Skulls in the Stars

• Varieties of Oceanographic Experience. Sam at Oceanographer’s Choice looks at a classic paper that considers how the scale of a measurement influences — or distorts — the results.
• The majestic Megatherium. When people think of paleontology these days, they think of dinosaurs; however, this wasn’t always the case.  Brian at Laelaps looks at the original “great beast” of the public’s imagination, Megatherium, and how perceptions of it have changed throughout the years since its discovery.
• Atlatls to Bows: A Very Strange Atlatl from California. Continuing a fascinating series on the history of atlatls in the New World, teofilo at Gambler’s House looks at an unusual specimen that was acquired in California and the implications of the find.  (Don’t know what an atlatl is?  Read the introductory post by teofilo here.)
• A virtual slap in the face (isn’t there an iPhone app for that?) Finally, NeuroKüz discusses recent research that highlights how real a virtual body in a first-person simulation can feel — through the experience of a virtual slap!

Check back next week for more miscellaneous selections!

The special marine science edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, dubbed The Leviathan’s Shoulders, is up at Deep Sea News!  Many thanks to Kevin Zelnio for putting together this lovely oceanic edition!

What do you think of the idea of  “special editions” for the blog carnival?  Feel free to leave a comment!  If future hosts have suggestions for special editions, send me an email with your idea.

The deadline for the next edition is June 15th, and it will be held at Jost a mon.  Entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual.

• Planets and Anomalies in the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera Mechanism is one of the fascinating relics of the ancient world — a 2000 year old clockwork “computer” that could be used to track the Sun, Moon, and calendar.  In a detailed post, Alun at AlunSalt describes recent research that highlights again how ingenious the device is.
• For the Love of the Game: A Look at Fans and Disappointment. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the successes and failures of one’s favorite sports team, but we typically don’t think about it as an anthropological exercise.  Krystal at Anthropology in Practice relates some research on disappointment versus discouragement in baseball fans: why do we stick with a losing team?
• Rethinking petroleum a little too hard… Most people realize that one day we’ll run out of oil, but there are some diehard skeptics who believe that new oil is naturally produced all the time in the Earth’s interior, and is effectively limitless.  Greg Fish at weird things throws some cold water on that hypothesis and describes the origins of this stubborn abiogenic theory.
• Confidently Wrong: Correcting False Memories. Remember the time that you saw that thing happen — even though it never did?  Daniel at Ingenious Monkey talks about the phenomenon of false memories, and how we stubbornly cling to those memories.

Check back next Monday for more “miscellaneous” selections!



Here’s one last reminder:  There’s 5 days left to submit entries for the 23rd installment of The Giant’s Shoulders, a special edition dubbed “The Leviathan’s Shoulders”!  It will be hosted by Kevin Zelnio over at Deep Sea News, and will be a special “oceans edition” of the carnival.  All ordinary entries will still be accepted, but bloggers are encouraged to submit posts on the history of science that deal specifically with oceans and ocean life!   Entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual.

Let’s make this an extra-special carnival!

• Bilingualism as a preadaptation for language. Can animals other than humans be “bilingual”?  This fascinating question is addressed in research described by Sean at The Adventures of Auck.
• The horse-hunting hyenas of Srbsko Chlum-Komin Cave. We can learn a lot by studying what an animal eats — and what parts it eats!  Brian at Laelaps explains how the bone piles of ancient hyena dens tells us more than just what animals were hunted.
• Dark matter confronts observations. In a detailed post, The Astronomist at his eponymous blog discusses theory and observation relating to the specific nature of dark matter.
• Toiletology. What can the signs describing a toilet tell us about the inclusiveness of a society?  Ingrid at Language on the Move explains.

See y’all next Monday for more “miscellaneous” highlights!