I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (21 March 2015)
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Top picks
“Three days before Britain declared war, on September 3, 1939, Janet Vaughan received a telegram from the Medical Research Council. It read, “Start bleeding.”” Rose George on a woman who changed our relationship with blood.
The great Hillary Rosner on the beetle that’s killing North America’s forests, and what their incursion says about our changing world.
I love this Alexis Madrigal piece on doing talks from memory; it’s such a rewarding thing to do, and something I adored of the TED experience
“The paper describes a way to read the book of history in human DNA to a level of detail that is completely unprecedented.” Christine Kenneally on a fantastic new paper on Britain’s DNA
“Prosthetic devices have long been created by men, for men.” A fascinating, top-class piece by Rose Eveleth
The most remarkable globe in the world is in a Brooklyn office building. Via Atlas Obscura.
This is a really interesting piece on how Apple works the three metals in its watches. By Greg Koenig
Mars One finalist talks about how ridiculous and flawed the whole affair is
Wonderful Arielle Duhaime-Ross piece on flatworms, memory, the revival of controversial experiments, and the Unabomber
There are craters on the side of the moon that *faces* us that we can’t really see w/o relying on gravity fields. By Nadia Drake.
The Palm Tree That Waters and Fertilizes Itself. By Liz Preston.
Science/news/writing
The devastating environmental impacts of poorly planned road building
A velvet worm’s slime cannon is like a garden hose
The “world’s forests are fragmenting into tiny patches”—more than 70% are within 0.6 miles of an edge.
How a grad student’s 3am blog comment became a paper that challenged a titan of economics
DNA does not explain The Dress
Whales pump nutrients upwards by eating at depth and releasing “flocculent fecal plumes” at the surface.
“I prefer my seafood without sperm, thank you”
“George Church, a geneticist at HMS, believes the new study should not have been published”
G is for goddamned goshawk.
Insects Unlocked: a new photography initiative from Alex Wild.
Researchers track eye movements to sway moral decisions. Tiny effect; I agree with Churchland
Our cyborg beetle legions are almost ready for deployment
Nice paper on wild baboons showing social partners have similar microbiomes (as in humans, termites, b/bees…)
Why do we find it so hard to torture robots?
“When humans began building shelters about 20,000 years ago, we unrolled a welcome mat for other species.”
Artist Uses an Eye Tracker to Draw Portraits Using Only His Eyes
The NYT published a truly abysmal piece by Nick Bilton on phones and cancer, which distorts the evidence and quotes a noted quack. Phil Plait gets angry. Also here’s an explainer on phones/cancer that I wrote in 2011. It still holds.
Brilliant and lovely art-essay on race, comics, and how we see color.
These giant bomb-sniffing rats could save your life one day
The Meaning of Siberia’s Mystery Craters
The Newest Place on Earth
Quorum-Sensing Molecule Modifies Gut Microbiota
Why you should never, ever interrupt mating tortoises
Heh/wow/huh
The Only 31 Things Standing Between You And Your Dreams
THIS Pallas cat video
Here’s someone tickling a platypus
A hilariously absurd passage from a 1969 popular science book. (Marginalia mine.)
Internet/journalism/society
South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world
A Side-by-side Comparison of the First and Last Frames of 55 Movies
Good roundtable on journalist/scientist relationships, featuring some familiar faces.
The head of Google’s “unconscious bias program” fulfils her mandate in spectacular fashion by calling out her CEO for unconscious bias.
Wait, you want your employees to discuss race relations with people who, by definition, haven’t had their coffee yet?
What, no YOU have dust in your eye.
“Apparently every Disney woman is a clone/direct descendant of some primordial creature with huge round cheeks”
How to Google Something You Don’t Know How to Describe
Go Further
Animals
- How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?
- 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?
Environment
- Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?
- The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?
- 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
History & Culture
- Meet the original members of the tortured poets departmentMeet the original members of the tortured poets department
- 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
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?
Travel
- Dina Macki on Omani cuisine and Zanzibari flavoursDina Macki on Omani cuisine and Zanzibari flavours
- How to see Mexico's Baja California beyond the beachesHow to see Mexico's Baja California beyond the beaches
- Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?