I’ve got your missing links right here (27 July 2013)
I’ve been away at a conference this week, so today’s set of missing links is both shorter than usual, and unsorted. Normal service will resume next week.
Maryn McKenna chronicles the rise of bacteria that resist our last-resort antibiotics.
Halticosaurus – another dinosaur that wasn’t a dinosaur at all. By Brian Switek.
Thor’s hero shrew. That is all. By Bec Crew.
Gorgeous writing: What it’s like to lack a sense of smell.
Drunk Science! Watch a very drunk Charles Choi explain the origin of species. And orcs.
Octopus Sex! Another awesome episode of Brain Scoop.
Mouseunculus – how the brain draws a little you (if you are a mouse). By Carl Zimmer.
Hazard of science: becoming allergic to your research subjects. By Hillary Rosner.
Every sentence of this news story is pure gold.
New paper: many oxytocin studies are junk because they use unreliable methods for measuring oxytocin
These scientists are based in Tatooine. By Megan Garber.
Women are more vulnerable to infections, and lots of people ignore that. Report by Brendan Maher.
When do kids understand death? Virginia Hughes look back at some old psych studies
Two-sentence horror stories are actually pretty chilling
Crocs get their five-a-day so you have no excuse.
Will the robot uprising be squishy? If there are octopusbots involved…
13% of cancer cases come from viruses, & hit the poor hardest.
Nyeyahaahghghggh. Moulting crab GIF
Do scientists mind being called boffins?
Robert Krulwich looks sternly at North American mammals and taps his foot.
NASA ignores childhood advice, stares directly at sun.
Onion: Frustrated novelist no good at describing hands.
Gotta love Myxococcus, the bacterium that hunts like a wolf pack.
That peacock feathery courtship display? Peahens rarely look at it, according to an eye-tracking study.
“Probably Among the Pretty Dangerous Volcanoes in North America. Maybe.”
Care to split a liver with me?
This artist made shells for hermit crabs that look like cityscapes
“What if we compare a human sports stadium wave to a hippopotamus down-the-river wave? Who does it faster?”
“People cannot feel the existence of this device.” Flexible electronics that are “imperceptibly thin”
On the messy science of death tolls
Remember that *awesome* Pacific Rim rocket punch? Yeah, it’s like a 747 to a kaiju face
Alexis Madrigal: I love when our robots orbiting other planets see our other robots on the surface.
A gallery of ant warfare
Great write-up of our panel on narrative dark arts at the World Conference of Science Journalists, by Anne Sasso.
Wolf howl identification technology. Individual wild wolves can be recognised by just their howls
“We’ve pretended that genome assembly is a reliable exercise & that the results can be trusted… that’s wrong”
This is about the New World screwworm, and bacon. Warning: may put you off bacon.
This is the first time anyone’s tried the Prisoners’ Dilemma with actual prisoners. Results were unexpected
Who needs sex when you can steal? For 80 million years.
Your banana is way more complicated than you think.
Applause! Maxipad Company Replies to Man’s Facebook Rant with Awe-Inspiring Sarcasm.
Great Movies from the Villain’s Point of View. No 17 is especially great.
If you want a bipedal leg, get an ostrich’s. Your legs are rubbish.
Very cool demo of just how big (and spread out) the Solar System is. By Joe Hanson.
When pigs fly, so does flu
15 years after a bogus autism scare, a plague of measles descends on a generation.
Go Further
Animals
- 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?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
Environment
- 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
- 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?
History & Culture
- 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
- The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
- Heard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followersHeard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followers
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?
- Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?
Travel
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico
- Is this small English town Yorkshire's culinary capital?Is this small English town Yorkshire's culinary capital?
- Follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood ForestFollow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest
- This chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new directionThis chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new direction