Rusten's Picks from among Ed Yong's Weekly Picks: 01 Sept 12

These are my picks from among the "Missing Links" that science writer Ed Yong compiles every week at Not Exactly Rocket Science. This week Ed chose nearly 100. Particularly rich week. Most are well worth a peek. My favorites from Ed's list are copied below, with a comment or two of my own.
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Ed Yong

Stories, Short and Long

God this is beautiful. Megan Garber on the end of the humble hero and what we lost when Neil Armstrong died. [Rusten: I know, too much on Armstrong this week, but this is short and very good.]

This, by Maryn McKenna, is the single best thing you’ll read about that apparent “NIH superbug”, which I also covered. [Rusten: Beg to differ. Ed's piece is better written, but McKenna's makes crucial points about the nature of the NIH center and the ubiquity of the problem.]

Why Humans Give Birth to Helpless Babies – a fascinating new idea from Holly Dunsworth, who explains on her own blog how the results might apply to one’s own pregnancy. “Evolution is everything about you, but it is not all about you.” I love this degree of engagement with public reaction about one’s work.

Hurricanes -> more baby dolphins. Why? By Jason Goldman.

An astonishing Andrew Solomon New Yorker piece on women who conceive as a result of rape

Chilling reports on the spread of swine fever through Russia and a mysterious new ‘Heartland Virus’ in Missouri

The Neuroscience of Twenty-Somethings. Infinitely better than most “Neuroscience of… ” articles.

Some videos and photos (with and without text)

Wonderful New Photos of Jellyfish

Best thing ever: a fox suddenly realising he’s standing on a trampoline

Ontario-based ceramicist Steve Irvine caught this long exposure shot of moths swirling around a floodlight at night

Here’s how scientists were able to make squid camouflage cells ‘dance’ to “Insane in the Brain” [Rusten: Better background on the making of the video than the link I sent around.]

Timelapse video of man drawing the Manhattan skyline freehand