I’ve got your missing links right here (24 March 2012)
Top picks
A video of a debate on science journalism. I’m at 31:00, saying that we must not accept mediocrity
What can James Cameron expect at the bottom of the ocean? Dunno. Maybe nothing, maybe Cthulhu.
Is Silence Going Extinct? Great piece on the science of soundscape ecology
Big meta-analysis finds no genes that are associated with personality traits. Neuroskeptic ponders what that means
Wonderful Robert Krulwich piece on what you gain and lose when you record the data of your entire life
“Despite what most people think, it’s not vomit.” The dirty, lucrative business of sperm whale ambergris
“On the internet today, watching something twice is a radical act.” Fish – a truly wonderful tap essay for the iPhone/iPad by Robin Sloan.
Important news: judge orders FDA to restart 35-year-old effort to examine, and maybe ban “growth promoter” farm drugs
“You don’t write like a scientist.” Wonderful piece of satire.
Helen Pearson is an awesome writer. Here’s her latest piece on Joe Thornton, the man who resurrects ancient, extinct proteins
How appropriate is it to frame overeating and obesity as “food addiction”? SciCurious investigates.
John Hawks on why humans aren’t apes. Not entirely sure I buy it. Meanwhile, is Brian Switek a fish? He thinks so.
UNC physicist faces 16 years in an Argentinian jail, says cocaine found in his suitcase in Argentina was planted by friend of online girlfriend. He’s still writing papers…
Wind-powered kinetic sculptures crawl down a beach and take my breath away.
Incredible! A camera that sees round corners, explained in a funky video by Geoffrey London.
“Across the street… a rhesus monkey named Thor is strapped into a chair.” On the quest to create a true bionic limb
Jaguars in the night… Meet the man who has been recording nature for three decades.
“THIS is why we invest in science,” says Phil Plait, and he’s right. Rocket engine tech leads to a design for a better fire-hose pump.
Not a caterpillar… Incredible illusion photo.
Kill all viruses – Carl Zimmer’s new feature for Wired
Steve Silberman talks to Charles Duhigg about the habits that drive us, and how we can drive *them* instead.
If you really need to puncture someone’s airway with a pen, the BIC soft feel Jumbo is the brand of choice
News/science/writing
A good skeptical take from Nature on the connectome. I note Seung only gets a look-in right at the end
Well fancy that. Jumping genes make blood oranges bloody
Carl Zimmer in conversation with E. O. Wilson
A lead in the hunt for lost Peking Man fossils! I covered this here
“The testing is like dragon slaying by committee.” Study suggests crocodiles have strongest bite ever measured, rivalling T.rex.
New tests on orangutans show eco-tourism may be bad for wild animals’ health.
Holding a Gun Influences You to Think Others are Armed
A MASSIVE brain-scanning study (n=1326!!) shows entire brain “lighting up” for simple tasks. By the Neuroskeptic.
Great results in the psych lab – but do they hold up in the field?
Should genetics researchers should look for incidental findings, even years after data was collected by someone else?
Study Finds Newborn Infants Can Tell If Parents Are Losers
People with autism have a greater ability to process information
I’m with Virginia Hughes – no idea why these ancestral ties are interesting. Go far enough back and we’re all connected. I’m a distant cousin of T.rex, dontchaknow?
Whales and dolphins can focus on their prey with a beam of sound, featuring the false killer whale or “pseudo-sea-bastard”
Shocking. LA Times covers new study on how electrocuting people in the head treats depression
Please phrase your tumor in form of a question. Sloan-Kettering hires IBM Watson for cancer diagnoses
Mouse ‘avatars’ could personalise cancer research.
Medieval comment trolls. Monks scribbled complaints in margins of illuminated manuscripts
Could big volcanic eruptions protect against hurricanes?
Round gajillion of the “can tarantulas have sticky feet” controversy
The human gnome project: scientists enlist travelling gnome to test Earth’s gravity
Nokia files patent for haptic feedback tattoo, so your skin will vibrate when you get a text. No, really.
A wonderfully realistic assessment of E.O. Wilson’s iPad biology textbook by John Hawks.
Bone-marrow transplant reverses Rett’s syndrome in a mouse model
By Odin’s beard! Vikings spread the house mouse during ancient conquests
8,200+ Researchers Band Together To Force Science Journals To Open Access
In 2010-11 alone 42m people in Asia were displaced by ‘extreme’ weather. The threats continue to grow
A technical debate about the “QWERTY effect” paper continues.
Heh/wow/huh
Heh. Love it. The evolution vs. creationism debate in a very funny video
Bloody hell. Female ant gets skull sucked by a spider, while being assaulted by sex-crazed drone swarm
AHHHH!!! Giant wasp discovered in Indonesia with terrifying mandibles
The (tragic!) life cycle of a physicist
A Kickstarter project … to buy Kickstarter
“Like the Royal Family, aspirin is a wonderdrug that surprises us almost as often as it leads to blood in our stool”
I am a business grown-up who makes business profits
Journalism/internet/society
Exec from “Hunger Games” studio Lionsgate tries prevent “damage to Lionsgate & our marketing efforts” by trying to shut down Oxfam campaign “Hunger is Not a Game”. Right. That’ll work.
“Credibility is so hot.” A nod to fact-checkers.
You know a review’s going to be fun when it includes phrases like “That sounds nice, and might even be true“. Seth Mnookin destroys David Eagleman’s e-book.
Does the world need more science journalism? Yes, if it’s like Matter.
Guess what’s the fastest-adopted gadget of the last 50 years. Amazingly, not sex-related.
Helmetcam shows firefighting as firefighters see it. Alexis Madrigal is spot-on with the videogame comparison
How Google stopped being Google.
“The damage done is huge.” – Mike Daisey and the predictability of lies, by Erika Check Hayden.
“Cheaper than paying journalists who tend to get sick, demand respect.” NiemanLab on journalism by robots for robots
Faced with too much search engine optimisation, Google changes the meaning of “optimal”
The Press Awards names the Daily Mail as Newspaper/Website of the Year. With a straight face
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