I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (29 November 2015)
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Top picks
From me in the Atlantic:
- Why So Blue, Tarantulas?
- The New Gene-Editing Technique That Reveals Cancer’s Weaknesses
- Inside the Bizarre Genome of the World’s Toughest Animal
“To weather something is, after all, to survive.” The peerless Kathryn Schulz takes us on a tour of weather in literature. (Bonus: The 10 best weather events in fiction.)
Five Year Watch, an awesome new thing from Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, analysing the “in five year’s time” claims for biomedical stories.
The wild turkeys took one look at the wilderness, went “Screw this”, and moved to the city. By Yoni Appelbaum.
A beautiful MRI image of a mother and child. “We made this one because we wanted to see it.” By Rebecca Saxe
Phobos, a Martian moon, is set to become Martian rings. By Alex Witze
Life is Rescue: a beautifully told story about Icelandic rescue teams, by Nick Paumgarten
Science
Dakotaraptor, ready to take out Oblivious Guy With Spade
“The world is no better prepared for the next global health emergency than it was before the current Ebola epidemic”
An Anglerfish Discovered, Thanks to an Oil Spill
Smartphones enlisted in the battle versus crop disease
Sir David Attenborough is 90 next year!
It took 21 nutrition scientists to write this utterly unhelpful report
Why tornadoes are so hard to predict
11 Nov “could be the last day of our lifetimes in which atmospheric carbon stays below 400ppm”
Robocrop: Engineers in Sweden have managed to introduce electronic circuits into living plants.
The chemical symbol for plutonium is Pu because it’s discoverer had the sense of humour of an 8-year-old boy.
‘Digital chimp‘ trove preserves brains of retired apes
Drugs on Demand: a dangerous precedent for cancer treatment
Today in hilarious extinct animals
“We’re a hop, skip and jump away from actual gene-drive candidates for eventual release.” But is society ready for engineered, malaria-beating mosquitoes?
Six thousand years of natural selection in Europe
Apocalypse Pig: The Last Antibiotic Begins to Fail
Scientists unable to explain starling mass drownings
Miscellaneous
The Onion on the NIH’s decision to retire all research chimps
An XKCD Thing Explainer quiz in the New Yorker!
The feminist asylum redefined women’s mental health treatment with a radical approach called “dignity”
Distant Planet Terrified It Might Be Able To Someday Support Human Life
A Story Collider story from Adam Rogers, featuring an aborted research career and some sea urchin ejaculation.
“5 of the words people rated as the funniest were whong, dongl, shart, focky, and clunt.”
How “badass” became a feminist rallying cry
Go Further
Animals
- Cougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treksCougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treks
- Rare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginningRare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginning
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- Termite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million yearsTermite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million years
Environment
- Why the 2024 hurricane season could be especially activeWhy the 2024 hurricane season could be especially active
- Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.
- This deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the worldThis deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the world
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- This exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the worldThis exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the world
History & Culture
- See the story of Jonah and the whale like never beforeSee the story of Jonah and the whale like never before
- This ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the pastThis ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the past
- These are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit themThese are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit them
- Meet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius CaesarMeet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius Caesar
Science
- Women’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to changeWomen’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to change
- Hundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right nowHundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right now
- What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.
Travel
- A taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street foodA taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street food
- Discover southeastern Spain's secret coastal regionDiscover southeastern Spain's secret coastal region
- All aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sunAll aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sun