I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (19 March 2016)
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Top picks
From me at The Altantic:
- How Corrupt Societies Corrupt the Behavior of their Citizens
- Babies Are More Reflective Than We Thought
- The Weird Stories Behind America’s Official State Fossils
- Solving the Mystery of the Tully Monster
- What Causes These Mysterious Fairy Circles?
Welcome to the CRISPR zoo. A look to the future, from Sara Reardon.
A New 50-Trillion-Pixel Image of Earth, Every Day. By Robinson Meyer
“We’re looking back 13.4 billion years, through 97 percent of all time, to the galaxy when it was forming.” By Nadia Drake.
Ego depletion, another prominent psychological theory, may just have been debunked. Great coverage by Dan Engber.
1 Across: Passing someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own (10). By Jessie Guy-Ryan
The quest to save the world’s coral reefs. By Meehan Crist
Most popular theories of consciousness are worse than wrong. In which Michael Graziano talks about phlegm a lot.
Rose Eveleth imagines a future with no pets.
Delightful: “My Dinosaur’s Jet Lag Helps Explain Why a Time Change Is Hard.” By Heather Murphy
Things that can spread conjunctivitis: scuba masks and tiny flies. By Rebecca Kreston.
How gender neutral is “guys,” you guys? By Stan Carey
Under Pressure: Will Deep-Sea Animals Explode or Implode on the Surface? The answer is neither, and the reasons are really interesting. By Craig McClain.
It’s Okay to Cry at Work: fascinating on the biology of crying, by Olga Khazan
Meet the winners of the 2016 Wellcome Image Awards
Science
Good grief. The microbiome nonsense engine is firing on all cylinders.
No one deserves this prize more than Carl Zimmer. Congrats, mate.
R2D2 and C-3PO are the first ever grey seal pup twins found in the wild
Methane has never looked so beautiful
“It’s arms crawl away from each other until [its] insides spill out.”
Lab-grown brain balls something something Zika but seriously brain-balls
American Statistical Association issues statement about p-values, but is it significant?
With womb transplants a reality, transgender women dare to dream of pregnancies
‘Essential’ genes may not be so essential after all
New research shows how Zika could be causing microcephaly
Genetic denialism is unhelpful – genes play a role in who we are
This student adds a woman in science to Wikipedia every time she’s harassed online
Did you know that ants flow like melted cheese?
Science Question From A Toddler: Why Am I Right-Handed?
Ambry’s putting (aggregated) genetic information from 10,000 customers with ovarian cancer into a publicly open database. A win for open science.
On the great unknowns in deep-sea mining.
“My first reaction was just utter confusion followed by anger.” On conflicts of interest among genetic counselors
Half of inventions “arise unexpectedly” from serendipity—not direct research
For self-defense, these plants build armor out of sand.
No, We Can’t “Upload Knowledge To Your Brain”
Pathological joking is a thing
Why you forget what you came for when you enter the room
Meet the Tiny, Parasitic “Corpse Flower” That Smells Like Coconuts
Is do-it-yourself CRISPR as scary as it sounds? Stat gets five perspectives.
5 strange disease outbreaks that still puzzle scientists
Does knowing genetic risk actually motivate people to make healthier choices? Nope.
Don’t think about a polar bear.
Bonobos just want everyone to get along
Should All Research Papers Be Free?
One horse-sized tyrannosaur or a hundred tyrannosaur-sized horses…
Warthogs let mongooses eat ticks off their bodies
The CRISPR patent fight has begun — and it’s not pretty
Scientists infected people with dengue — and see it as a model to beat back Zika
An invisible illness: dysphagia, or the inability to swallow. “It’s like being constantly waterboarded”
‘Sci fi’ eye experiments improve vision in children — and rabbits
“That would seem to imply that he wasn’t best placed to represent humanity this week” –
How one male spider defends itself against sexual cannibalism
Giant Flesh-Eating Koala of Legend Was Real.
“We are really reaching the limits of what is possible.” 430,000 year old DNA details dawn of Neanderthals.
Miscellaenous
Reminder: you don’t own your ebooks
“You know what else has an earthy, bitter note? Lies about bay leaves.”
Amazing drone images of swarms of sharks spotted at a Seychelles atoll
The future will be quiet. Fascinating, if US-centric, piece
The long, slow death of Twitter
Applicants should “enjoy being under the spotlight”. That is the opposite of ninja.
Sky gradients on Instagram: how “a silly joke became a serious habit.”
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
- 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?
- 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?
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?
Science
- The unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and MounjaroThe unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and Mounjaro
- Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.
- Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of yearsJupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of years
- 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
Travel
- This town is the Alps' first European Capital of CultureThis town is the Alps' first European Capital of Culture
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur
- This author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomadsThis author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomads