I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (20 February 2016)
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Top picks
From me at the Atlantic:
- How Microbes Make Malnutrition Worse
- Biologists Steal Nanospear Technology From Bacteria
- XY Bias: How Male Biology Students See Their Female Peers
Superb piece about the “nature-faked” relationship between Hadza hunter-gatherers & the honeyguide bird. By Cara Giaimo
Palau’s aggressive response to illegal fishing may help the rest of the world save all of the oceans. By Ian Urbina.
Heard of white noise? There’s also pink, blue, grey, and brown noise. By Meghan Neal
100,000 years of everyone ****ing everyone. An explainer about prehistoric interbreeding by Ewen Callaway.
A superb, insightful, compassionate piece on the vaccination debate, by Maggie Koerth-Baker
“When I go out in nature, I don’t even see terrain anymore. All I see are mathematical functions and graphs.” Inside the Artificial Universe That Creates Itself
Sometimes not writing a story is the best journalism, by Rose Eveleth
Science
Modern Milgram experiment sheds light on power of authority
Absurd Creature of the Week: The Huge, Bee-Decapitating Hornet That Can’t Survive Group Hugs
Flowers in SPAAAAAACE
What triggered the animal kingdom’s great evolutionary explosion? A new theory
This story about a new bacterium behind Lyme disease is really about why Lyme has been such a tough puzzle to crack
Lots of People Are Losing Distance Vision, and No One Knows Why
A lovely piece about an ancient flower trapped in amber
A male copepod is likely to bump into a female once per year, but may live only a few months or weeks.
An Instagram for pond scum
There’s another mosquito-borne virus you should worry about & this time, we won’t be able to spell it.
As Antibiotics Fail, We Need More Vaccines
Nice piece on Keolu Fox’s mission to make indigenous groups a part of genomic medicine.
Aquarium decides not to let you ogle its octopuses having a blind Valentine sex date, cos of sexual cannibalism
150,000 penguins die after giant iceberg renders colony landlocked
“You know what doesn’t work to convince true believers that a conspiracy is not afoot? Thorough debunkings”
The Brain Scoop looks at how scientists manage their periods during fieldwork in remote locations
Is there really a war on science? Spoiler: no.
On weird starry sea creatures that carry their babies like mammals
Jo Marchant talks about her new book, Cure, on mind/body relationships in health.
Does Toxoplasma gondii alter human behavior? Or should I become a Toxoplasmoskeptic?
In First Human Test of Optogenetics, Doctors Aim to Restore Sight to the Blind
Why It’s So Hard To Prove Zika Is Causing Birth Defects
On The Life Project: “This absorbing book is nothing if not a tribute to Helen Pearson skill as a writer.” Quite so.
On the mysterious origins of syphilis
Miscellaneous
An imagined Back to the Future prequel that explains Doc Brown’s ties to Libya
Hackers are holding a Los Angeles hospital ransom
Recommended reading for journalists: Adrienne LaFrance assesses the gender bias in her own coverage
“Drink was probably involved.”
Amazing journalism that grounds big events through the opinions of everyday people. Or, y’know, quail.
Screw the Huffington Post, bunch of parasitic weasels
The amazing life of Fidel Castro’s favourite cow
Alphabet, Jigsaw, and the Puzzle of Google’s New Brand
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
- 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
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
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
- 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
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains