Plucked From the Web April 2022
I’m back with a few finds from the internets worth reading!
Dolphins
This is the only semi-shameless self-promotion in the list, but it’s worth revisiting this topic. There are these somewhat funny memes going around that supposedly dolphins get high from poking puffer fish, which then release their toxins. Sounds funny, but when looking at the action of the toxin contained in pufferfish, this most likely isn’t true. The details are in the article below. Oddly, pointing out that the funny high dolphin meme is wrong routinely irritates people on the internets. Here is the post:
Anthropology
An excellent article about objectivity in science as a goal, not as a mythical state.
The point was never to thoroughly eradicate bias or to deny that individual perspectives are always shaped by forces beyond the individual’s awareness. The point is that by taking measures to reduce bias we can engage in more fruitful discussions that are more likely to lead to real insights and discoveries. True, bias can never be fully eliminated. Nor can pathogens ever be thoroughly annihilated from an operating theater. That doesn’t mean anyone should undergo surgery in a gas station bathroom.
Fish Farts
Fish are communicating by farting. No joke!
Mimic Octopus Mimic
The mimic octopus mimics spiny marine animals, and there is a fish mimicking the mimic octopus. Complexity of life is endlessly mindboggling:
Mesmerizing Marine Mimics: Fooling Across Phyla
