The Ed's Up #118
The Incredible Thing We Do During Conversations
"One of the greatest human skills becomes evident during conversations. It’s there, not in what we say but in what we don’t. It’s there in the pauses, the silences, the gaps between the end of my words and the start of yours. When we talk we take turns, where the “right” to speak flips back and forth between partners. This conversational pitter-patter is so familiar and seemingly unremarkable that we rarely remark on it. But consider the timing: On average, each turn lasts for around 2 seconds, and the typical gap between them is just 200 milliseconds—barely enough time to utter a syllable. That figure is nigh-universal. It exists across cultures, with only slight variations. It’s even there in sign-language conversations." (Image: Khaled Abdullah Ali Al Mahdi / Reuters)
The Curious Case of a Contagious Cancer
"These devils had developed a second type of contagious cancer. “We absolutely couldn’t believe it,” says Murchison. “It’s the last thing I could have possibly imagined.” To develop one transmissible tumor may be regarded as a misfortune; to develop two looks like carelessness." (Image: HK Colin)
CRISPR's Most Exciting Uses Have Nothing to Do With Gene-Editing
"Three years ago, Stanley Qi took CRISPR—the world’s most versatile gene-editing tool—and stopped it from editing any genes. Now, instead of a precise and versatile set of scissors, which can cut any gene you want, you’ve got a precise and versatile delivery system, which can control any gene you want. You don’t just have an editor. You have a stimulant, a muzzle, a dimmer switch, a tracker." (Image: Erich Ferdinand)
The Startling Evolution of a Love Song
"Crickets are known for their loud chirping songs, which males use to attract females, and which hecklers use to point out failed jokes. Typically, these songs are low-pitched enough for us to hear, but one group of crickets—the lebinthines—produce high-pitched melodies that lie beyond the range of our ears. To us, they sound mute. To other crickets, they sound… maybe a bit like bats?" (Image: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab)More good reads
- MERS is spread by camels, and camels... are not easy to work with. Love this Helen Branswell story.
- What's the Plural of Emoji? Robinson Meyer’s investigation quickly turns into a delightful examination of borrowed words.
- Nadia Drake witnesses two green sunsets and writes beautifully about them.
- "If there are no polio cases in 2016, eradication might be achieved by the end of 2018." By Maryn McKenna
- Unit 9900: The Israeli Army Unit That Recruits Teens With Autism. By Shira Rubin.
- The first email ever sent wasn't even read on a monitor; it had to be printed out. This and other gems from Adrienne LaFrance’s examination of email, and why it has come to suck so much.
- On polite parties and casual racism. Essential (and for me, all too familiar) reading by Nicole Chung.
- “We recently published an article naming Jupiter “the best planet.” As everyone knows, Saturn is the best planet. We regret the error.” By Ross Andersen.
- "Ants, like anxieties, come in two quantities: one and infinity." By Leah Reich.
More good links will be released in tomorrow's linkfest on Not Exactly Rocket Science.
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And that's it! Thanks for reading.
-Ed