Ed Yong is by far one of the best science journalists out there. He regularly produces world class explanations of breaking science news on his blog, Not Exactly Rocket Science (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/).
Here are his picks for the best 'longreads' of science journalism for this past year. (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/24/my-top-12-longreads-of-2011/) They include the story of the whiskey feeding fungus I already posted here, an investigation of brain conjoined twins who feel each other's senses, a look into the alien mind of octopuses (I also posted this), and the excellent Carl Zimmer on the gut endosymbiont ecosystem as a 'human lake'. I recommend them all.
Bonus: a piece about radioactive 'cobwebs' (http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2011/12/23/bacterial-justice/) from Savannah River National Laboratory. I did the research assistantship associated with my master's degree there; not with the radioactive materials, but with the immense aquatic insect diversity upstream of the cleanup activities. The place is a goldmine for biological research. 430 square miles of some of the best managed southern pine forest in the country; the insect biodiversity is stunning.
Another bonus: His top 30 favorite stories from 2011. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/30/not-exactly-rocket-science-favourites-from-2011/
But why do I keep posting this here? If you aren't following Ed Yong, WAYSA? You want stories on weird science? The man spits them out for a living. Srsly.
OH GOD DON'T CLICK NIGEL YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE IN THREE HOURS NO DON'T DO IT NOOOOOOOO.....
Quote from: Nigel on December 31, 2011, 03:15:52 AM
OH GOD DON'T CLICK NIGEL YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE IN THREE HOURS NO DON'T DO IT NOOOOOOOO.....
:lulz:
Quote from: Nigel on December 31, 2011, 03:15:52 AM
OH GOD DON'T CLICK NIGEL YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE IN THREE HOURS NO DON'T DO IT NOOOOOOOO.....
That's what's happening to me now.
These (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/05/04/from-250-million-years-of-repression-a-wonderland-of-hats/) are my favorite things ever, now. Do an image search, there's so many different kinds, it's mind-blowing. Some of the little ones are even kinda cute for a bug.
Edit: This (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/01/11/foxes-use-the-earth%E2%80%99s-magnetic-field-as-a-targeting-system/) one's really interesting, as well.
The creepiest of the bug hats, to me, are the ones that look like large ants with pincers, or wasps. By what mechanism a benign insect develops a physical structure that mimics a dangerous one is beyond me.