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

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.