I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (26 March 2016)
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Top picks
From me at the Atlantic:
- The Mysterious Thing About a Marvelous New Synthetic Cell
- Funding Freeze Hits Natural History Museum Collections
- Adorable Prairie Dogs Brutally Kill Baby Ground Squirrels
- Scientists Can Now Watch the Brain Evaluate Risk
A truly beautiful piece of writing about a rare disease and dissolving bones. By Craig Childs.
The Inherent Bias Of Facial Recognition, by Rose Eveleth. The first in what should be an excellent column on design bias.
5 things the world has learned about Zika so far, by Helen Branswell. Meanwhile Declan Butler considers what we know and don’t about Zika and birth defects
Siddartha Mukherjee writes about the history of schizophrenia genetics, and his own family
“In the end, robots may expand what it means to be human.” Adrienne LaFrance considers what it means to be a robot.
“No buts about it, the butthole is one of the finest innovations in the past 540 million years of animal evolution.” Amy Maxmen on a surprising new discovery involving comb jellies.
NPR’s TED Radio Hour has spliced my talk on parasites with even more of me talking about parasites
What we talk about when we talk about ‘LOL‘. By Megan Garber
Obviously Don’t Set Off Nukes to Do Cool Science. Obviously. By Sarah Zhang
An exclusive annual dinner hosted by a legendary society of scientists is for adventurous eaters only. By Liz Preston.
“No, Polly doesn’t want your Triscuits. Got any fig trees to savage?” Natalie Angier on parrots.
Science
Japan’s totally f**king scientific whaling programme How very fucking scientific.
The ultimate spring baby animal cam compendium
Young scientists need to fight for their employment rights
Cat parasites causing explosive rage? Nope.
Researchers Find Fish That Walks the Way Land Vertebrates Do
Watch a sea anemone swim
The world’s most popular drug—Gastropod on coffee
Could Harvesting Fog Help Solve the World’s Water Crisis?
On the (at times, sensationalist) media framing of an important new climate paper
Can a talking parrot be placed in witness protection?
The ultimate CRISPR FAQ.
The unlikely relaxation of watching 6000 matches burn
What engineers can learn from the design of the penis
Mobile-phone health apps deliver data bounty
Long regarded as minor players in ocean ecology, jellyfish are actually important parts of the marine food web.
Scientists clash over lifespan of captive killer whales
Predictions for Precision Medicine get a reality check.
Startling images of coral bleached by warming waters on the Great Barrier Reef.
Transgenic zebrafish forms technicolour ‘skinbow’
The world’s most urgent science project
Authorities get to the bottom of a two-million-dollar tusk conspiracy
An important piece on a man smearing a journalist
Even harmless snakes strike at deadly speed:
On the evidence/ethics of “vaginal seeding” for C-section babies
Throwing open the oxytocin file drawer
Mother’s Microbiome Shapes Offspring’s Immunity
Guantánamo: From Prison to Marine Conservation Peace Park? By Elizabeth Kolbert
A Mysterious Disease Is Killing People in Wisconsin
An Empty Beach Isn’t Empty At All.
Why Zika and other outbreaks breed conspiracy theories
Check out Alok Jha’s new 3-part radio series on misconduct, irreproducibility, and poor practices in science
Miscellaneous
How much fuel did Saturn V use per second, as measured in elephants?
Inside the world of blind sports
The tale of Boaty McBoatface
On its 10th birthday, a look back at the world that hatched Twitter
With “machine unlearning,” computer scientists want to build vast forgetting systems
A brief history of robot law
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
- Why are these emperor penguin chicks jumping from a 50-foot cliff?Why are these emperor penguin chicks jumping from a 50-foot cliff?
Environment
- 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
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
History & Culture
- Why Passover is one of Judaism’s most important holidaysWhy Passover is one of Judaism’s most important holidays
- Is this mass grave a result of contagion—or cannibalism?Is this mass grave a result of contagion—or cannibalism?
- The surprising story of how chili crisp took over the worldThe surprising story of how chili crisp took over the world
- We swapped baths for showers—but which one is better for you?We swapped baths for showers—but which one is better for you?
- How a 3,000-year-old tomb upended what we know about ancient PeruHow a 3,000-year-old tomb upended what we know about ancient Peru
Science
- 4 herbal traditions used every day, all over the world4 herbal traditions used every day, all over the world
- Ground-level ozone is getting worse - here's what that meansGround-level ozone is getting worse - here's what that means
- Would your dog eat you if you died? Get the facts.
- Science
- Gory Details
Would your dog eat you if you died? Get the facts. - In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart diseaseIn a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease
Travel
- Why it's high time for slow travel in Gstaad
- Paid Content
Why it's high time for slow travel in Gstaad - How citizen science projects are safeguarding Costa Rican pumasHow citizen science projects are safeguarding Costa Rican pumas
- These guides spend their lives looking for dolphins. They’re dogs.These guides spend their lives looking for dolphins. They’re dogs.
- What it's like to hike to the end of the world in ChileWhat it's like to hike to the end of the world in Chile
