I’ve Got Your Missing Links Right Here (15 May 2016)
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Top picks
From me at the Atlantic:
- The Genetics of Staying in School
- The White House Launches the National Microbiome Initiative
- Climate Change Is Shrinking Earth’s Far-Flying Birds
Megan Garber’s epic piece on the history, technology, and sociology of high heels has a superb line in virtually every paragraph. It’s utterly fascinating.
This piece on a (perhaps quixotic) quest to get someone to run a marathon in under 2hrs is full of gold nuggets. By Yannis Pitsiladis
“Leave it to the youngest person in the lab to think of the Big Idea.” Great story about some critical Zika experiments. By Pam Belluck.
I’ve been reading Geoff Manaugh’s A Burglar’s Guide to the City and it’s incredible.
A repeatedly fascinating piece on post-mortem sperm donation by Jenny Morber.
Yes, the ongoing bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef is bad. But it isn’t dead or dying — yet. By Hannah Waters
The Computer Virus That Haunted Early AIDS Researchers. Kaveh Waddell on ransomware that was delivered by floppy disk.
A neuroscientist threatened to sue Jesse Singal when he asked about his side business selling brain tonics
John Oliver does p-hacking, bad science reporting, and oxytocin bullshit. It’s glorious
Computer gleans chemical insight from lab notebook failures
Science
Concerns About Folate Causing Autism Are Premature
The 17-year cicadas are emerging
What Hillary Clinton Says About Aliens Is Totally Misguided
Did a teen discover a lost Mayan city? Not exactly.
This lab is trying to get more ethnic minorities into research studies
Sign language gloves? Not quite
How dust from the Sahara fuels poisonous bacteria blooms in the Caribbean
Siddartha Mukherjee caught some serious flak for a New Yorker piece on epigenetics. Michael Eisen has a good explanation: “Any sufficiently convoluted explanation for biological phenomena is indistinguishable from epigenetics.”
How disease and public health efforts shaped fashion trends
“She has a particular fondness for Iapetus, exomoons, words, and champagne”. Congrats to Nadia Drake for winning this award.
Oh look, 1,284 new Kepler planets
Parasite turns Alaska king crabs into zombies
Elephants winning the war against drones.
Untrue Grit: Daniel Engber versus Angela Duckworth’s self-help-ish psychology book?
BBC’s David Attenborough app will offer over 1,000 clips free
Will Jasha McQueen’s fight for her frozen embryos threaten abortion rights?
The worst-case scenario in using genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Zika is that it won’t work
Does online tool overstate the risk of heart attack and stroke — and the need for statins?
Two countries read the same evidence base on e-cigarettes and come to radically different policies
Mount St. Helens Is Recharging Its Magma Stores, Setting Off Earthquake Swarms
Miscellaneous
Medieval re-enactor takes out drone with spear
This ‘smart typewriter‘ is supposed to free you from your computer
How Dogs Make Friends for Their Humans
What are the most common kinds of coincidences people experience?
Social networks as the seven deadly sins
“Hostile architecture” aims to keep unwanted – homeless, skaters, teens, junkies – from using urban space
On Facebook’s unprecedented cultural power
How Rival Gardens of Eden in Iraq Survived ISIS, Dwindling Tourists, And Each Other
US Army fact-checks fan theory about how much back pay Captain America is due
Go Further
Animals
- How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?How can we protect grizzlies from their biggest threat—trains?
- 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?
Environment
- Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?Are the Great Lakes the key to solving America’s emissions conundrum?
- The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?The world’s historic sites face climate change. Can Petra lead the way?
- 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
History & Culture
- Meet the original members of the tortured poets departmentMeet the original members of the tortured poets department
- 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
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?
Travel
- Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?Could Mexico's Chepe Express be the ultimate slow rail adventure?
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico