This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
I have dug through the Internet this week and uncovered all this geeky goodness. You can find the thousands of links from previous weeks here.
I have marked my favorite links with a ?. Enjoy.
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Science to Read, Watch
? The Quest to End the Flu: Our fight against evolution's seemingly lifeless invaders
Turns out that most Americans have no idea what "fracking" is
The cell signals that show age, even in embryos?
“What, isopod got your tongue?” If you haven't met this parasite, it's time.
A painful, fascinating way to deal with loss: On Losing a Dog
? Fascinating/Graphic/Worth It--Your brain is all squishy: An anatomical demonstration
Excuse me, Mr. Lizard, but you have something in your eye...oh...OH
When stakes are high, bumblebees "multitask"
"The strong predictor of belief in a fictitious conspiracy theory was belief in other real-world conspiracy theories"
Did you miss the absurd science acronym tweet-off? Carl Zimmer has you covered
? Fluorescent arthropods are busy having a rave that our eyes can't see
Science communication required reading: Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims
Juice cleanse: It’s not healthy, it’s not virtuous, and it makes you seem like a jerk
Killed by a beaver: The 10 Worst Ways to Die in the Wild
Simple experiments that show some slugs don't survive on the sun
You can't tickle yourself, even if you don't realize your hand is your own
? Ocarina of Time was first released in Japan 15 years ago this week. Here's how it messed with time travel, really
At the scale of the stars, things millions of miles away can look incredibly dense, beautiful
? You can't take a bullet for someone Hollywood style. Because physics.
How “generations long past can influence the evolution of future generations” with bacteria and ancient DNA
Coldblooded Does Not Mean Stupid: Plumbing the depths of reptile cognition
? Vi Hart explains logarithms to me in a way that is beautiful and incomprehensible, simple and complex
Evolution is fascinating: An ant-mimic spider escapes ant attention by being nearly odorless
? Zombie-proof your home: how to fight undead virus by turning your house into an inside-out biolab
There isn't solid evidence to suggest green anacondas are on the loose in Florida
Beautiful photos of a new fungus-farming ant
? WOW the big fin squid tops my most bizarre and beautiful creature list
11,000 children over a decade--No behavioral problems from video game playing
What is the future of destructive storms? How much can we blame climate change?
How much data would it take to computer-generate a creative food recipe? We are figuring it out
Checking in after 25 years with one of the best experiments in evolution that we've ever attempted
Can animals inherit the fears of their parents? The evidence is building
Negative Temperature explained in ten seconds
? The shrew with the most exquisite backbone that you could stand on (but don't)
What’s turning dolphins in South Carolina into half dolphins? Probably great white sharks
What does a warehouse full of illegal animal parts look like? This
Why You Need Not Fear the Poor, Misunderstood Brown Recluse Spider
Octopus arms seem to move independently, or are we just missing simplicity among the tentacles?
How we have been seriously wrecking forests in the last decade, visualized
This newly discovered optical illusion doesn't really work on me, what about you?
Turning janitor proteins into assassins with a hit list of superbugs
"Did viruses help make us human? As weird as it sounds, the question is actually a reasonable one to ask"
? Do sea slugs stab their partner's heads to try to get semen near their brains? Why am I even asking this question?
Icy engineering: How was the Forbidden City built?
I can hear nerd salivating: JPL infographics
? When satellites die, we put their corpses in a graveyard that haunts the cosmos. It doesn't always work
Did Climate Change Intensify Supertyphoon Haiyan? Never one cause, but it's exactly what we would expect to happen...
If the EM spectrum was laid across the US, the bit we can see would be short enough to slip through a surgical mask
"Lunar dust is fine, like a powder, but it cuts like glass...No one knows precisely what it does to human lungs."
? Green eggs and ham, don't let it waste: What Dr. Seuss knew about the science of taste. Yes the whole piece rhymes!
Blissed-Out Fish on Prozac: "U.S. waterways are a pharmaceutical soup"
? When Scientists Created a New Form of Water Out of Thin Air
Do you believe in miracles? You shouldn’t
Animals often move in counter-intuitive ways. E.g., the glass knifefish
Right place, right time: Witnessing a golden ray migration from a (oil?) platform
Extreme Nerdery
? "Soon we discovered a way to give the sensation of infinite time."
The end of Lord of the Rings, in domino-form
Astronomers: Please consider "The Oppressively Colossal Telescope" for your next christening
"...The loneliest human in history was just happy to have a few minutes of peace and quiet."
? Every death in Game of Thrones, visualized, without spoilers
Pi or Tau? How about Pau, "the Devil's Ratio"?
Nerd approximations: How much gold is Smaug sitting on?
I spent 5 minutes watching the voice actors of Batman and Superman fight each other
? Morning after texts from Star Trek: TNG
This is a video of lava eating Chef Boyardee
A fake "30 for 30" for Space Jam, which I can't believe they made
The last time you will think there's a monster under the bed
? "No matter how hard you stir your tea, it's not going to get any warmer."
HA It works so well! Pacific Rim set to the Power Rangers theme song
Simple answers to stupid questions about a new technology. "Will teens use this for sex?" Yes.
One way to recreate Red Alert, the PC game, is to take a long-exposure shot of a massive Tesla coil
GIFs and Images for Some Wow
Comet Hale Bopp Over Indian Cove
A dangerous accident in the kitchen that happens to look incredible
? Praying mantids eat goldfish. No pets are safe!
Every once in a while, humans do pretty good mimicry cosplay
? These are called Krumholtz trees, shaped by the constant and prevailing mountain winds
So interesting: If the United States were defined by watersheds
In case you wanted to try to beat the one-handed Rubik's Cube record, watch this, then give up (10 sec)
For reference, here is a great infographic plotting the path of tornadoes in US over the last 50 years
Stingray is a kind dinner guest: "Do I have something in my teeth?"
I get unexplained happiness from this: Ejecting a floppy disk in space
With a hastily put together macro lens, you can take some incredible snowflake photos
What kind of Gs do you think this Raptor F-22 pilot is pulling? Enough for you to lose consciousness
An art installation that REALLY follows your eyes
? Absolutely incredible: Inflating a set of cat lungs with a straw
First ever photograph of Saturn, Venus, Mars and Earth is calling to your desktop background
That thing where you stumble upon a momma possum and you're more surprised than she is
A GIF set of cool stuff Commander Chris Hadfield has done in SSSPPPPAAACCEEE
You may not notice, but airplane cabin pressure is only a bit more than half what it is on the ground. See?
Every letter in the English alphabet and number is in this symbol
Who does flip-books anymore? Why doesn't everyone do them for Superman vs Goku fights?
Apologize in advance, I will: Yoda with human skin
? Scan of the original document to be read by Nixon in the event of a disaster on the Moon
The Futurama audience. Can you spot them all?
Real "Gravity" is even prettier than the movie "Gravity"
Pop Culture Happenings
“It’s just a shame that quality textbooks still have to jump through ridiculous hoops that have no basis in science"
? Nerdy, wordy, funny: A Textual Analysis of The Hunger Games
Oh, to take a walk inside a disorienting infinity room
Vertebrate skeletons in black and white. Evolution, art
? "'Because' has become a preposition, because grammar."
Animal and Insect Assemblages Made from Repurposed Objects
Incredible photo of the path of destruction left by the tornado that hit Washington, IL
? In-depth investigative report on one of the worst purveyors of false hope: Stanislaw Burzynski
A majority of Americans think the Kennedy assassination was a conspiracy. This is why they're wrong
Wow, the artist completely controls perspective with this "infinite" staircase
Make art out of eggs cracked in cryogenic fluid
? Refreshingly skeptical piece on unregulated herbs and supplements. "The hucksters are back"
Guess what percentage of people use wi-fi service on any given flight