Top picks

“I feel the percussive roar on the skin of my face, chest, arms. I am physically connected to Atlantis now.” This is my post of the week. Karen James’s magnificent description of watching the Shuttle launch is better than anything else I’ve read on this topic. And more on why I love the piece here.

“We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog.” Jennifer Ouellette on Laika, the space dog

Bear paternity tests – why were they expensive, what was the point? Great post from Kevin Zelnio, where he calmly & brilliantly sticks up for science

“This is the National Health Service. It’s free.” We in the UK like to bitch about the NHS, but here’s what it looks like to someone who has never had one. Steve Silberman on his run-in with socialised medicine

I am LOVING Google+. This is me.

“As a reporter, I feel like I’ve been holding my breath.” Beautiful, brave piece from Kai Nagata on why he quit TV journalism.

40 yrs later, a comprehensive reflection on the Stanford prison experiment, with Zimbardo, a prisoner, guards whistleblowers and more. A must-read.

How China’s “suddenly wealthy” are ...