I’ve got our missing links right here (18 August 2012)
Top picks
Post of the month! Summer Ash blogs her heart surgery, with pics of her own heart on the operating table
Yes our ancestors did have sex with Neanderthals, and no, that new paper doesn’t prove otherwise. John Hawks has the best account of the story. Ewen Callaway
NASA just patched a piece of software on another planet.
Dolphins adopt a torpedo. Beautiful.
Have there been modern-day virgin births? A great historical tale, from the pre-genomic era.
Wait, whale sharks can ungrow?! Awesome. And I learned that even before the bit about lasers
World’s oceans score 60 out of 100 on new health index. Not terrible; could do much better, by Virginia Gewin.
The Maya didn’t believe the world would end in 2012. That’s those other folks.
“Our Rover is safe” – a video about Curiosity’s landing by the people who built it
Maggie Koerth-Baker is a new columnist for the NYT magazine. This is good news for everyone, and I love it when excellent writers end up in the right places.
“I think people who sell fake cancer cures are murderers,” says Xeni Jardin. Correctly, too.
Flamingos: they’re pink, they stand on one leg, and they have erectile tissue in their mouths. Wait, what?
Parasites suck toxins from sharks!
Some cool developments in the field of vision-restoring retinal prostheses. Could drastically improve the tech
Author Fights For His Book On The Internet After Slacking Student Pleads For Quick Summary
“No humanmade robot is designed with the loose skin of a labrador. But why not?” The physics of wet dogs, and other wet shaking animals.
Science/news/writing
So, NASA, what’s up with all the peanuts? Amy Shira Teitel gives a fascinating & surprisingly historical answer
The BMJ argues that pharma’s innovation crisis is a fiction. Derek Lowe piledrives that argument into the mat
“Where have all the cults gone?” wonders NeuroSkeptic
“What Seasoning Is Essential for Life, Deadly at High Doses & Confusing to Neuroscientists?” asks Veronique Greenwood
Gorilla brothers reunite. Awwww
A beautifully-preserved fossil provides scientists with an in-depth look at ankylosaur armor
Has the time come to try geoengineering?
STOP THE PRESSES! Heroin addiction cured! Or not.
Reddit IAmA: We are engineers and scientists on the Mars Curiosity Rover Mission
How the brain keeps clean. As in physically clean, not mentally clean. Which never happens.
Self-proclaimed dolphin-lovers most likely to be dolphin harassers. We beg you not to help.
So, you can look around another planet using your handheld computer
In Fragmented Brazilian Forest, Few Species Survive
New virus makes pythons stare at the stars and tie themselves in knots
Gnnnh Bee-rotica: insect sting fetishes.
Protecting a reef with a submarine art installation of hundreds of statues
Ugandan lab proves its mettle during recent Ebola outbreak
Carl Zimmer on the intriguing Reproducibility Initiative – a project to incentivise replication attempts for previous results.
On butterflies and balloons at Fukushima
Why are there blue rocks in the latest photos from Mars?
Fareed Zakaria’s ludicrous defence of his plagiarism is: “No one else has standards, so why should I?”
Hyenas that think outside the box solve problems faster
“Don’t put that Save the Whales t-shirt on eBay yet…” Wired on green behaviour change
Maths is part of what makes us human. Don’t withhold it from kids just because it’s hard
WTFNASA: a site that auto-generates things that NASA has done for you.
An Antarctic State of Mind
Woman’s missing digits grow back in phantom form
So, did a guy actually ever question a severed head?
10 newly discovered amphibians. No 2 is especially great
“I understand there is a special mohawk guy working on the mission…” – Obama
Mouse eyes have built-in raptor detectors
Illustrations make information more believable. Which must be true, cos I saw it in an infographic
Device seeks & neutralises epileptic brain activity (in rats)
There is great beauty in mundanity – why Maggie Koerth-Baker loves boring pictures of Mars
A new intelligent textbook helps students learn by constructing new pages to answer their queries
Your body is like a rotting log, a beautifully complex ecosystem.
The weird science of telling time on Mars
Heh/wow/huh
Coworker With Two Computer Screens Not F**king Around
Awesome sculpture of giant crumpled cartoon paper, landing on a New Zealand hill
I’m a big fan of this press release headline
“It’s still unclear what the HuffPo’s thing actually is but apparently it’s like the future of journalism or something”
Pattern resulting from a lightning strike to a sidewalk.
Angler photographs humpback whale that almost jumps into boat. With video!
Internet/journalism/society
Christ. Jonah Lehrer in more “just making quotes up” madness. This time, from Teller of Penn-and- fame.
Why snark and linking can save you from a defamation suit.
NOOOOO! “Nissan: parroting two different Sohos and getting both wrong” – London & NY to have same taxis!
Tidal Pools: Nature’s Putrid Sewers – Horrifying Planet
“Users have decided they want streams, but most media companies are insisting on publishing more and more pages.”
Ebay Bans Sale Of Magic Potions And Spells. Insert homeopathy joke here.
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
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
- 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?
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?
Science
- The unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and MounjaroThe unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and Mounjaro
- Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.
- 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
Travel
- How nanobreweries are shaking up Portland's beer sceneHow nanobreweries are shaking up Portland's beer scene
- How to plan an epic summer trip to a national parkHow to plan an epic summer trip to a national park
- This town is the Alps' first European Capital of CultureThis town is the Alps' first European Capital of Culture
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur