"Over the weekend, I borrowed a friend's time machine and cold-bloodedly killed a Neandertal, a Homo erectus, an Australopithecus, a dolphin, a chimp, eight sentient robots, the first extraterrestrial visitor to Earth, and my neighbor with the unreasonably loud sound system. Question: in the eyes of the law, how many murders did I just commit?" — John Rennie on the ongoing debate about intelligence, species, and the rights of non-human persons. Read his great story at Smart Planet. (Via Philip Yam) NOW WITH WORKING LINK!
An animal rights pop quiz
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft touches asteroid Bennu, sends rubble flying, high hopes it grabbed sample
The NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft "crushed rocks and sent rubble flying as it briefly touched an asteroid, a strong indication that samples were collected for return to Earth, officials said Wednesday," reports AP. More at the OSIRIS-REX Sample Return Mission site: "OSIRIS-REx TAGS Asteroid Bennu." Excerpt: Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission's Touch-And-Go… READ THE REST
Scientific paper about being bitten by a weird snake
Meet the leaf-nosed snake, a peculiar Madagascan species with a gift for crypsis. Reading about it I found my way to Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis, which turns out to be "This God Damned Snake Bit Me!" written up as a formal scientific paper. To avoid harming the snake and to prevent… READ THE REST
Sasha Sagan interviews a series of inspiring female scientists
In Violet magazine, writer Sasha Sagan, author of the must-read For Small Creatures Such As We, is interviewing a series of inspiring and diverse female scientists. First up is evolutionary biologist Dr. Michelle Trautwein, "curator of flies" at the California Academy of Sciences. followed by South African chemist/nanotechnologist Dr. Tebello Nyokong of Rhodes University, and… READ THE REST
Here's your chance to pick up 35 of the coolest deals we saw this week
Every week, great stuff comes flying past your eyeballs courtesy of the Boing Boing Store. And every week, there's just too darn much of it to keep track of before you start missing cool items. Items you'd probably wanna get if you hadn't…you know…missed it. That's a tragedy we can't abide. As a public service,… READ THE REST
Working from home might be wrecking your back and this gel cushion could change all that
Which part of working from home has already been chafing on your very last nerve? Many of us are going through it, so we know there's something. Maybe it's the constant interruption of family or roommates. Maybe it's not having access to all the resources you usually have back at the office. Or maybe it's… READ THE REST
Fenwick Bike Sticks attractively get your bike off the ground and out of your way
With the cost of gas, greenhouse emissions, and all sorts of other concerns, it's one of those transportation issues you seldom consider. But for environmentally friendly commuters and weekend adventurers alike, the question remains: how the heck do I store this big bicycle? If you live in an apartment, you practically have to give a… READ THE REST
