Last week, I linked you to a piece pointing out that three New York Times op-ed pieces linking bacterial exposure (or lack thereof) to autism, celiac disease, and allergies were all written by the same guy, Moises Velasquez-Manoff. His ideas are interesting, but there's also good reason to be skeptical. If you want to get a better idea of the arguments for and against Velasquez-Manoff's thesis, I'd recommend checking out this post at the Knight Science Journalism Tracker, which links to several critical stories and to Velasquez-Manoff's response to them.
Microbes and health: The debate continues
Newly discovered fish species looks just like Big Bird's best friend, Mr. Snuffleupagus
It's surely no surprise that my favorite Sesame Street character is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, a.k.a. Mr. Snuffleupagus, a.k.a. Snuffy. I mean, it's not a secret that I'm a sucker for an… READ THE REST
Pigeons may navigate using magnetic cells in their liver
A study in the journal Science argues that homing pigeons may read Earth's magnetic field using iron-rich cells in their livers, rather than their beaks or eyes. Researchers wiped out… READ THE REST
Scientists sterilized soil. It kept breathing for six years.
Quanta's "The Dirt That Refused To Die" follows a French lab that sterilized soil with gamma radiation, sealed it in jars, and watched it keep breathing — taking in oxygen… READ THE REST
If you're paying a la carte for AI models, this $60 lifetime pass gets you ChatGPT, Claude & more
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: ChatPlayground AI lets you compare GPT, Claude, Gemini, and more side-by-side in one tab—and lifetime access is… READ THE REST
Imagine never seeing a website hosting renewal email again after paying $149.99 once
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: Most web hosts treat your website like a subscription. PawnHoster's King Plan would rather take your money once… READ THE REST
This HP EliteBook delivers business-class performance for $400
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: This HP EliteBook comes with a range of professional features you can depend on and software… READ THE REST
