I’ve got your missing links right here (20 October 2012)
Top picks
Beautifully written piece by Ross Andersen on bristlecone pines, whose millennia-old bodies are living almanacs of past climates.
We discovered a rocky Earth-sized world in Alpha Centauri, the star system next door. From that planet, we’d see Earth as a sixth dot in Cassiopeia. Before bursting into flames. Here’s Lee Billings’ great piece on the discovery and why it matters, and his superb feature giving all the background to the project. Nadia Drake also has a great piece on the planet.
An amazing National Geographic investigation on the ivory trade, by Bryan Christy. 1) Religion is heavily responsible. 2) A conservation group really screwed up.
Big, Smart, Green: A Vision for Modern Farming. A great write-up of an intriguing approach
A scorching and spot-on criticism of the failed opportunities in Felix Baumgartner’s not-space jump stunt, by Amy Shira Teitel. And here’s Will Oremus with an even less impressed take. And Leo Hickman answers some key questions
Wonderful, rambling read from Bora Zivkovic on spiders: from Charlotte’s Web to hallucinogens.
The downsides of winning a Nobel prize. Nice piece by Ian Sample.
‘Against animal natures: An anthropologist’s view” on animals as individuals. By Barbara King.
Will Storr investigates the mysterious deaths of young men in Central America from a strange kidney disease.
Fantastic piece: “On Men Who Think Street Harassment Would Be Awesome”
An excellent piece on the badger culls, by Geoff Brumfiel.
The amazing winners of the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photography Competition show that a stag can shoot down cars with laser antlers, and that penguins propel themselves with farts. More winners here.
Gonzo geoengineer gets media hype. Craig McClain calms it right down.
“I’ll be your visionary; you do the things I come up with.” The Onion’s TED talks parodies are. Just. So. Good.
Great piece on how to write evocatively from field reporting. Also: “I had an orangutan eat my tapes once, and I was really glad I had my notes then.” Journos, take note. And take notes.
What goes on in the mind of a troll? Great piece by Becca Rosen, on the Violentacrez affair. And Lili Loofbourow has an excellent piece on Reddit and “free speech”
Take the time to read all of Virginia Hughes’ reporting on autism from the Society for Neuroscience meeting. 15 pieces in FIVE DAYS?!
It’s been raining under my eyes. Conservationists rescue a baby elephant from a well
Microscopic Beast Caught Hitchhiking on Mayfly with prehensile antennae. Amazing fossil!
News/writing/science
Why do elephants have hair? To keep cool.
“Traumatic memories can be manipulated in sleeping mice to reduce their fearful responses during waking hours.”
Nearly 15% of African presidents are scientists/engineers. “The road to democracy is being bridged by technocracy.”
Condition makes man’s scalp look like surface of brain
Habitat loss may be to blame for an apparent spate of violent attacks by chimpanzees on human in DRC
Blood from young mice can reverse some effects of ageing. But here’s a big media-training tip, scientists. Do not say stuff like in the last 2 paras here; you are inviting trouble
Moon-forming impact theory rescued. Theia lives! (Or not, as the case may be).
When it comes to microbes, pillowcases are statistically indistinguishable from toilet seats
Asshat professor complains that there aren’t enough hot women at a science conference. His godawful blog might explain some of this perspective.
Three Domains, One Zoom. New PLOS phylogeny explorer
Foot-long harvestman discovered in cave. It preys upon rulers
How do people draw opposite conclusions about climate change from the same temperature data? This GIF explains
Apparently montane cloud forests are like Disney forests, where everything is great and trees catch you when you fall
Skipping breakfast primes brain to seek high-calorie food. Solution: eat constantly. Amirite?
Cost to Prevent All Future Extinctions: $11/Person?
Person signs up for brain donation programme. They die. Now what? These people
Amateur astronomers find a planet in a four-star system
Aw, lookit da widdle baby scorpions
Craig Venter wants to put a sequencer on Mars. “Perhaps the real fear is that an army of genetically engineered Craig Venters would come back to take over the planet.” Oh, you joke.
Research about a singing fish. By Dr Bass.
Science for Girls, or as we like to call it, “Science”. Tania Bronwe on her on-again, off-again love affair w/ science
Robot wheelchair climbs steps and elevates over obstacles! AWESOME.
Athene Donald on celebrating the historical + continuing contributions of women in science
Modern-day alchemy: getting one element to behave like another so we don’t run out
Predator X is finally named, and it’s a little funkei. Also Hurum exaggerated. I AM SHOCKED.
Lovely video on the BBC website in honour of Ada Lovelace Day.
Why are humans so afraid? Featuring giant, carnivorous kangaroos
GM mouse created to detect landmines. Except they don’t know how it will practically do that.
TEDx pulls down a notoriously wacky pseudoscience talk.
Seed shrimp thought extinct has been living in cave for 40 mil. years
Self-proclaimed stem cell pioneer admits lies but maintains pathbreaking procedure. This story just gets more and more bizarre
UM NO NOM: UN warns of looming food crisis in 2013
“The research builds on a long series of marshmallow-related studies that began at Stanford in the late 1960s”
Boy with genetic marker for cystic fibrosis – but not the disease – ordered to change schools. Ridiculous.
“The night sky is part of our nature and the astronomical imaging is a form of nature photography.”
“No one knows exactly what [%] of medicines are fake, ill-made, stolen or diverted. But bad pharma is a global problem”
More wrong-headed unscientific decisions by Italian courts, the latest in a long-running series of dodgy legal applications of weak science – this time, mobile phones and cancer.
Scorchio! Roasting Triassic heat exterminated tropical life
The reprogrammed stem cells that made Nobel news last wk reveal a bizarre trait of Parkinson’s cells
“Gary Farlow can make art out of arteries.” Amazing glass medical models
The Urine Wheel – a 16thC tool for diagnosing diseases based on the “color, smell, and taste of the patient’s urine”
Heh/wow/huh
Critter in a coffee cup. These are great. Also: how to really freak out your friends.
Stoat jumps for joy, or is dropped from great height?
You like time-lapse videos of the night sky, right? Course you do.
Every part of this insect looks like it contains another terrifying/adorable insect
Wonderful time-lapse film of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final journey. Love the road signs!
“There is no telling where I may apply, if you turn me down.”
This is the most useful list in the world
Heh. Mitt Romney’s tax plan.
This seemingly small explosion on the sun is 100,000 miles tall
XKCD on lightning strikes (Don’t stare directly into the bolt)
Until 1996, no Democrat incumbent w/o combat experience had beaten someone whose first name was worth more in Scrabble. XKCD on silly election claims.
Oh dear, Jasmin H, aged 14, I have some interesting things to tell you about ducks
Ah, the Onion. “Obama Excited To Participate In First Debate”
This is what happens when the cladists win. (No explanation for the spider though)
Oh, just a Space Shuttle, going for a donut
Not a good thing to include on proof copies of books.
A science blog called “Lies From the Pit of Hell.”
“The Sound of Cylons”
Internet/journalism/society
Possibly a huge conflict of interest re: Nobel Literature prize
Sergei Udaltsov, Russian Dissident, Live Tweets His Detention
Google’s Ngram Viewer just got an upgrade. Here’s @bgzimmer on what’s new
“What is the difference between a columnist and a blogger?” My take: only one of them STILL gets sh*t from curmudgeonly journalists.
This is a pretty gorgeous (and RAM-sucking) way of presenting a feature.
Newsweek ends its print run, goes entirely digital. Maybe that “Heaven is real” cover was a desperate plea? And the Telegraph screws up the story.
Twitter blocks neo-Nazi account in Germany. And only Germany. Becca Rosen discusses implications.
The Assange extradition conspiracy explained. Chilling when you lay it all out…
Man quadruples productivity by hiring a woman to slap him every time he checks Facebook.
“Bum beef” not what I thought. List of prison slang.
Excellent point-by-point dissection of an op/ed about “pro-life lefties”, and another good comment piece on the topic by Naomi McAuliffe
Wow, the Internet really is a series of tubes. Painted in Google colours. A look inside Google’s data centres
Go Further
Animals
- These 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animalsThese 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animals
- These photos are works of art—and the artists are bugsThese photos are works of art—and the artists are bugs
- The epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfishThe epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfish
- Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75
Environment
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
- The most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater weldersThe most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater welders
- The harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to surviveThe harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to survive
History & Culture
- Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’
- A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.
- Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural iconMeet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
Science
- LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?
- NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.
- Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying themHumans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them
- Why engineers are concerned about aging infrastructureWhy engineers are concerned about aging infrastructure
Travel
- Why you should try beach-hopping by boat around Paxos, GreeceWhy you should try beach-hopping by boat around Paxos, Greece
- Mansion museums show visitors the gritty side of the Gilded AgeMansion museums show visitors the gritty side of the Gilded Age
- 2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip