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
- 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