I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (29 November 2015)
Sign up for The Ed’s Up—a weekly newsletter of my writing plus some of the best stuff from around the Internet.
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.”
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
- 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
- On the path of Latin America's greatest wildlife migrationOn the path of Latin America's greatest wildlife migration
- Everything you need to know about Everglades National ParkEverything you need to know about Everglades National Park