I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (9 January 2016)
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Top picks
A collection of things I was proud to write, and things I was delighted to read, in 2015
Me at the Atlantic:
- CRISPR’s Most Exciting Uses Have Nothing to do With Gene-Editing
- The Incredible Thing We Do During Conversations
- You’re Probably Not Mostly Microbes
- The Curious Case of a Contagious Cancer
Books in 2016: a literary calendar. I’m honoured to be included!
MERS is spread by camels, and camels… are not easy to work with. Love this Helen Branswell story.
What’s the Plural of Emoji? Robinson Meyer’s investigation quickly turns into a delightful examination of borrowed words.
Nadia Drake witnesses two green sunsets and writes beautifully about them.
“If there are no polio cases in 2016, eradication might be achieved by the end of 2018.” By Maryn McKenna
Unit 9900: The Israeli Army Unit That Recruits Teens With Autism. By Shira Rubin.
The first email ever sent wasn’t even read on a monitor; it had to be printed out. This and other gems from Adrienne LaFrance’s examination of email, and why it has come to suck so much.
On polite parties and casual racism. Essential (and for me, all too familiar) reading by Nicole Chung.
“We recently published an article naming Jupiter “the best planet.” As everyone knows, Saturn is the best planet. We regret the error.” By Ross Andersen.
“Ants, like anxieties, come in two quantities: one and infinity.” By Leah Reich.
A behind-the-scenes look at how nutrition studies are done and why most of them are rubbish. By Christie Aschwanden.
Science
Best lede of the year so far
Top ten genetics stories in 2015
A Brief History of Noise, from the Big Bang to cellphones
CRISPR treats Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice
Missing mice: gaps in data plague animal research. More problems with reproducibility in science.
Following Marcygate, Astronomers Are Finally Doing Something About Sexual Harassment
Brain games like Lumosity are snake oil. They’ve now been fined $2m for lying about their rubbish products.
I really really want khipus to turn out to be an elaborate long-game joke on future archaeologists.
Study on cattle manure turns out to be bullshit. Thank you, irony gods.
New Worm Species Has Five Faces
You have to say “leader of the skeptic movement” with air-quotes and then snort into a closed fist. John Hawks on a major misunderstanding about Homo naledi.
The Storm That Will Unfreeze the North Pole
“Auto-brewery syndrome“: where people make their own booze, possibly due to fungi in their gut
Great close-up video of a giant squid
Poachers using science papers to target newly discovered species
I’m really looking forward to Helen Pearson’s upcoming book The Life Project, about the longest-running study of human development in the world.
Does your favorite supplement contain an illegal drug? Search this database to find out
10 Animals That Support Your New Year’s Resolutions
How to deal with Australia’s toxic cane toad problem: Train goannas not to eat them.
Why are there still monkeys? Jennifer Raff uses a creationist trope to teach evolution
Starfish-killing robot to patrol Great Barrier Reef
Kratom, an Addict’s Alternative, Is Found to Be Addictive Itself
Dogs thwart effort to eradicate Guinea worm
It’s the first time the disease, which is devastating amphibians worldwide, has been eradicated in a wild population
Pioneering ‘bionic eye‘ restores sight to woman with an incurable genetic disorder
Ballistic tongue projection of thumb-sized chameleon produces peak acceleration of 264g
Thousands of Jersey kids help dig up fossils from a mass extinction.
Your Cells. Their Research. Your Permission? Rebecca Skloot encourages readers to have a voice on controversial proposed changes to how our cells are used.
Great profile of fearless lion conservationist Craig Packer
Vultures are often seen as vile. But they’re vital to our world—and rapidly declining.
An excerpt from Maria Konnikova’s new book on the minds and motives of con artists
The best of the Buzzfeed news science desk in 2015
Brooke Borel on why science journalists have to report on the people behind science and their flaws
“What happens when you mix a flood of dumb money eager to invest in anything “disruptive” w/ life science companies”: a lot of funded pseudoscience
Why do we feed wild animals?
On competing theories about self-control
“Go get 30 other mummies from around the world and get more data”
Miscellaneous
Wonderful piece on adulthood, and when people think that they’ve reached it.
Is History Written About Men, by Men? Spoiler: yes.
The single best thing about The Force Awakens
The perfect person to interview Daisy Ridley about fame and Star Wars? Carrie Fisher.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History Patron Spots a Tiny VW Bug Mixed in With the Insect Collection
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
