I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (28 June 2014)
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Top picks
Beautiful piece by Jon Mooallem on the unflinching reality of an eagle-cam and the nature of our relationship with animals.
How do you inventory the zoo in your mouth? Wonderful post by Carl Zimmer.
“Life arose from minerals; then minerals arose from life.” An amazing Aeon essay by Robert Hazen, on the intertwining of geology and biology.
Vitamins are worthless. Or they save lives. Melinda-Wenner Moyer looks into the controversy behind the health claims, and the backlash against them.
Dr No: Seven things you shouldn’t let your doctor do, by Claire Wilson.
A truly beautiful poem about living with autism.
One doctor’s quest to save people with cancer by injecting them with scorpion venom. Great story by Brendan Koerner.
After a walk in the woods, Virginia Hughes muses about how the brain codes subjective and objective experiences
Astronomers find 11 billion year old diamond the size of Earth. By Nadia Drake.
Rose Eveleth’s lovely ode to a town she has never been to but that shares her name.
Science/news/writing
Tracing the Roots of Beautiful Bird Hues
Blind mice see now they run
Interesting pieces on ethics of huge Facebook experiment on emotional contagion
No, there’s still not a ‘breast cancer blood test’. Again.
The shocking truth about electric animals
Oldest animal-built reef found in Namibia. 550 million years old!
Stalking squirrels for science
Meet the Etendeka round-eared sengi, a new elephant shrew
Amazingly rare Amazonian jungle dog is captured on film. You’re more likely to see a jaguar.
What do parasitoids do when their aphid hosts are defended by bacteria? Something awesome.
Love in the Lab – 4 academic couples who have taken their scientific collaborations very personally
How often do people actually think about sex and how would you even measure that?
Monarch butterflies use the Earth’s magneitc field to navigate on cloudy days.
A bizarre blood-sucking Jurassic maggot
The 5 ingredients needed for life beyond Earth
Psychology is weird, child psychology is much weirder.
Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the deadliest ever and “out of control”
How the disco clam got its flash
Terrible retracted GM paper finds a new home.
Mystery object in lake on Saturn’s moon Titan intrigues scientists
CDC reassigns director of lab behind anthrax blunder
Woman who invented Kevlar dies. Vest in peace, Stephanie Kwolek.
Cuckoos are mean. But the birds they target are fighting back with pattern recognition
Anthrax incident has rattled critics of influenza gain-of-function studies
MIT invents a hyper-localized blast of heat that follows a person around like a spotlight
Heh/wow/huh
Bioluminescent caves and other earthly places that look like alien worlds
DROPBEARS! Bear falls through skylight into birthday party, eats all the cupcakes
Scientist thrown out of classical concert by fellow audience members after attempting to crowd-surf
Journalism/society/internet
The bizarre history of Stan Bush’s The Touch.
Reporter asks artists from different countries to photoshop her into “beautiful”
“The rent-a-drone system, as you’d expect, isn’t quite as simple as book check-outs are.”
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
- 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?
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
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?
- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
Science
- 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
- Every 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost timeEvery 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost time
- How do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tipsHow do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tips
- Why outdoor adventure is important for women as they ageWhy outdoor adventure is important for women as they age
Travel
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur
- This author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomadsThis author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomads
- Slow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capitalSlow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capital
