years worth of abstract views in some cases
14 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed. Viva l’interrobang.
The story behind Lauren Gravitz’s story on a Nobel winner’s effort to treat his cancer w/ cells he studied
Go Further
Animals
- Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them?
- Animals
- Feature
Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them? - This biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the AndesThis biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the Andes
- An octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret worldAn octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret world
- Peace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thoughtPeace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thought
Environment
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
- Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security, Video Story
- Paid Content
Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security - Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
History & Culture
- Strange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political dramaStrange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political drama
- How technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrollsHow technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrolls
- Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?
- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
Science
- Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of yearsJupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of years
- This 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its timeThis 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its time
- Every 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost timeEvery 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost time
- How do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tipsHow do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tips
- Why outdoor adventure is important for women as they ageWhy outdoor adventure is important for women as they age
Travel
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur
- This author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomadsThis author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomads
- Slow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capitalSlow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capital