Ed Yong
Science writer at The Atlantic. Author of I CONTAIN MULTITUDES, a New York Times bestseller on animal-microbe partnerships. edyong.me
Thought Leader
| #481 | The New Center |
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The LGBTQ civil rights fight is far from over
Marginalized people in the queer community do not feel victorious.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international health emergency
The move is likely to escalate international attention on a crisis that has flared for a year despite aggressive efforts to stamp it out.
Wisconsin and Minnesota Are Waging an Extremely Friendly War Over Who Has More Lakes
Wait, what the heck is a lake, anyway?
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Ed Yong
"This further investigation opens up a taxonomic wormhole, one so lacking in real stakes that it may never be thoroughly resolved. As it turns out, there is no tangible, measurable difference between a lake and a pond."
15h
Humans Are the Scariest Predator
The sound of people talking can terrify even top predators such as mountain lions, with consequences that ripple through entire ecosystems.
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Ed Yong
An experiment that played human speech in wild areas showed that our voices can terrify even top predators like mountain lions, with consequences that ripple through entire ecosystems.
16h
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Ed Yong
“We thought it would be funny to play political commentators [to the mountain lions]. But when we had to score the videos, and listen to Rush Limbaugh all the time, it wasn’t very enjoyable.” 😂😂😂
16h
Trump Tells America What Kind of Nationalist He Is
In a series of tweets attacking four Democratic congresswomen, the president reiterated his belief that only white people can truly be American.
An Epidemic of Disbelief
What new research reveals about sexual predators, and why police fail to catch them
Jeffrey Epstein's First Criminal Case Was Helped By A Famous Harvard Language Expert
Pinker, a Harvard expert on language and human nature, said he was unaware of the details of the case and now regrets his involvement.
Can a Snail Too Tiny to See Save a Kentucky Forest From a Gas Pipeline?
Sometimes the little things matter.
Ed Yong
This @aznfusion piece about a very tiny snail and the people who study it is suffused with wonder, beautiful writing, and great quotes.
6d
What’s Cuter Than a Baby Cheetah? A Baby Cheetah With Its Puppy Pal
To give the big cats company, zoos often pair them with dogs. Lining up the best match can take time; ‘we just weren’t finding the personality we were looking for’
Why Did This Extinct Bird Have Such a Weird, Long Toe?
The Cretaceous Period flier, trapped in amber 99 million years ago, had features unlike any bird living today.
Have You Seen Britain's Tiny Potential Tree-Killer, the Adorable Spittlebug?
They're kind of cute, but also carry a plant disease.
IVF Mix-Ups Have Broken the Definition of Parenthood
When a New York woman gave birth to twins after IVF, neither baby was related to her, or to each other.
Harris Gains Momentum With Democrats’ Most Important Voter Base
As Democrats vie for black women’s support, Harris hopes to come out on top.
Ed Yong
"It is impossible to envision any scenario in which a Democrat could win the nomination, much less the presidency, without considerable support from black women." - Jemele Hill, on Kamala Harris
7d
A Groundbreaking Study Is Good News for Cats—And People
Researchers studying the cat-poop parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, made a breakthrough that will spare a lot of felines from research.
Ed Yong
“Whenever I give talks, I often get the question: Why the cats? What’s special about the cats?” Knoll says. “Now we have an answer.”
7d
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Ed Yong
The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, only sexually reproduces in cats. Scientists have finally worked out why, and got Toxo to do it in mice. That’s a huge deal, which will accelerate Toxo research—and spare a lot of cats.
7d
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A Weird Skull Shakes Up the Story of Humans and Neanderthals in Europe
The find is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil outside Africa.
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Ed Yong
A 210,000-year-old skull from Greece is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil yet identified, and it shakes up the story of humans and Neanderthals in Europe
8d
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Ed Yong
A 210,000-year-old skull from Greece is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil yet identified outside of Africa, and it shakes up the story of humans and Neanderthals in Europe
8d
To contain Ebola, the United States must fulfil its promise to the World Health Organization
WHO responders are braving bullets to end the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the virus could cross borders without the pledged funding.
What Snowball the Dancing Parrot Tells Us About Ourselves
His spontaneous moves reveal something about why humans groove, and why most other animals do not.
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Ed Yong
Remember Snowball the dancing parrot? He's back, with more moves! And his antics could tell us something important about why humans dance, and why most other animals do not.
10d
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Ed Yong
“This is what we would genuinely refer to as dance both in the scientific community and in the dance profession. It’s amazing.” For this story about a dancing parrot, I spoke to 3 scientists who are also trained dancers themselves.
10d
Ed Yong
“Irena keeps on telling people to be cautious about getting a parrot because they want to see if it dances... They have a personality of a 3-year-old but they live for 50 years."
10d
Why Waves of Seaweed Have Been Smothering Caribbean Beaches
Since 2011, blooms of Sargassum have wreaked havoc on tropical shores. A new study explains why this is likely a new normal.
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Ed Yong
The waves of stinky seaweed that smother Caribbean beaches in the summer are likely a new normal, thanks to the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt—a bloom that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa.
13d
What a Pediatrician Saw Inside a Border Patrol Warehouse
Dolly Lucio Sevier evaluated dozens of sick children at a facility in South Texas. She found evidence of infection, malnutrition, and psychological trauma.
A Startling Spike on Mars
Methane gas is a potential indicator of life on the red planet, but it’s proving difficult to track.