The Ed's Up #73

There’s No Plague on the NYC Subway. No Platypuses Either.

Several reports last week claimed that scientists had discovered Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, and Bacillus anthracis, the one that causes anthrax, on several stops along the New York City subway. I take a look at these claims, and what they tell us about a common error in microbiome studies. And along the way, I look at an amusing problem involving world-conquering platypuses. (Image: Marc Hermann)
 

More good reads

• “This Incredible Hospital Robot Is Saving Lives. Also, I Hate It” – a tragic comedy by Matt Simon
• On the hunting of the endangered Houbara bustard, and relationships between Pakistan and Saud Arabia. By Declan Walsh
• A parasitic wasp uses a virus to warp the mind of its ladybird host. By Carl Zimmer, obviously.
• In Nevada, scientists reported ‘wild’ asbestos near Las Vegas and were threatened with legal action for their trouble. Great story by Deborah Blum
• "They hide in your bed and breed on your face." Rob Dunn on mites.
• Great piece from Peter Aldhous on animal intelligence and how we study it, featuring crows, elephants, dogs, and cuttlefish. Also featuring Pig #3, an Einstein among swine.
• How to sell the truth on vaccination. (Spoiler alert: the scientific facts aren't enough.) Also by Peter Aldhous, who’s on a roll this week.
• Insect sex proves that nature is NSFW. By Gwen Pearson
• An argument against genetic exceptionalism, and fears of genetic testing. By Chip Rowe
• How did a groundbreaking theory on consciousness become a pseudoscientific personality quiz? By Jason Goldman
• The collected wisdom of David Carr, who will be much missed. See also: tributes from the NYT and Dave Wiegel

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