I’ve got your missing links right here (07 September 2013)
For a weekly newsletter that rounds up my own writing, sign up here. Now, on with the links
Top picks
This David Dobbs story, on how our lives shape our genes, is just a stunning piece of world-class writing.
Some weird insect/spider/thing is building a white fence around its eggs, and no one knows what it is. Matthew Cobb has the story. Nadia Drake also covered it for Wired, with tons of quotes from baffled experts.
Why are you not dead yet? Laura Helmuth collects the various ways in which her friends would have died by now.
Come for the mucus carpentry of snails; stay for Robert Krulwich’s adorable drawings
Christian Jarrett brings some much-needed scepticism to the widely reported Neuroracer study. And Daniel Simons lists 19 questions he would have asked about the recent brain-training study, had he been a reviewer
Brian Switek on the clitoral bone, and why humans don’t have one
“The only memory of the bee is a painting by a dying flower.” Poignant XKCD strip.
Wolves Howl For Friends, Challenging A Popular Theory of Animal Communication. By Jason Goldman.
Great story on bee flight, muscles, and old things evolving to do new things, by Malcolm Campbell
A beautifully written piece about a swordfish with a nose ring.
Science/news/writing
Congrats to Mary Bates who joins Wired’s sci blog network with a new blog on animal intelligence
An Australian train accident is being blamed on millipedes.
Buddhist monasteries as nodes for snow leopard populations due to protective influence of monks.
The 16th-century version of the nosejob is every bit as horrific as you might imagine
Trying to decide between a secret underwater base or a secret volcano lair? DON’T WORRY
Lord! Voles de mort
GOOD WORK, YELLOW WARBLER
What’s in that nugget? The USDA will allow chicken processed in China to be sold in the US without origin labeling
KERMIE?!? Male frogs inject courtship hormones into females with nuptial pads hooks & spines
“In most cases the press release was more gracefully written.” Faye Flam on uncritical Martian origin of life stories
Stop pretending we aren’t living in the Space Age
Scientists to sequence genomes of hundreds of newborns
The Science of Big Science.
A touching tribute to the late Anne Szarewski, a leading HPV researcher.
The poorest Costa Ricans live longest. Because telomeres?
NYT profile of Eugenie Scott, an incredible spokesperson for science nearing the end of her 27-yr directorship of the NCSE
The Ethics of ‘Mini Human Brains’—Neuroskeptic’s on the money with his analysis
Oh. Crap. There’s a second amphibian-killing fungus out there.
Cool, the first ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton discovered is going on display at London’s Natural History Museum
Here’s Kevin Mitchell explaining why the hype around optogenetics is justified
Why the other queue always seems like it’s moving faster.
Jennifer Ouellette on duelling theories about mysterious Namibian fairy circles.
Chemicals like putrescine, cadaverine and spermidine can keep fruit flies sharp in old age
How do we determine if octopuses feel pain?
Heh/wow/huh
Amazing shot of a great white shark breaching
Researchers cut open a rainbow trout to find… 20 shrews.
Government to pursue “anecdote-based policymaking”
Noam Chomsky as an X-Factor judge
How fast could you hit a speed bump, yet live?
Journalism/internet/society
BBC Business Editor explains to a 6yr old why they only get £1 a week pocket money: t.co/qBBZMn4dQl
Sometimes “don’t feed the trolls” is the wrong response. Some trolls need smacked down.
How Robert Lee Hotz turned no suspense, no surprise, no scoop into a Pulitzer finalist series.
You’re doing it wrong: what you can learn from bad science PR pitches
Go Further
Animals
- Cougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treksCougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treks
- Rare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginningRare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginning
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- Termite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million yearsTermite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million years
Environment
- Why the 2024 hurricane season could be especially activeWhy the 2024 hurricane season could be especially active
- Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.
- This deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the worldThis deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the world
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- This exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the worldThis exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the world
History & Culture
- See the story of Jonah and the whale like never beforeSee the story of Jonah and the whale like never before
- This ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the pastThis ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the past
- These are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit themThese are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit them
- Meet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius CaesarMeet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius Caesar
Science
- Women’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to changeWomen’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to change
- Hundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right nowHundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right now
- What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.
Travel
- A taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street foodA taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street food
- Discover southeastern Spain's secret coastal regionDiscover southeastern Spain's secret coastal region
- All aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sunAll aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sun