I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (05 May 2014)
Sign up for The Ed’s Up, a weekly newsletter of my writing. Here’s a recent example.
Top picks
“Science is often too slow, and life too fast.” This is an amazing story about girls with “Syndrome X“, who seem stuck in permanent infancy, and a scientist’s quixotic (and possibly futile) quest to study them. Virginia Hughes offers a textbook example of covering uncertain science, with a protagonist who is fascinatingly painted but never glorified as an iconoclast.
Measles is latest virus to be turned into a weapon against cancer. John Timmer shows exactly how to cover a promising cancer treatment
Why people persist in believing things that aren’t true, by Maria Konnikova.
A beautiful piece from Philip Ball on beauty & science
“The best thing about llareta is what it looks like. It’s like nothing else.”
Eric Michael Johnson has a methodical response to Nicholas Wade’s new book on race: “wrong in its facts, sloppy in its logic & blatantly misrepresents evolutionary biology”; Jennifer Raff looks at the ‘scientific façade’ of genetics in the book; H Allen Orr dives deep into its flaws.
Great reporting on IVF techniques involving three people, as a way of curing mitochondrial diseases. By Ewen Callaway
The comb jelly uses a “completely different chemical language” to build its nervous system than every other animal. Amazing discovery, as told by Carl Zimmer.
“I cared for my son, but something was off. Where was our joy?” DeLene Beeland on postpartum depression.
Coatis are now also called “Brazilian aardvarks” because someone edited their Wikipedia page and no one noticed
Everything Science Knows About Hangovers—And How to Cure Them, by Adam Rogers.
Cassandra Willyard interviews her husband about why climate change is the anti-story. “Conflicts: I am married to the interviewee, and he paid for my burger, fries, and beer.”
Science/news/writing
How NYC used bad reviews on Yelp to track down never-reported foodborne illnesses.
Unless you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity is just in your head.
A lot of the reporting, and the quotes, about the placenta microbes story have been terrible. Jonathan Eisen breaks out his “overselling the microbiome” award.
Microbes scoff at ‘universal’ rules of DNA code
Stephen Ornes on carpenter bees making perfect circles in his deck.
The top 10 new species discovered in last 12 months
A real risk of the rise of antimicrobial resistance: drug-resistant HIV
How an experiment with Scotch tape led to a Nobel prize.
The most vexing variable in the search for E.T. By Nadia Drake, on the Drake Equation. “Devised by my dad, Frank,”…
There are nerves in the skin that respond specifically to soft, gentle touch. Could they be involved in autism?
The Longitude Prize is like the Hunger Games for science, says Alice Bell. It’s a waste of time, says Philip Ball. But we should give it some latitude, says Stephen Curry.
Dimetrodon: it’s not a dinosaur. It’s not a “mammal-like reptile” either. It’s not even a reptile.
A snake species that went missing for 78 years lives on an island only accessible with military escort
When thinking in another language affects your moral judgments.
“Welcome to the 29th Annual Exhibition of the British Tarantula Society, the Crufts of the spider world”
Could mutant virus strains escape the lab and spread? Is the research worth the risk?
Steven Poole on the (pseudo)science of humour
Wild mice will run on a wheel. So will frogs, shrews, and… er… slugs.
From oxidation to nuclear plant spunk explosion in a few easy steps
Plug your writing into this scanner and watch a virtual Carl Zimmer chastise you repeatedly.
“Fast Repetitive Tick (FRT)”. Herring communicate by flatulence.
The pun headline! The random capital! The sad lack of commitment to swearing in a paper title!
Baby mammoth in a suitcase
Chris Chambers trumpets psychology’s ‘registration revolution’. This, and the new issue of registered reports from Brian Nosek, is a great example of a field holding itself to account. But Q&A by psychologist Simone Schnall on her negative experience with replication, and whether an adversarial approach benefits science.
Medical scans reveal slipshod brain extraction job
613 days on Mars and Curiosity is still cleaner than my car.
Nimble amoebas battle for world supremacy
“The pen is mighty. But for mice, there is no pen. There is only pee.”
Simultaneous 3D imaging of all the nematode’s neurons
Gorgeous site design: Aquatilis, a 3-year jellyfish expedition looks rather wondrous
This viral photo isn’t a “drop” of seawater.
Researchers retract paper because company complains it’s hurting profits
A hilarious account of the not-that-hilarious Personal Genome Project UK email fiasco
Scientists work out how to make matter from light, 80 years after theory first published.
Is the new dinosaur uncovered in Argentina *really* the biggest ever found? Maybe. Maybe not. And does it even matter? By Brian Switek.
Fecal transplant study fails to improve ulcerative colitis
Say hi to the new National Center for Totally Legit Research No Really.
After XKCD’s Randall Munroe tried to work out how much data Google stores, they sent him a puzzle.
Heh/wow/huh
The anatomy of a gummy bear
Fantastic Fungi: The Startling Visual Diversity of Mushrooms Photographed by Steve Axford
HAHAHA! There was a secret Monty Python joke in a recent Game of Thrones episode.
Reddit, can you blow my mind in one sentence?
Timelapse shows the birth of a supercell thunderstorm
This swimming feather star is the most relaxing video you’ll watch all week.
Awesome shot of a mosquito emerging from the water.
Journalism/internet/society
A guide to not being an inadvertent jerk to people with disabilities.
Amazon is basically two steps away from poisoning the city’s water supply and trying to block out the sun.
An utter gut punch. Massive fire at the Glasgow School of Art
Why “Days of Future Past” was such a turning point for comics.
“It’s going to be insanity.” Bingo nights are apparently huge among Swiss 20-somethings.
A scene-by-scene breakdown of the narrative choices in Frozen. Just. So. Good.
On the rise of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“Book Traces“: A site where people upload pictures of old books with interesting marginalia
“Because of the long lead time before publication… the character I used in the lede died.” So bury the lede.
If you stake your reputation on data-driven stories, you’d better know your data. Interesting critique of bad data journalism. Also: a Prezi guide to bad data journalism
“I don’t think it’s possible for a television show to be any better than The Good Wife.”
Slightly More Than 100 Fantastic Pieces of Journalism
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
- Spend a night at the museum at these 7 spots around the worldSpend a night at the museum at these 7 spots around the world
- 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