I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (20 December 2014)
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Top picks
“The lizard was produced in the laboratory by mating two other species, and its creation defies conventional ideas about how new species evolve.” By Carl Zimmer
How to write a science feature. I’d quote a line but every one is golden. By Cassandra Willyard.
“We predict complete societal collapse within a year or so.” Jack Gilbert and Josh Neufeld on what would happen in a world without microbes.
Oversold prenatal tests spur some to choose abortions. Beth Daley on the awful consequences of false positives in screening tests
A lovely historical tale of communications technology versus oppression
John Colapinto profiles graphene-discoverer and frog-levitator Andre Geim for The New Yorker
The self-tracking movement is conceptually genderless, but in practice, it’s excluding women. By Rose Eveleth
Veronique Greenwood on the clever robots that package our food and how to hack your taste buds
You’ve beaten Ebola. Your next obstacle is prejudice. The latest of Erika Check Hayden’s excellent dispatches from Sierra Leone
Science/news/writing
The Carnivores Next Door. Michelle Nijhuis on the predators encroaching into our spaces.
The deepest living fish ever seen
“The precise part of the brain that gives people a sense of direction has been pinpointed”
Watch a man control two robotic prosthetic arms with his mind
Here’s how pearlfish call to each other from inside the bodies of other living animals.
Psychologists aren’t meant to do celebrity analysis… because of one case of celebrity analysis.
Henry the tuatara loses virginity at age 110
Birds avoid tornadoes, which they likely heard from hundreds of miles away
Oh STAP it, already.
Longreads Best of 2014: Science. I picked three nominees for this list (and I am also on it).
Scientists discover 38% of the Earth.
Tracking near-urban mountain lions.
Why humans can perform surprisingly well after brain damage
Nature’s picks of 10 people who mattered in science this year. Kudos on the diversity, folks.
Ice pancakes the size of dinner plates floating on the River Dee in Scotland
Wisdom the albatross, the world’s oldest wild bird, lays an egg.
Wi-fi brain implants for robot arms
Parasite test shows where validation studies can go wrong, and how to do them better
Why do we see faces everywhere? A fun brain-scanning study of face pareidolia
The Big Kill: New Zealand’s crusade against mammals. By Elizabeth Kolbert.
The larvae of smooth fan lobsters surf on jellyfish.
Could the blood of Ebola survivors help to treat the infected? Let’s find out!
The Chance of a Collision in Outer Space Is Practically Zilch
He who smelt it dealt it, Mars
A genetically engineered mouse releases insulin when liver cells detect radio signal
Cockroaches have no problem seeing by starlight
Mapping how information flows around the globe identifies the best languages to spread your ideas
Check out Hannah Waters’ new blog, A More Human Nature. In which she will “look at nature through liberal arts lenses: art, history, lit, culture & tech”.
If antibiotic resistance continues unchecked, it could kill 10 million people per year and cost $100 trilllion. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
How elephants got their big brains.
Scientists are not that smart
A meteor shower on Mercury builds a thin atmosphere around the planet.
“Say hello to the bone-devouring-I-am-my-penis worm”
Why There Would Have Been No Torture Without the Psychologists
Why is reporting on health and science so bad? Because the reporters can’t do their jobs.
Heh/wow/huh
“What if I made a lava lamp out of real lava?”
Deep Freeze: Six Astonishing Ice Caves
Herzog motivational posters.
The Onion’s review of The Hobbit
Grand Canyon does its best ninja impression.
A GIF showing how babies grow up from single cells
Internet/journalism/society
“This post originally quoted Sanders as saying it takes him 5yrs to get on the dance floor. It takes him 5 beers.”
Slate dissects a year of outrage on Twitter
Longform.org’s picks of the best science stories of 2014
“When journalists hand the power to decide what’s news to the journals, they do readers a disservice.”
Megan Garber applies the broken windows concept to Uber
Journalistic outsourcing?! I spent this whole piece muttering “Wait, this is a thing?”
Slate: in praise of skipping. Never change, Slate.
Congratulations to the wonderful Kathryn Schulz as she starts a new staff gig at the New Yorker!
Not a great month for magazine fact-checking. First the UVA case. Now, this boy genius and his fictional fortune
How journalists should handle Twitterstorms
Australia shows how to respond to terrorism
Retraction Watch is a paragon of sci journalism; it’s great to see big cash landing in their laps
“The story of how a woman ruined a fresco and saved a town.”
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
- Why Swedish children celebrate Easter by dressing up as witchesWhy Swedish children celebrate Easter by dressing up as witches
- 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
Science
- LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?
- NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid. 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
Travel
- Why you should try beach-hopping by boat around Paxos, GreeceWhy you should try beach-hopping by boat around Paxos, Greece
- Mansion museums show visitors the gritty side of the Gilded AgeMansion museums show visitors the gritty side of the Gilded Age
- 2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip2024 will be huge for astrotourism—here’s how to plan your trip