The Ed's Up #57

There Is No ‘Healthy’ Microbiome

In this essay, my first for the New York Times, I argue that the quest for a “healthy” microbiome is an illusion, based on a poor and oversimplified understanding of the complex ecosystems within our bodies. "The microbiome is complex, varied, ever changing and context-dependent — qualities that are the enemies of easy categorization." The piece is my attempt to add a bit of nuance to discussions of this fascinating area of science, and to show just how remarkable these microbial communities really are. (Image: Jane Hurd)
 

It’s Behind You! Robot Creates Feeling of Ghostly Presence

"Since time immemorial, humans have traded stories about ghosts and wraiths—haunting presences that are strongly felt but never seen. Mountaineers often report feeling an unseen presence keeping in step beside them. And many people with neurological or psychiatric problems have reported similar sensations. Blanke was seeing the same phenomenon at work in his patient, but with one critical difference: he could turn it on and off." (Image: Alain Herzog/EPFL)
 

Bats Jam Each Other’s Sonar

A bat is hunting a moth. As it flies, it makes a series of high-pitched squeaks and listens for echoes rebounding off the insect. It gets closer, and now it makes a much faster series of calls—the feeding buzz—that help it to pinpoint exactly where the moth is. It swoops in for the kill… and fumbles. At the last moment, another set of sounds comes out of nowhere, confusing it and sending it off course. It has just been jammed by another bat. (Image: Nikolay Hristov)

 

The Most Heritable Gut Bacterium is… Wait, What is That?

"By studying 416 pairs of British twins, Julia Goodrich and colleagues from Cornell University have identified the gut microbes whose presence is most strongly affected by our genes. And chief among them was a mysterious bacterium called Christensenella minuta, the one and only member of a family that was discovered just three years ago." (Image: Vladimir Pustovit)

More good reads

• The 10 most controversial psychology studies ever published. Excellent list from Christian Jarrett.
• A Tiny Stumble, a Life Upended. The NYT is publishing a great series on falls, by Katie Hafner.
• Doug Emlen talks about the astonishing weaponry of dung beetles. The image is great.
• This is a really fascinating history of the chapter, and how it has shaped the way we read. By Nicholas Dames.
• Kat McGowan has written a great couple of pieces on Michael Tomasello’s work on why humans are more cooperative than other apes and why imitation made us great.
• This is such an important op/ed on a huge downside of cancer screening & the problem w/ the "early detection = good" mantra. By H. Gilbert Welch.
• Metascience could rescue the ‘replication crisis’. An important perspective on fixing psychology’s woes, vt Jonathan Schooler.  
• In a Mother’s Milk, Nutrients, and a (hormonal) Message, by Carl Zimmer
• Lice evolved more recently that primates. Earlier estimates of their age were... lousy. A great take on a comprehensive new paper on insect evolution, by Gwen Pearson.
• Want an explanation of Google's cancer detector plans that isn't just a tech journo wetting themselves with hype? Here, from Cancer Research UK

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