Guest Thinkers — January 4, 2011

100,000 Dead Fish: Take the Quiz

Lindsay Beyerstein

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

This simple quiz neatly divides the world into two kinds of people.

A hundred thousand unexplained dead fish is a job for: a) theology; or, b) ichthyology.

[Photo credit: psyberartist, Creative Commons.]

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

The Present

Microplastic overload: Is cutting production the only realistic way to curb pollution?

On November 25, U.N. members will meet in South Korea to cap off a series of meetings aiming to reduce global plastic pollution.

Yellow and black bird perched on a thin branch surrounded by green leaves.

The Present

How tech is turning science into a hobby

Off-the-shelf consumer technology is helping people pursue their interests — and advancing science at the same time.

People walking on a city street with steam rising from vents create a scene reminiscent of an omics exposome research study. A woman in a white beanie looks back as buildings and traffic form the vibrant backdrop.

Health

The next omics? Tracking a lifetime of exposures to better understand disease

Of the millions of substances people encounter daily, health researchers have focused on only a few hundred. Those in the emerging field of exposomics want to change that.

Aerial map view highlighting the Humongous Fungus in red within Malheur National Forest, with labeled sections "Genet D" and "Genet E." A scale bar indicates 2 kilometers.

Strange Maps

This fungus is so humongous that it can be mapped

A member of a species that kills trees, this mushroom is not the first to be called the Humongous Fungus — and perhaps not the last.

Stacks of colorful shipping containers are seen in the background, with out-of-focus people holding signs in the foreground.

The Present

Port workers are at war with automation. Can they win?

A prolonged strike could cost the economy between $500 million to $4.5 billion per day.

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