At Genomes Unzipped, Joe Pickrell, a graduate student in genetics at the University of Chicago, makes a case for replacing the traditional peer review system for scientific publications with something more akin to social networking. Or, really, a professional version of Reddit, plus some deep search features. Not having dealt with the peer-review system myself, I'm curious what the scientists out there think. Good idea? Bad idea? Good idea for some fields, bad idea for others? (Via Daniel MacArthur)
Scientist proposes replacing peer review with something like Reddit
Scientists finally discover why some poop floats and other sinks
When you poop, why do some feces float while others sink to the bottom of the toilet bowl? Researchers from the esteemed Mayo Clinic have just published a scientific paper answering this question. Apparently it was long thought that the secret was the amount of fat inside the particular sample. Nope! In the 1970s, scientists… READ THE REST
The fascinating, deadly pufferfish
Check out these cool photos of a pufferfish skeleton at Deep Sea News. Deep Sea News explains: What you are looking at are the spines of pufferfish, composed of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite, protein(collagen), and water—the same materials as scales. Indeed, these spines are just modified scales. And like other scales, these spines originate during development, from the mesoderm layer of the dermis or… READ THE REST
50 inaccurate, misleading, misused, ambiguous, and logically confused psychological terms
If you ever read me or any other writer use one of these fifty terms, it's fair to suspect we're lazy, confused, or up to no good. Some are worse than others: the outright pseudoscience of "a gene for" puts it right up top, for example, as something to be burned down whenever you find… READ THE REST
Didn't win Powerball? This Black Friday Doorbuster Deal might be your second chance.
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Black Friday is here: Get a refurbished MacBook Air for just $400
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Black Friday is here, and if you're looking for great deals to start your holiday shopping, we're marking down some of our bestselling items from November 24 through 27! For example,… READ THE REST
Get 20% off Windscribe VPN with the code WINDSCRIBE during our two-day doorbuster deal
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. The internet is a chaotic, weird, beautiful thing where you can find things from amazing infographics to fun news blurbs about what is clearly the prologue to a horror movie. When you're… READ THE REST
