Blog of the Week:
Beatrice the Biologist says this about itself: it is “part science blog, part comic, and part incoherent rambling: science edutainment at its finest.” Written – or rather drawn – by Katie McKissick, each post is a visual delight and will make you chuckle…and learn.
Top 10:
Gavin’s Story: Whole Exome Sequencing Finds Mystery Mutation by Ricki Lewis:
In a hotel ballroom on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on a midsummer Saturday in 2010, an unusual roll call was under way at the Family Conference for the Foundation for Retinal Research. Betsy Brint, co-head of organization, was calling out what sounded like code words CEP290, GUCY20, LRAT and for each one, a few people would stand up, excited, then form little groups. After all 18 abbreviations had been called, representing the genes known to cause Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a few sets of parents were left standing. Troy and Jennifer Stevens, of Chino, California, were among those whose childrens genes and mutations were still a mystery….
Alain de Botton Tries Hand at Sex, Fails by AV Flox:
…..The next sections jump into evolutionary-biological interpretation, which we took to mean science, and which gave us the distinct impression that the author s research of sex stopped at the work of William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson instead of starting there. That s not surprising, though. ….
Even Deadly Snakes and Monkey Shit Couldn t Stop Me From Excavating Maya Ruins in the Jungle by Charles Choi:
Snakes. In the ancient Maya ruins where I’m working at with archaeologists, the creatures we fear most are probably the snakes. That fact might sound like the punchline to an Indiana Jones joke, until you hear about the most dreaded serpent here in the jungles of Belize. The fer-de-lance is likely the deadliest snake in Latin America, packing an amputate-if-you’re-lucky bite if it goes untreated. Its long fangs can go right through a boot, and it’s aggressive – unlike many snakes that seem more afraid of us than we are of them, the fer-de-lance won’t hesitate to strike. ….
The importance of being Aquaman, or how to save the Atlantean from his briny fate by Andrew Thaler:
….There s no way around it. Even with the huge amounts of heat Aquaman would produce as he burned through his daily 48,000 Calories, he is going to get cold. With little body fat and no fur to speak of, his heat retention potential is pitiful. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple solutions to the thermal problem. Unfortunately, almost all of them involve visible changes to his physique….
Moths, Memory, and Motivation by James Hathaway:
….We quickly found out that something that seemed simple catching a bunch of pretty colored insects and putting them in boxes was actually demanding and nearly endlessly complex and mysterious. A lot of the butterflies that were the coolest, the rarest, the most beautiful, lived in strange places treetops, the edges of swamps and streams, sunlit clearings in deep woods and only flew in certain seasons and specific times of the day early spring, late afternoon. We learned why mating rituals, foodplant availability, lifecycle requirements. We didn t just read, we observed. We learned that the books were not always right insects are really variable and behave differently in different locales. We developed hypotheses, collected information that supported or contradicted them. We learned, at least concerning a couple dozen species of butterflies in the part of upstate New York where we lived, how nature worked. Nature taught us the science we needed to use, and science taught us what there was to know. (Not that we knew enough to call it science, of course.) It was like the world had opened up. ….
Pain Control by Shara Yurkiewicz:
She had only been in the hospital twice in her life: once when she was nine and now, 60 years later. She had gotten tonsils out then. She was getting tumors out now. Her abdomen hurt when she was awake. Her abdomen would also hurt during exploratory surgery, although she wouldn t be able to feel it under general anesthesia. Her body would feel it, though, and could respond by dangerously spiking or plunging her vitals. She needed an epidural before surgery to keep the pain under control…..
Bad Chemistry by Deborah Blum:
The start of the story is this: In December 2008, a 23-year-old research assistant named Sheri Sangji accidentally set herself on fire while working in a chemistry laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles. She died 18 days later in a hospital burn unit….
Is Childhood Pertussis Vaccine Less Effective Than We Thought? by Maryn McKenna:
Delicately and cautiously, health authorities in the United States and other countries are beginning to open up a difficult topic: Whether the extraordinary ongoing epidemic of whooping cough, the worst in more than 50 years, may be due in part to unexpected poor performance by the vaccine meant to prevent the disease….
Meet the people who keep your lights on and Blackout: What’s wrong with the American grid by Maggie Koerth-Baker:
Power was restored today in India, where more than 600 million people had been living without electricity for two days. That’s good news, but it’s left many Americans wondering whether our own electric grid is vulnerable. Here’s the good news: The North American electric grid is not likely to crash in the kind of catastrophic way we’ve just seen in India. I’m currently interviewing scientists about the weaknesses in our system and what’s being done to fix them and will have more on that for you tomorrow or Friday….
New OCD Symptom: Tail Chasing by Elizabeth Preston:
…Dogs with compulsion may pace, chase imaginary flies, or lick their flanks until they get sores, despite their owners’ best efforts to make them stop. Certain breeds are especially vulnerable. A staple of canine compulsion is tail chasing, which frequently strikes bull terriers and German shepherds. On one forum, user MatrixsDad complains that his German shepherd “is constantly chasing and barking at her tail…She comes up and puts her backside against anyone who’s standing around so she can get a better view of her tail before she starts chasing it.”…
Special topic 1: Jonah Lehrer
Jonah Lehrer s Deceptions by Michael C. Moynihan
Jonah Lehrer Resigns From The New Yorker After Making Up Dylan Quotes for His Book by JULIE BOSMAN
The deception ratchet by Bradley Voytek
Jonah Lehrer, Bob Dylan, and journalistic unquotations and More unquotations from the New Yorker by Mark Liberman
Neuroscience author resigns from The New Yorker after admitting to fabricating Dylan quotes. by Paul Raeburn
Jonah Lehrer’s Grievous Oraculism by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jonah Lehrer throws it all away by Roxane Gay
How we decide (to falsify). by Janet D. Stemwedel
Original thoughts? by Eva Amsen
Can cheaters repent? by Christie Aschwanden
Jonah Lehrer debacle lesson: Do your homework by Randy Lewis
It s hard to start at the top, says Sharon Waxman of Jonah Lehrer by Steve Myers
What Jonah Lehrer reveals about popular science writing by Daniel Bor
Jonah Lehrer Turned His Back On Science by Khalil A. Cassimally
15 Minutes of Meaning for Jonah Lehrer by Alexis Madrigal
Why I Still Really Like Jonah Lehrer by J.S. Adams
On Bob Dylan And Jonah Lehrer, Two Fabulists by Ann Powers
Jonah Lehrer s missing compass by Seth Mnookin
Special topic 2: Algebra
Abandoning Algebra Is Not the Answer by Evelyn Lamb
Does mathematics have a place in higher education? by Cathy O’Neil
When Andrew Hacker asks “Is Algebra Necessary?”, why doesn’t he just ask “Is High School Necessary?” by Rob Knop
Yes, algebra is necessary by Daniel Willingham
Why Algebra Matters (and Why Andrew Hacker is Off-Target) by RiShawn Biddle
Is Algebra Necessary? Are You High? by Blake Stacey
A modest proposal by PZ Myers
Algebra Is Necessary, But What About How It s Taught? by Melanie Tannenbaum
It s Not the Algebra, It s the Arithmetic by Mike the Mad Biologist
On Algebra, High Expectations, and the Common Core by Dana Goldstein
The end of algebra by Alexandra Petri
Mathematical Illiteracy in the NYT by Mark C. Chu-Carroll
In Defense of Algebra by Evelyn Lamb
Scientific American Math Doc Defends Algebra Ed by Steve Mirsky
Why We Need m(x)+b: A Response to “Is Algebra Necessary?” by Erik Kimel
Best Images:
Macro photographs of snails and insects in the rain by Vadim Trunov
An ant that protects herself with um butt foam and More hanging larvae by Alex Wild
URI Sci Comms Day with Bora Zivkovic by Katie, PhD
Teaching Molecular Biology with Watercolors by Rachel Nuwer
Could a Whale-Powered Bus Be the Future of Transportation? by Rachel Nuwer
Hypogean Wildstyle: Dominik Strzelec s Byzantine Geology by Paul Prudence
Quite Possibly the Cutest (Accurate) Dinosaur Illustration Ever by Annalee Newitz
Best Videos:
Watch 131 Years of Global Warming in 26 Seconds by Climate Central
Women in science … on television?!? Evidently not by Emily Willingham
Is There Life On Mars? by KPCC
Ben Goldacre at TEDMED 2012 by TEDMED
London Plague of 1665 by Michelle Ziegler
Field Biology: setting and baiting traps by DNLee
Twitter Algorithm Predicts When You ll Get Sick (8 Days In Advance, With 90% Accuracy) [STUDY] by Shea Bennett
Curiosity (the New Mars Rover) Explained by phdcomics
100 Gallons: Reflections From A Nation Powered By Water by Powering A Nation
Best Anole Documentary Ever by Jonathan Losos
Sight by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo
How Did Apollo Astronauts Learn to Land on the Moon? by Amy Shira Teitel
Science:
Antibodies found in Peruvians suggest natural resistance to rabies in local vampire bats and NIH emerges with new emergency medicine research hub by Kathleen Raven
What’s next for scientific teaching? by Zen Faulkes
Deep-sea squid can break off all its arms onto an enemy by Ed Yong
Catching Fraud: Simonsohn Says and Why Don’t Social Scientists Want To Be Read? and Social Science and Language, Again and DSM-5 R.I.P? by Neuroskeptic
If You Compare Yourself With Michael Phelps, Will You Become A Better Swimmer? and We Won. They Lost. by Melanie Tannenbaum
A trustworthy guide to black hole astronomy by Matthew Francis
Velcro Hairs Allow Ants to Hang Their Larvae by Alex Wild
I, For One, Welcome Our New Fishy Overlords by Ian O’Neill
Is this study the bane of crypto-zoologists? by Esther Inglis-Arkell
Vacation Adventure: The La Brea Tar Pits by Erin Podolak
Are climate sceptics more likely to be conspiracy theorists? by Adam Corner
Michael Phelps, Losing the 400IM, and His Taper by Daniel Lende
What Is the Nocebo Effect? by Joseph Stromberg
Why do women leave science? by Zinemin
Muller is still rubbish by William M. Connolley
Breakthrough: The First Complete Computer Model of a Living Organism by George Dvorsky
How The Fukushima Exclusion Zone Shows Us What Comes After The Anthropocene by Colin Schultz
Interdisciplinarity, Heritability, and Public Policy by Kris Hardies
Why Dogs Chase Laser Beams (and Why It Can Drive Them Nuts) by Natalie Wolchover
The Hunter Hunted: Searching for the Body of an Anatomist by Lindsey Fitzharris
The Devil s Technology by Ross Chapman
Lives of the Deaf by Jaipreet Virdi
Clouding the Olympic issue, China style by Claire
I want to ration your health care by PalMD
Gal pagos Redux: When Is It OK to Kill Goats? by Virginia Hughes, Michelle Nijhuis and Jason G. Goldman
Broken heartland: The looming collapse of agriculture on the Great Plains by Wil S. Hylton
Why Experts are Almost Always Wrong by Rose Eveleth
Work-Life Balance for Whom? by Athene Donald
Stiletto snakes by Andrew Durso
New Lights to Help ISS Astronauts Stay Alert by Liat Clark
The Vomit-Inducing Gemini 8 Mission and NASA s Manned Grand Tour of the Inner Planets by Amy Shira Teitel
Artificial Beginnings: Understanding the Origin of Life by Recreating It by Eric Sawyer
To know a tiger is at least to start tolerating them, study shows and Tigers, people, and finding ways for both to thrive by Sue Nichols
Higgs Discovery: Personal Reflections by Matt Strassler
Did Gymnast Jordyn Wieber Perform Too Soon? In Olympic scoring, the last shall be first. by Karla Starr
Chop Like A Girl by Michelle Nijhuis
Curiosity readies for dramatic entrance and Mission control before the party and Curiosity to look for habitable environs by Nadia Drake
Why is Pluto not a planet? by Tristan Avella
Once upon a time: The possible story of viruses by Audrey Richard
How to pronounce “Muller’s Ratchet” by Jon Wilkins
The evolution of music by James Gaines
Sex testing and the Olympics: myths, rumours and confirmation bias by Vanessa Heggie
Light Pollution’s Potentially Harmful Effects Highlighted In New Film by Lynne Peoples
Taking the scenic route by Kelly Slivka
wesome Harry Potter Fan Decodes Wizarding Genetics: It s All About Trinucleotide Repeats by Susana Polo
How the Elephant Makes Its Rumble by Veronique Greenwood
Swiss sheep to be outfitted to cry wolf by text message by Agence France-Presse
TGIPF: Sex When You Can t Hang On by Erik Vance
Human cycles: History as science by Laura Spinney
A HOT topic in transit by Taylor Kubota
Stiletto snakes by Andrew Durso
Media, Publishing, Technology and Society:
Imagining a World Without Patents by Mark Summerfield
Five years as a science blogger my experiences and how it began by Stephan Schleim
9 Reasons Why Running A Science Blog Is Good For You by Julio Peironcely
Top ten tips for blogging for scientists by Paul Knoepfler
The art and craft of science blogging by Daniel Blustein
Science Reporting Gone Wrong by Paige Brown
Reddit as a Science Outreach Tool by Brian Kahn
Setting Sail Toward a Science Communications Career by Liz Neeley
Journalists slow the environmental debate by Mari Kildahl
The journalistic method: Making the jump from science to journalism by Jessica Morrison
Does journalistic balance hurt America? by Trudy Lieberman
The missing millions of Kibera and Kidnapped at birth and Grandma Obama’s support for domestic violence by Martin Robbins
#riscweet! How to Effectively Communicate Science on the Web by Viet Le
A New Age for Truth by Craig Silverman
Big data is our generation s civil rights issue, and we don t know it by Alistair Croll
Blogs of the Week so far:
May 11, 2012: Academic Panhandling
May 18, 2012: Anole Annals
May 25th, 2012: Better Posters
June 1st, 2012: Vintage Space
June 8th, 2012: Tanya Khovanova s Math Blog
June 15th, 2012: Russlings
June 22nd, 2012: Parasite of the Day
June 29th, 2012: March of the Fossil Penguins
July 6th, 2012: Musings of a Dinosaur
July 13th, 2012: Contagions
July 21th, 2012: Life is short, but snakes are long
July 27th, 2012: Science Decoded
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