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Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Feb 12-18, 2023

/ Melanie Marttila

It is time, once again, to get your mental corn popping (i.e., make weird mental connections that give you all kinds of great ideas for creative works)!

Erin Blakemore explains the origins of African American studies. National Geographic

Daryle Williams and Kristina E. Poznan are using data to discover and explore the stories of enslaved people. JSTOR Daily

Ashawnta Jackson is keeping scores: unearthing the works of Black women composers. JSTOR Daily

Anne Trafton: ingestible sensor could help doctors pinpoint gastrointestinal issues. MIT News

Christina Szalinski says the antibodies from camels and sharks could change medicine. Knowable Magazine

The dark room where science was invented. Be Smart

Ivan Semeniuk reports that the meeting of Venus and Jupiter under spectacular view of the moon offer reminder of space missions to come. The Globe and Mail

Ryan Jackson embarks on a scientific investigation of “The Last of Us” fungal pandemic. CNet

Beth Betkowski wonders, do trees really “talk” to each other through underground fungal networks? The “wood-wide web” contested. The University of Alberta

Dyani Lewis reports that sea life bounced back fast after “the mother of mass extinctions.” Nature

Krisztina Feyno: Hungarian research explores why your dog is prone to howling. Reuters

Sean Wetselaar says we own more dogs than ever before. We didn’t think it through. The Walrus

Thanks for spending some time with me. I hope you took away something to inspire an future creative project.

Until my next chapter weekly update, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Jan 1-7, 2023

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s that time of the week again. Get your mental corn popping!

Edward González-Tennant remembers the Rosewood Massacre. JSTOR Daily

The 1918 pandemic never ended. SciShow

Killing cancer with cancer. The Harvard Gazette

Anne Trafton reveals that self-assembling proteins can store cellular “memories.” MIT News

Danielle Han considers aspymmetrical powers: economic and cyber espionage. JSTOR Daily

Robert Lea reports that a feeding black hole blows cosmic bubbles during high-energy burp. Space.com

Large volcanic outburst discovered on Jupiter’s moon, Io. Phys.org

Emma Thomson: these mighty pyramids were built by one of Africa’s earliest civilizations. National Geographic

Bizarre Cretaceous bird from China shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body. Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lauren Biron reports that Berkeley Lab scientists develop a cool new method of refrigeration. Berkeley Lab

Lina Zeldovich: waste not, want not. JSTOR Daily

Oliver Milman reports that the US government approves use of world’s first vaccine for honeybees. The Guardian

Nikki Kolb shares her experience living with wolves. Catapult

Ian Sample says the tail does not wag the dog when it comes to agility. The Guardian

Thanks for visiting. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until my next chapter weekly update, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Oct 2-8, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s thoughty Thursday, and you know what that means: tomorrow’s Friday! Celebrate by getting your mental corn popping in time for the weekend 🙂

Sean Lahman and Kayla Canne report that Rochester to pay $12M to settle lawsuit filed by Daniel Prude family, largest civil rights settlement in city’s history. Democrat & Chronicle

Livia Gershon considers women leaders in Africa: the case of the Igbo. JSTOR Daily

Errin Haines: it’s almost 100 days since Dobbs. What has changed? 19th News

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha says able-bodied leftists cannot abandon disabled solidarity to “move on” from covid. Truthout

Hugo Bachega and James Fitzgerald: Russian troops forced out of Lyman in eastern Ukraine. BBC

Nine NATO members urge support for Ukraine after annexation. Associated Press

Hyung-Jin Kim, Kim Tong-Hyung and Mari Yamaguchi report that North Korea sends missiles soaring over Japan in escalation. Associated Press

Study is first to show role of genomic changes in specific brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease. University of Exeter

Mechanism used by metastatic cancer to infiltrate liver found. Osaka Metropolitan University

New route to evolution: how DNA from our mitochondria gets into our genome. University of Cambridge

Anne Cleary: what is déjà vu? Psychologists are exploring the creepy feeling of having lived through an experience before. The Conversation

Nostalgia, the gift that keeps getting rebooted. Khadija Mbowe

Clark Quinn: myth persistence (in learning design). Learnlets

Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden introduce us to the self-taught tech geniuses fighting cybercrime: ransomware hunters. The Guardian

Michael Sheetz reports that SpaceX launches Crew-5 mission for NASA, carrying astronauts to space station. CNBC

How to Build for Human Life on Mars | Melodie Yashar | TED

Ronan O’Connell takes us inside the Irish “hell caves” where Hallowe’en was born. National Geographic

Pacific Ocean set to make way for world’s next supercontinent … in 200 to 300 million years from now. Phys.org

Your city is full of fake buildings. Here’s why. Answer in Progress

Mélissa Godin introduces us to the women fighting fire with fire. Atmos

Aysha Khan says that plants by school playgrounds protect kids from road pollution. Next City

Scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, advancing a recent study. University of Illinois

Damian Carrington: wax worm saliva rapidly breaks down plastics. The Guardian

Eleanor Cummins takes us inside one of the world’s first human composting facilities. The Verge

Livia Gershon offers a natural history of dragons. JSTOR Daily

Talia Ogliore: study reports first evidence of social relationships between chimpanzees and gorillas. Washington University in St. Louis

Haley Weiss: dark extinction has scientists worried. Here’s what they’re doing about it. CNET

Nancy Darling explains why your dog likes to flirt with other people. Psychology Today

Thank you for visiting. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 25-Oct 1, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

We’re rounding the bend to the weekend. Fortify yourself by getting your mental corn popping.

Amanda Connolly reports that Black public servants face trauma amid class action. Global News

Kimmy Yam and Shakshi Venkatraman reveal that Adnan Syed faced racial stereotypes in court that weren’t scrutinized. NBC News

Torture and ill-treatment of Haitian asylum-seekers rooted in anti-Black racism. Amnesty International

Jon Gambrell and Adam Schreck: Russia’s call-up splits EU; Ukraine says it shows weakness. Associated Press

Nadeem Badshah summarizes what we know on day 214 of the invasion. The Guardian

Ivana Saric: Nord Stream pipeline leaks were an act of sabotage, EU says. Axios

Amir-Hussein Radjy says Iran’s anti-veil protests draw on long history of resistance. Associated Press

Darren Major: on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Murray Sinclair challenges Canadians to be mindful, year-round. CBC

Peter Sagal puts a face on the senseless gun violence in the US: killed for walking a dog. The Atlantic

Rob Ferguson reports that Ontario tries to delay shutdown of Pickering nuclear station amid electricity “supply crunch,” sources say. The Toronto Star

Julia Simone-Rutgers: no place to live. One person’s search for a place to call home reveals a public housing system stretched to its limits. The Walrus

Jessica Stillman: a neuroscientist explains when it’s time to start worrying about your memory. Inc.

Shape-shifting fat cells fuel breast cancer growth. And they may lead to new treatments (!) Medical Xpress

Allie Volpe shares the sleep advice no one tells you. Vox

Ashawnta Jackson: vampires and public health. JSTOR Daily

Jenna Benchetrit says “quiet quitting” isn’t really quitting, but it’s forcing employers to adapt. Essentially, it’s the backlash against hustle culture. CBC

Clark Quinn considers the power of emotion. Learnlets

The fatal physics of falling objects. Veritasium

James Doubek: Jupiter is coming its closest to Earth in decades. NPR

NASA’s Juno shares first image from flyby of Jupiter’s moon Europa. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ashley Strickland reports that NASA’s DART mission successfully slams into an asteroid. One small collision for humankind … 🙂 Then, Webb, Hubble space telescopes share images of DART slamming into an asteroid. CNN

Sarah Collins says there’s new evidence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. University of Cambridge

Smriti Mallapaty: China’s Mars rover finds evidence of catastrophic floods. Nature

Elizabeth Howell announces that SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission will carry Native American woman to orbit for first time. Space.com

Grace Toohey reports that Mexico earthquake triggers “desert tsunami” 1,500 miles away in Death Valley cave. Phys.org

John Bartlett: Gran Abuelo in Chile could be the world’s oldest tree. The Guardian

Dogs love the smell of stress. SciShow

More on the same: dogs can smell when we’re stressed, study finds. Phys.org

Thank you for spending a little time with me, and I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Sept 18-24, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

As we say farewell to September, fortify yourself for the last quarter of the year by getting your mental corn popping 🙂

Janelle Griffith: ex-Minneapolis police office sentenced to three years in George Floyd’s murder. NBC News

Erin Doherty: Cambridge joins elite universities grappling with ties to slavery. Axios

Erin Doherty reports that another nuclear power plant is at risk from Russian missiles. Axios

Karl Ritter: Putin issues partial military call-up, risking protests. Associated Press

Kim Fahner says Laurentian must rebuild, appeal to a variety of students. The Sudbury Star

The sharp axe method. Struthless

Theresa Massony says six planets are retrograde right now, which explains everything. Pop Sugar

Lori Cuthbert explains why the autumn equinox ushers in fall. National Geographic

Emily Zarevich introduces us to the lady who might have been Queen of England. JSTOR Daily

Rachel E. Gross: “feminist science” is not an oxymoron. Slate

Marshall Sheppard shares lessons from a mermaid about representation in science and engineering. Forbes

Mitochondia are the powerhouses of … Alzheimer’s? SciShow

Leila Gray take us beyond AlphaFold: AI excels at creating new proteins. University of Washington (UW) Medicine

Moss repair team also works in humans. Potential progress for the treatment of hereditary diseases. University of Bonn

Nina Bai announces that Emmanuel Mignot wins Breakthrough Prize for discovering the cause of narcolepsy. Stanford Medicine

New and ancient lessons from lunar eclipses. SciShow Space

NASA’s InSight “hears” its first meteoroid impacts on Mars. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Robert Lea: JWST’s first images of Mars reveal atmospheric secrets. Space.com

Laura Betz, Hannah Braun, and Christine Pulliam: new Webb image captures the clearest view of Neptune’s rings in decades. NASA

Grace Ebert: a rare glimpse of Comet Leonard’s last moments wins Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. And the runners up aren’t bad, either. This is Colossal

Why it took 200,000 years to invent the wheel. Answer in Progress

Jesus Diaz says this new wind turbine concept isn’t like any we’ve seen before. Fast Company

Check out Audubon’s new Bird Migration Explorer! I could get lost in this for HOURS.

Rivka Galchen: peak cuteness and other revelations from the science of puppies. The New Yorker

Thanks for visiting! I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

I should be posting my next chapter update for September this weekend.

Until then, keep staying safe and well!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Aug 21-27, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

And hello, September! Can I trot out the pumpkin spice guinea pigs, yet? Lots of stuff to get your mental corn popping this week.

Andrew Wolfson and Billy Kobin: former Louisville police officer pleads guilty to lying on Breonna Taylor search warrant. USA Today

Guy Foulconbridge provides this explainer: blood, treasure, and chaos — the cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reuters

Rozina Ali: the Afgan women left behind. The New Yorker

Terry Spencer reports that defense for Parkland school shooter’s trial set to present its case. Associated Press

Singapore to end colonial-era ban on gay sex after years of debate. France24

Andrew Marshall and Josef Tanfani report on “Skew-Tube”: the new breed of video sites thriving on misinformation and hate. Reuters

Amy Meeker says, to keep people from procrastinating, don’t give them a deadline. Harvard Business Review

Jessica Stillman reveals that remote workers are wasting more than an hour a day on “productivity theatre,” new report finds. Inc.

Men are lonely … but should we care? Khadija Mbowe | You Can Always Change Your Mind

When Alzheimer’s degrades cells that cross hemispheres, visual memory suffers. The Picower Institute at MIT

The role of dementia proteins in normal memory. Flinders University

Noah Fromson: early blood tests predict death, severe disability for traumatic brain injury. University of Michigan Health Lab

Catherine Caruso explains what happens when recovery goes awry. Harvard Medical School

Matt Shipman reports that ancient skulls may place human and neanderthal interbreeding. Futurity

Brian Handwerk reveals that seven million years ago, the oldest-known early human was already walking. The Smithsonian Magazine

Daniel Jones and Hui Li report that scientists have discovered how to destroy “forever chemicals” (PFAS). Fast Company

Lauren Saria: this restaurant is run entirely by robots. Eater

The crime wave we can blame on … neutron stars? Be Smart

Devan McGuinness reports NASA just revealed what a black hole sounds like … and it’s haunting. Fatherly

Alise Fisher reveals Webb’s images showcasing Jupiter’s auroras and hazes. NASA JWST

Dr. Alfredo Carpineti: JWST detects “unequivocal” carbon dioxide in an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time. IFLS

Will Dunham announces that rock-hunting NASA rover reveals crater’s surprising geology. Yup. Percy’s still at it 🙂 Reuters

Vishwam Sankaran reports that researchers identify the first plant that should be grown on Mars. The Independent

Jack Wallington recommends a drought-resistant garden for a changing climate. The Guardian

Katie Hunt reports that dogs’ eyes well up with tears of joy when reunited with their people. CNN

And that was thoughty Thursday. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my next chapter update for August.

Until then, keep staying safe and well.

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, Aug 14-20, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

I hope everyone is making the time to enjoy summer. Now, it’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Natalia Zinets: blasts hit Russian base in Crimea, Ukraine targets supply lines. Reuters

Nathalie op de Beeck: see Jane use a speculum. JSTOR Daily

Jackson Weaver: Lisa Laflamme blindsided by cancellation of contract with CTV. CBC News

Examining sensitivity online. Khadija Mbowe | You Can Always Change Your Mind

Kaitlyn Tiffany: That’s it. You’re dead to me. Everyone is suddenly “toxic.” The Atlantic

Jessica Stillman reports that a Stanford neuroscientist says this simple breathing exercise in like a kill switch for stress. Inc.

The Next Big Idea Club busts five myths about resilience you need to stop believing so you can cultivate true grit. Fast Company

Jeff Haden: are you a night owl trying to be an early bird? Science says you may (literally) be killing yourself. Inc.

How cameras make you forget. Answer in Progress

Clark Quinn: consumed by consumption? Learnlets

Tiffany Fairly reports that the Artemis I moon rocket arrives at launch pad ahead of historic mission. NASA | Artemis

Davide Castelvecchi says notorious dark matter signal could be due to analysis error. Nature

Ayana Archie reports that the northern lights may move farther south into mainland US this week. NPR

Michelle Codiva: Nadir Crater in West Africa suggests a second impact after the Chicxulub Crater from the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. The Science Times

Bob Yirka: grains of dust from asteroid Ryugu older than out solar system. Phys.org

Stuart Roberts and Dr. James Freeman say do not try this at home: medieval medicine under the spotlight in major new project. The University of Cambridge

Laser archaeology is revealing the Amazon’s urban jungle. SciShow

Sarah Collins reports that floating “artificial leaves” ride the wave of clean fuel production. The University of Cambridge

Craig Welch explains how the historic climate bill will dramatically reduce US emissions. National Geographic

Kevin Simauchi: extreme heat uncovers lost villages, ancient ruins, and shipwrecks. Bloomberg

Gaia Vince explains why we need to prepare for the great upheaval: the century of climate migration. The Guardian

John Timmer reports that de-extinction company sets it’s next (first?) target: the thylacine. Ars Technica

Michael A. Little wonders why do animals have tails? The Conversation

Michelle Megna lists the states with the most spoiled dogs in 2022. Forbes

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, June 5-11, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve! Prepare yourself for the final push to the weekend by getting your mental corn popping!

John Flesher and Ed White report that Michigan officer charged with murder in Patrick Lyoya shooting. Associated Press

Livia Gershon reveals the unbearable middle passage. On the melancholy of the enslaved. JSTOR Daily

Billy McEntee lists 15 essential plays, books, and movies for understanding the history or queer liberation. them

Lexi McMenamin: the Johnny Depp Amber Heard verdict doesn’t matter after the internet made a spectacle of abuse. Teen Vogue

Dareh Gregorian and Kaitlyn Francis report on Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey’s plea for gun control: “Make these lives matter.” NBC News

Muizz Akhtar wonders what would it mean to treat guns the way we treat cars? Vox

Arash Javanbakht explains how mass shootings affect our brains, even if we aren’t directly harmed. Fast Company

Dave Davies: historian Carol Anderson uncovers the racist roots of the 2nd amendment. NPR

John Leicester reports that Russia hits Kyiv with missiles; Putin warns West on arms. Associated Press

Matthew Wills recounts the long history of same-sex marriage. JSTOR Daily

Harmeet Kaur announces that a newly issued US quarter celebrates Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller. CNN

Ashley Andreou considers antifatness in the surgical setting. Scientific American

Is that a cold or are your organs flipped? SciShow

Adela Suliman and Ellen Francis: “needle spiking” fears rise in Europe, but crime is “really difficult” to trace. The Washington Post

Shauneen Miranda reports that the EU will soon require all cell phones to have the same charging port. NPR

Peter Keating: the Stanford lab startup that found a constructive way to capture carbon. Inc.

Adam Vaughan: climate change means people are losing 44 hours of sleep a year. New Scientist

Kieran Mulvaney reveals that humpback whales face major setback from climate change. National Geographic

Livia Gershon explains how street dogs spend their days. JSTOR Daily

Thank for spending some time with me. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, May 15-21, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s the last thoughty Thursday of May, and your opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski, and Mohamed Ibrahim: ex-Minneapolis officer pleads guilty in George Floyd murder. Associated Press

Liz Tracey presents the Chinese Exclusion Act, annotated. JSTOR Daily

Kashmala Fida Mohatarem reports that Demi Potts soars in winning performance at one of world’s biggest powwows. CBC

Siege of Mariupol over as Russia says Ukraine’s holdout forces from the steelworks have “surrendered.” CBS News

Claire Lampen wonders which women do we choose to believe? New York Magazine

Yara Simón provides the introvert’s guide to running a business. Refinery 29

Clark Quinn explains the cognitive basis of learner experience design (LXD). Learnlets

Harold Jarche: management must move first.

Olivia Allen explains why she’s embracing her “no thoughts” era. Refinery 29

Annabel Gat and Random Rosenbohm: your life sucks, but not because of Mercury retrograde. Vice

Chelsea Papineau features stunning moon images taken in northern Ontario during the full lunar eclipse. CTV News

Rina Torchinsky reports that scientists successfully grow plants in soil from the moon. NPR

Isaac Schultz invites us to see this year’s best photos of the Milky Way. Gizmodo

Humans are still evolving. Be Smart

Bob Macdonald says seagrass is hiding a sweet, submerged, CO2 secret. CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks”

Serhii Plokhy explains why the future of power can’t be nuclear: poisoned legacy. The Guardian

Rachel Fobar: hundreds of beagles died at this breeding centre—but the US government hasn’t acted. National Geographic

Livia Gershon says dogs are the four-legged crime-fighters of Paris. JSTOR Daily

Helen Ray: pugs can’t be considered “typical dogs” because of dire health issues, study finds. CBS News

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, April 24-30, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s almost the weekend and time to get your mental corn popping!

Michela Moscufo reports that Harvard sets up $100 million endowment for slavery reparations. Reuters

Leah Thomas interviews Rachel Cargle about Black climate optimism. Atmos

Straight Black men in drag for the sake of comedy. Khadija Mbowe

Daniel Boffey and Lorenzo Tondo: Russia accused of bombing Mariupol humanitarian corridor. The Guardian

John Henley reports that Finland and Sweden have agreed to submit NATO applications. The Guardian

Terry Nguyen says Gen Z does not dream of labor. Vox

Molly Longmans says having no filter at work is actually a good thing. Refinery 29

Seth Borenstein: ideas on mute? Study: remote meetings dampen brainstorming. Associated Press

Morgan Leonhardt says hybrid work isn’t working well for most women. Fortune

Harold Jarche: dare to un-lead.

Clark Quinn unpacks superstitions for new practitioners. Learnlets

Joe Hanson shares illusions that will make you question reality. Be Smart

Romano Santos asks, are you breathing properly? Vice

Sadhbh O’Sullivan: too many thoughts living rent-free in your head? Try mind gardening. Refinery 29

Katie Tobin says slow living is the antidote to hustle culture—if you can access it. Refinery 29

Ginny Hogan: once upon a Facebook poke. Bustle

All five building blocks from DNA and RNA found in meteorites from the US, Canada, and Australia. CBC

Why are puppy-dog eyes so irresistible? SciShow

Christina Larson reveals that your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed. Associated Press

This weekend, I’ll be posting my next chapter update for April.

Until then, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!