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
- 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
- See how Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the worldSee how Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the world
Science
- NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. 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
- The benefits of eating the peels on your fruits and veggiesThe benefits of eating the peels on your fruits and veggies
- The island of Santorini is hiding an explosive secretThe island of Santorini is hiding an explosive secret
Travel
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains