I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (21 June 2014)
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Top picks
Aatish Bhatia analyses a water-repelling plant in his backyard under an electron microscope to see how it works.
U.S. says 75 government scientists possibly exposed to anthrax. Julie Steenhuysen has the scoop at Reuters. A powerful reminder that lab accidents do happen, which paints the ongoing debate about gain-of-function flu experiments in an interesting light.
Amazing story; beautifully written. Calling Back a Zombie Ship From the Graveyard of Space. By Kenneth Chang.
How does a chicken tell time. By Ferris Jabr.
The passenger pigeon genome the complicated reasons behind the downfall of the most populous bird in North America. By Carl Zimmer.
Italian psychologist who wrote “manual on persuasion” is now peddling dangerous stem cell treatments. By Arielle Duhaime-Ross
A tree hitched 18,000km from Hawaii to an island near Madagascar. Great story from Emma Marris.
Which scientists make heaviest use of PNAS’ “Contributed” backdoor route? Peter Aldhous investigates
Where do new ideas come from? From old ones. By Virginia Hughes
Annalee Newitz on 10 scientific ideas that scientists wish you would stop misusing
Science/news/writing
Pit of bones hints at piecemeal evolution of the Neanderthal face
You can lose fat by reducing your number of fat cells or shrinking them, and that difference matters.
“We have a propensity towards seeking the most common carcinogen in the world.”
Oldest case of schistosomiasis found in 6200-y.o. skeleton
Dietary advice since the 1970s has steered us away from saturated fat. What if that was wrong?
Have you ever driven a car with you mind? This guy has.
Sexiness driving speciation: Hooded crows & carrion crows look very different, but their genomes are 99.7% identical.
How to pin an insect
“How did a chimp virus become one of the most common sexually-transmitted diseases in humans today?”
Sad account of what it’s like to be a student in a psychology lab that openly pushes for terrible practices
Earth’s most abundant mineral finally gets a name
“Highlights: Red-footed tortoises were successfully trained to use a touchscreen.”
Spiders eat fish on every continent except Antarctica
Fascinating study mines centuries of Old Bailey records to show our growing intolerance for violence
Tidally locked planets! A beautiful metaphor for you and your loved ones, from Ann Finkbeiner.
3 bacteria seem responsible for ‘white band disease’ that has kills the Caribbean’s reef-building corals.
Dali masterpieces were inspired by Scientific American
Critics question ethics of an HIV trial allowing pregnant women to receive treatment that falls below the standard in their country.
SeaWorld’s research record is “pathetic”, grossly exaggerating what they claim to have learned about orcas
Obama proposes vast expansion of Pacific marine sanctuary.
Why building bigger roads actually just makes traffic worse
When we learn, neurons start to chant together.
WildLeaks, the WikiLeaks of poaching, has received more than twenty tips so far
“Personalization purports to be uniquely meaningful, yet it alienates us in its mass application”
Five neuroscience patients who changed the way we think about the brain.
“Obokata had trained at Harvard—so Wakayama says he didn’t think he needed to ask to see her notebooks or raw data”
Bachelor party stumbles on Mastodon skull.
How horned frogs’ tongues cling to giant prey
Before Hitler, whom did people use as the embodiment of evil?
Synthetic biology isn’t making genes “from scratch”, so can the hype
Heh/wow/huh
Trampolines, slides, and nets mounted 20-180 ft above the bottom of an abandoned mine in Wales.
A black bear wanders onto the NIH campus and, of course, a parody twitter account is born
Last son to Krypton
Bald eagle euthanised in Freedom. God bless America.
“All water in the ocean has at some point been part of a dinosaur.”
Man tries to slap opossum, learns what a porcupine is
Oratorical Type, An Alphabet Made out of Carved Books
Internet/journalism/society
Mike Daisey and a Redemption of Chances
A lot of social science reporting is spectacularly bad, says reporter + social scientist Jane Hu.
Free speech is a bad excuse for online creeps to threaten rape and murder. By Jessica Valenti
What happens when Stephen King publishes a novel with the same title you used for yours? This.
I talk to Open Notebook about how to interview difficult people
This is a really good analysis of why big-name newspapers are screwing up online.
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