Top picks

Via the IOM’s report on vaccine safety, we have “lost yet another battle in the war over vaccines” says Erika Check Hayden

Plumes & Pathogens: Human fascination w/ birds can jeopardize our health, by Rachel Nuwer, reporting from Asia’s wildlife markets

NYT on how the psychology of misidentification is forcing an overhaul in police lineup procedures

Can there be anything nerdier than calling out Simon Pegg on the etymology of the word nerd? No.

Aussie farmers killed the thylacine because they thought it’d kill their sheep. Except it couldn’t have

Must-read post by Sean Mcarroll: Ten things everyone should know about time

What do whale sharks eat? While studying the giant fish, Al Dove stumbled onto a cool mystery

How would you explain the meaning of right and left to an alien, without pictures or gestures?

“Scary Disease Girl” Maryn McKenna describes life on the infectious disease beat. Much wisdom here for aspiring writers.

Does neuroscience threaten the concept of free will & do philosphers care? Great feature by Kerri Thomas

Spider mites disable host plant defenses, then spin their own

India’s attempting the biggest biometric project of all time, involving all 1.2m of its people. Is it worth ...