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Do Charles Darwin's Private Letters Contradict His Public Sexism?

Danuta Kean The Guardian
Today is Darwin Day (Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809). A new book explores Darwin's public and private views on women. Apparently his views on women had not evolved as far as his views on the origin and development of life.

What Percent Virus Are You?

Hannah Moots FiveThirtyEight
With advances in genome sequencing and computational tools to analyze genomic information, researchers are able to estimate that about 8 percent of the human genome is made of sequences that originated as invasive retroviruses. To put that number in perspective, genes make up about 1 percent to 1.5 percent of your genome.

Friday Nite Videos -- December 16, 2016

Portside
Daryl Davis, Race & America | Movie Trailer. Everybody Knows | Leonard Cohen. ¡Cuba! Exhibition Now Open. The Brilliant Life of Ada Lovelace #OrdinaryWomen. My President Was Black.

¡Cuba! Exhibition Now Open

Its complex politics and vibrant music have attracted the attention of the world. But Cuba, the largest island nation in the Caribbean, is also home to the unexpected. It’s a place of stunning contrasts: mysterious caves and bright boulevards, sweltering fields and cool forests, hard challenges and high energy.

A Conductor of Evolution’s Subtle Symphony

Stephanie Bucklin Quanta Magazine
At first, the biologist Richard Lenski thought his long-term experiment on evolution might last for 2,000 generations. Nearly three decades and over 65,000 generations later, he’s still amazed by evolution’s “awesome inventiveness.”

Friday Nite Videos -- October 21, 2016

Portside
John Oliver | Third Parties. Leonard Cohen | You Want It Darker. Where Does Complexity Come From? The Park of Friendship in Tijuana. Monkeys Can Make Stone Tools Too.

Monkeys Can Make Stone Tools Too

Stone flakes made by capuchin monkeys look remarkably similar to stone tools made by early humans 2-3 million years ago, raising questions about the archaeological record.

Can Great Apes Read Your Mind?

Christopher Krupenye The Conversation
In past research, apes consistently failed on tasks designed to assess their understanding of others’ false beliefs. They did’t seem to know when someone has an idea about the world that conflicts with reality. But in a new study involving 40 bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans the apes were able to anticipate that an actor would behave in accordance with a false belief.

Giraffes Get Caught Up in the Great Genetics Nerd Fight

Marley Walker Wired
Just like taxonomists have debated over which physical characteristics warrant a new species designation, they’re conflicted over how much genetic variation you need to prove differentiation.
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