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There is a scene where some chimp had just pulled off a brilliant Machiavellian maneuver, and the guy next to me turned and said, "Christ, that is what a baboon would be like if it had a shred of discipline or gratification-postponement."
posted by Cozybee at 11:53 PM PST - 25 comments

Stuart Dahlquist never thought he would become friends with the new family who moved in next door to his Seattle home. Crow Family Thanks Man Who Helped Them With Tiny Gifts
posted by hippybear at 8:35 PM PST - 60 comments

The Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) is a desert-dwelling goat species (Wikipedia), famed for their ability to climb sheer rock faces from a young age (YouTube). They not only climb rock walls, they sometimes inhabit them (Imgur GIF, stick for the ending).
posted by filthy light thief at 6:32 PM PST - 17 comments

Tom & Jerry interpolated to 60fps
posted by A god with hooves, a god with horns at 6:21 PM PST - 67 comments

Sabika Sheikh, a Muslim exchange student from Pakistan with dreams of changing the world, struck up an unlikely friendship with an evangelical Christian girl. The two became inseparable—until the day a fellow student opened fire. (Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly; audio version available) [more inside]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:16 PM PST - 33 comments

Many small, rural schools in South Korea are in danger of closing due to low birth rate and rapid industrialization. One community had a novel idea: running out of children to enroll, Daegu Elementary school enrolls women such as Mrs. Hwang, aged 70, who never had the opportunity to attend school as a child. (slNYT) Non NYT Link (ABS-CBN News from the Philippines). Like many first graders on their first day, Ms. Hwang cried. But these were tears of joy. "I couldn't believe this was actually happening to me," she said. "Carrying a school bag has always been my dream."
posted by Gray Duck at 2:01 PM PST - 13 comments

Creative people at the intersection of punk, birding, and deep ecology. The founder of BirdPhilly is one among many who apply the DIY ethic to serious birding: “You could start a band, put out a fanzine, or teach yourself about birds with your friends."
posted by Miko at 1:27 PM PST - 18 comments

When you’re a young adult on your parents’ insurance, your health decisions are a family affair. And that’s a problem for HIV prevention. Although Salvador is 23 years old and lives halfway across the country, his parents back home in the Carolinas always know when he visits his doctor. He doesn’t even need to tell them: Their health insurance provider, which also covers his health care, does that for him. After each medical appointment, an explanation of benefits arrives at his parents’ place detailing every billable procedure, test, and prescription he received during the visit. So, whether Salvador likes it or not, his parents always have a sense of the state of his health. But Salvador is gay, and his parents don't know it. What happens when Salvador wants to go on PrEP to protect himself, knowing if he does, his parents will be the first to know? [more inside]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:41 AM PST - 30 comments

On a rainy afternoon in September 2018, the FBI gathered national media in its Minnesota headquarters for an important announcement. Jill Sanborn, special agent in charge of the Minneapolis division, stood in front of a packed room and said, “We’re here today to share with you the recovery of one of the most significant and cherished pieces of movie memorabilia in American history: Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the 1939 movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ ”

The Case of the Stolen Ruby Slippers
posted by peeedro at 11:36 AM PST - 11 comments

The American Chestnut Tree: A GMO Story [YouTube] “"The American chestnut, once a dominant species in eastern North American forests, was decimated in the first half of the 20th century by a fungal blight (Cryphonectria parasitica, also referred to as chestnut blight) and logging. Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are developing a genetically engineered (GE) blight-resistant American chestnut (AC), and hope to win government approval for its unregulated release into the environment. If they are successful, the GE AC will be the first GE forest tree species planted specifically to spread freely through forests.” [via: NPR's On Point] [.PDF "Biotechnology For Forest Health? The Test Case Of The Genetically Engineered American Chestnut] [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 10:22 AM PST - 21 comments

President of the National Assembly of Venezuela [Juan] Guaido calls for troops to support uprising against [President of Venezuela Nicholas ] Maduro
Venezuela opposition leader [ Juan Guaidó ] claims coup is under way - Guardian liveblog, see also CNN y El Nuevo Herald
Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López appear together with military forces in Caracas [more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:05 AM PST - 103 comments

Electrical engineer Samson March made a smartwatch from scratch and illustrated it with a conversational walk through his process. (Be sure to click the "Load 27 more images" button to see the whole thing.). He posted about it on /r/diy.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:43 AM PST - 18 comments

The Markup is an attempt at bringing data-driven journalism to bear on Silicon Valley. Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson of ProPublica teamed up with Sue Gardner, the former executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation to start the site, and they secured $20 million in funding from Craig "Craigslist" Newmark. The site was intended to start publishing this year, but last week, Angwin was fired and five of the site's seven reporters resigned in protest. [more inside]
posted by Etrigan at 7:26 AM PST - 63 comments

and yeah it's a .. uhm.. trailer. Due for release in December 2019, the film features - as part of an ensemble cast - James Marsden, Jim Carrey, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic. [more inside]
posted by Faintdreams at 6:59 AM PST - 164 comments

Boomplay is the largest music streaming service in Africa offering more than 5m tracks from mostly African artists. Don't know where to start? Check out some of their curated playlists such as Collabo-nations, Femme Hits, Monday Morning Blues and Party Vibes.
posted by mosessis at 5:43 AM PST - 8 comments

'Decades of searching uncovered the brilliantly illustrated plants and detailed notes made by a U.S. woman living in Cuba in the 1800s.' writes Czerne Reid at National Geographic. We can now see A. K. Wollstonecraft's Specimens of the plants and fruits of the island of Cuba (1826?) on-line in full. Via reddit. [more inside]
posted by misteraitch at 5:40 AM PST - 9 comments

Universal Health Care Might Cost You Less Than You Think - "We don't think of the premiums we already pay as taxes, but maybe we should." (via; cf. "Only the Netherlands has a higher average compulsory payment wedge than the US." viz.)
posted by kliuless at 12:00 AM PST - 34 comments