Research

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 14-20, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here’s your weekly batch of inspiration and research-y links to get your mental corn popping.

Vivid Maps presents Canada, mapped only in terms of bodies of water. Makes me unaccountably proud of our beautiful country.

Geoff Manaugh says, move over San Andreas, there’s a new, ominous fault line in town, and it’s called the Walker Lane. Wired

SciShow Space looks at how astronomers got that image of a black hole.

 

Angus Chen: parents learn to let their anxious kids face their fears. NPR

Think you can catch up on lost sleep over the weekend? Inverse says, nope.

 

Bret Stetka reveals new strategies to take on the worst cancer—glioblastoma. Scientific American

Douglas Main: why oysters close on the full moon—and more odd lunar effects on animals. National Geographic

I hope you found something to feed your creative factory 🙂

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

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Join me over at DIY MFA for the latest Speculations

/ Melanie Marttila

This time I’m getting geeky with the research. Join me in a brief exploration of the mythic Tlachtga.

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While you’re there, check out some of the awesome offerings DIY MFA has for you!

Until tomorrow, be well, my friends 🙂

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 7-13, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

I’ve got a bunch of resources here to get your mental corn popping.

Akshat Rathi: how we get to the next big battery breakthrough. Quartz

James Griffiths warns that Welsh and Hawaiian have been saved from extinction, but other languages may not be so lucky. CNN

Sandee LaMotte reports on the 99-year-old woman with all her organs in the wrong places. CNN

Jonathan D. Grinstein reveals a new way to detect Parkinson’s—by smell. Scientific American

Karen Weintraub: the adult brain does grow new neurons, after all. Scientific American

Antonio Regalado reports that doctors plan to test a gene therapy that could prevent Alzheimer’s. MIT Technology Review

It’s okay to be smart … about the AMAZING monarch butterfly.

 

To save the monarch butterfly, scientists are moving a forest 1,000 feet up a mountain. Kate Linthicum for the LA Times.

Before the image was released, Veritasium explains what it will look like and why (damned awesome, ‘cause he’s right on the money).

 

Mary Beth Griggs: see the first ever image of a supermassive black hole. The Verge

Natalie Grontcharova gives us a more complete picture: meet Katie Bouman, the woman behind the first image of a black hole. Refinery 29

After the image was released, Veritasium released a second video:

 

Mary Robinette Kowal: if space is the future, that future needs to include everyone. The Washington Post

Kate Sierzputowski shows us the Utrecht apartment transformed into a three storey tromp l’oeil bookcase. This is Colossal

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you found something to inspire a new creative project.

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

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 31-Apr 6, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Chad Frischmann profiles the young minds solving climate change. BBC

Camille Bromley wonders, could a woman walk around the world today? National Geographic

Kara Wada covers the miserable history of seasonal allergies, from ancient China and Greece, to today. Quartzy

Shayla Love investigates the power of the nocebo effect. Vice

Sarah Barnes shares the work of Kate Allen, an artist with anxiety who illustrates lessons on mental health. My Modern Met

Kati Morton begins a new series on burnout with part 1: the history.

 

Adam Rasmi: new research suggests you should do anything but sit. Quartz

SciShow Space explains why our solar system is weird.

 

Ryan Bradley: the exploding bolts that get us into space. Popular Science

The Dodo presents the tiniest, fuzziest little horse.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope some of these ideas are pop-corning around in your head, making creative connections and inspiring your creative work.

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

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 24-30, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here’s your first batch of inspiration, research, and learning links for April.

Beth Gardiner reveals how the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions. The Guardian

Michael Greshko: how a change in out diets may have altered the way we speak. National Geographic

SciShow News covers the cannonball pulsar and antibacterial metal.

 

Emily Underwood is listening to ketamine. Knowable

Eda Yu says, social media is ruining our memories. Vice

More SciShow News: neurogenesis may continue into your 80s and the mechanism of hallucinations.

 

Doug Bock Clark tells the harrowing tale of the underground railroad of North Korea. GQ

Douglas Preston reports on Robert DePalma’s discovery of evidence for the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. The New Yorker

This is the kind of behaviour we have to put up with in Torvi:

 

I hope at least one of these offerings got your mental corn popping, by which I mean, got those creative ideas ping-ponging around in your head.

This weekend, I’ll be writing up my next chapter update for March.

Until then, my friends, be well 🙂

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 17-23, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping.

Students perform haka to honour fallen classmates in Christchurch. The Guardian

Debra Bassett explores the complexity of grieving in the digital age. Fast Company

April Fulton: if life’s noises drive you mad, you may have misophonia. The brain is a weird and wonderful thing. NPR

Marina Koren looks at the seasons on other planets: on Pluto, it’s been spring since 1990. The Atlantic

SciShow considers the Pilot Wave Theory.

 

Kendra Louis-Pierre explains how almost every country in the world can power itself with renewable energy. Popular Science

Jessica Stewart profiles Debra Bernier, the artist who transforms driftwood into sculptures that look like spirits of nature. My Modern Met

Michael Greshko reveals the significance of the latest fossil find in China and how it sheds light on the Cambrian explosion. National Geographic

An owl compilation video from The Pet Collective 🙂

 

I hope you found something to inspire a new creative effort.

Until next Tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 10-16, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Jessica Conditt: Good Omens and the art of avoiding Armageddon. Engadget

ASAP Science exposes the biggest lie about climate change.

 

Michaeleen Doucleff reveals how Inuit parents teach kids to control their anger. NPR

Dr. Brian Goldman interviews Alan Alda about teaching doctors empathy on CBC’s “White Coat, Black Art.”

SciShow Space looks at three solar systems astronomers can’t quite figure out.

 

Noor Al-Samarrai: a medical manual linking medieval Ireland to the Islamic world has been found. Atlas Obscura

Philippe Bohstrom reports that the beads found in 3,400-year-old Danish graves were made by King Tut’s glassmaker. Haaretz

Use your head … and your butt … like Nancy, the bolas spider. Ze Frank

 

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

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 3-9, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Maya Wei-Haas says, if you’re tired of Daylight Savings Time, check out these places that are trying to end it. National Geographic

Chris Baraniuk: the new weapon in the fight against crime. BBC

AC Shilton lists nine ways to stop using so much single-use plastic. Outside Online

Laura Staugaitis shows us an art installation in the Hebrides that demonstrates the impact of climate change. This is Colossal

Scott Wilson wonders, could the massive aquifer under the Mojave Desert help solve California’s water problem? The Washington Post

Caren Chesler writes about the technological vision quest. It’s not all about a cure (though at least one man is waiting for just that). It’s more about giving those with limited to no vision technological aids so that they can more easily navigate the world on their terms. Popular Mechanics

Michael Greshko examines how we make, remember, and forget memories. National Geographic

Deborah MacKenzie: we may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s—and how to stop it. New Scientist

Apoorva Mandavilli reports on the second patient cured of H.I.V. and why this is a milestone in the global AIDS epidemic. The New York Times

Gianluca Mezzofiore: two astronauts will perform the first all-female spacewalk in history. CNN

SciShow Space news edumacates us about Mars’ ancient underground lakes and SpaceX’s successful Demo 1 mission.

 

Physics Girl explains Stephen Hawking’s final theory about black holes. It involves soft hair.

 

Deborah Netburn digs into an archaeological find: more than 140 children may have had their hearts torn out in ancient Peru. L.A. Times

Louise Pryke introduces us to Enheduanna, princess, priestess, and the worlds first author. The Conversation

Open Culture shares the news: The Book of Kells has now been digitized.

PBS Eons looks at the islands of huge hamsters and giant owls.

 

Bored Panda shares the photographs of Lisa, AKA ostdrossel, who set cameras in front of her birdfeeders. They’re amazing and hilarious.

Linda Lombardi wonders, do anxious owners make for anxious dogs? National Geographic

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to fuel your creative efforts.

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

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 24-Mar 2, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping with some thoughty Thursday links 🙂

Mary McNamara shares the amazing Emma Thompson’s letter to Skydance regarding the reasons she chose to leave Luck. #metoo LA Times

Jonathan Watts says that concrete is the most destructive material on Earth. The Guardian

David Dobbs: climate change has entered its blood sucking phase. The Atlantic

Ed Yong reports on the troubling discovery made in the deepest ocean trenches. The Atlantic

SciShow Space considers what life might be like on a tidally locked planet.

 

SciShow Psych looks at depression and anxiety and what psychologists and neuroscientists have discovered about them.

 

And they science the shit out of inspiration 🙂

 

Thu-Huong Ha shows us how Bolivia’s most Instagrammable houses showcase indigenous peoples’ reclaimed power. Quartz

Messy Nessy opens their cabinet of Chic curiosities to tour Bernie Madoff’s underwater ballroom. This was featured in Roz Morris’s novel, Lifeform Three. If you like abandoned places or cool architecture, this will be your thing 🙂

Lily Strelich tries to solve an artful mystery: why are Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings breaking out in pimples? The Smithsonian Magazine

And that was your thoughty for the week.

Until next time, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 17-23, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Thoughty Thursday’s here with a mixed bag of edutainment to get your mental corn popping!

Jamie Shreeve: if life exists beyond Earth, how do we find it? National Geographic

SciShow reveals what scientists have discovered to date about Stonehenge—and how much more remains to be learned.

 

Sharanya Deepak investigates how climate change has put Kashmir’s saffron under threat. Eater

David Roberts looks at the California coalition tackling one of the hardest, unsexist aspects of climate policy. Vox

Messy Nessy Chic profiles the real ice queens: women who conquered the cold wearing corsets.

SciShow Psych looks at the enneagram personality types and the science (or lack thereof) that supports them.

 

Ross Andersen reveals how scientists are totally reconsidering animal cognition. The Atlantic

Last weekend, I shared a picture of two pileated woodpeckers dancing around a tree trunk on social media. This is what they were up to 😉

 

Sarah Zhang figures out why we think cats are psychopaths. It’s just “resting cat face.” The Atlantic

True facts about the lemur. Ze Frank. Man, I’ve missed these!

 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something inspiring in thoughty Thursday.

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

Until then, be well, my friends.

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