• Nature-inspired network design: recent studies in slime mold and leaf veins. You could learn a lot from a slime mold!  Hannah W. in Culturing Science explains how researchers are seeking inspiration from slime mold and leaves in developing new techniques for planning human transportation networks.
• What’s the buzz?: Synthetic marijuana, K2, Spice, JWH-018. Some time ago, researchers developed synthetic chemicals that are very similar to marijuana, but that are only now making an appearance in the drug community.  Abel Pharmboy of Terra Sigillata discusses the science, history, and politics of the not-so-new chemical.
• Evolutionary origins of religion: weak relation to morality. Finally, Björn Brembs of bjoern.brembs.blog gives a nice discussion of research on the question of the evolutionary origins of religion and its relation to morality.

Check back next week for more “miscellaneous” highlights!