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
Go Further
Animals
- Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them?
- Animals
- Feature
Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them? - This biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the AndesThis biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the Andes
- An octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret worldAn octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret world
- Peace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thoughtPeace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thought
Environment
- 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?
- Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security, Video Story
- Paid Content
Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security - Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
History & Culture
- Strange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political dramaStrange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political drama
- How technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrollsHow technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrolls
- Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?
- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
Science
- This 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its timeThis 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its time
- Every 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost timeEvery 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost time
- How do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tipsHow do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tips
- Why outdoor adventure is important for women as they ageWhy outdoor adventure is important for women as they age
Travel
- Slow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capitalSlow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capital
- Want to travel like a local? Sleep in a Mongolian yurt or an Amish farmhouseWant to travel like a local? Sleep in a Mongolian yurt or an Amish farmhouse
- Sharing culinary traditions in the orchard-filled highlands of JordanSharing culinary traditions in the orchard-filled highlands of Jordan