Seed’s Daily Zeitgeist: 8/28/2008 § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

Seed’s Daily Zeitgeist: 8/28/2008

Five issues, insights, and observations shaping our perspective, from the editors of Seed.

Time lapse video of slime mold and mushrooms
A gorgeous snippet from David Attenborough and the BBC’s nature documentary Private Life of Plants (via Grow-a-Brain)
Advanced Propulsion: The Next Steps
A breakdown of how new propulsion research is being pursued and an introduction to non-Newtonian frame-dragging.
Unobtainium
Economists have their widgets, and scientists and engineers have unobtainium. (via kottke)
Unreality TV and the culture of delusions
On the collision of pop culture and psychosis.
Canada “thanks” antivaccinationists for the mumps
New outbreaks of preventable diseases in Canadian communities reveal the true threat of foregoing vaccination.

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Originally published August 28, 2008

Ideas

I Tried Almost Everything Else

John Rinn, snowboarder, skateboarder, and “genomic origamist,” on why we should dumpster-dive in our genomes and the inspiration of a middle-distance runner.
Ideas

Going, Going, Gone

The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
Ideas

Earth-like Planets Aren’t Rare

Renowned planetary scientist James Kasting on the odds of finding another Earth-like planet and the power of science fiction.