Weekend Reading Nov. 29, 2013

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the snakes that live in my yard that keep the local mouse population to a minimum.  Now if only I could coax them to winter in my attic space where we had mice a few weeks back [update on the mice: the act of crawling in to their space and plugging holes in the insulation seemed to have driven them off - no activity noticed in the past two weeks and we didn't even have to deploy the mouse traps].

http://www.newhampshire.com/article/20131123/NEWHAMPSHIRE02/131129682

This Thanksgiving show some compassion to the spineless. No, not your cousin Larry, to the invertebrates!  New Research shows that Cockroaches [yes, THOSE Cockroaches] have a complex social life and exhibit stress behaviors when isolated from friends and family.  So stuff some turkey under the fridge for your second family.

Actually don't.  Even I don't want cockroaches in my house.

http://www.aeonmagazine.com/nature-and-cosmos/do-cockroaches-have-a-form-of-consciousness/

Feel like all your relatives are budding psychopaths?  Especially after being stuck together in bad weather for two days!  Do a brain scan to see if your relatives are really potential serial killers!  Or not, since the data does not support the claims of James Fallon.  A good discussion of common misconceptions when interpreting scientific information.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/25/could-a-brain-scan-diagnose-you-as-a-psychopath

Traveling for the holidays?  Guys, like your testicles?  Hope your vaccines are up to date!

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/image-of-the-week/2013/11/25/vaccinate-do-it-for-the-testicles/

Think evolution is a complex, hard to understand concept?  How about Sea Level?  Just remember we understand evolution better than we understand gravity (and we have more proof for evolution!).

http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/post/68179141566/what-is-sea-level