A joy as always. And I like that (I think) you have more of a tendency to editorialise around each link than you used to? Bring it on - I want all this stuff filtered through your immense, hyper-connecty brain.
I missed the Anne-Laure piece! Thanks for that. She's concluding what I've been pondering as well - the value of sitting with questions, and the way an unresolved answer is such a powerful creative engine (and also a creator of alternative explanations, which is part of it too). It's like we're being taught to equate information gaps with a kind of discomfort we need to kill as quickly as possible, like the way we've become so uncomfortable with introspection that we will literally electrocute ourselves to avoid it, as that now-famous study demonstrated: https://www.science.org/content/article/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts
Thank you Mike! When I first started CAE, the editorializing was a lot longer because I only featured a few pieces each month. But there were so many I read that I really wanted to share, because there is so much good writing out there. I changed the format to feature more pieces, with shorter writeups a few years ago, but you're right ā there has been word creep going on. You know me, I'm long-winded! I often wonder if I ought to go back to shorter write ups ā curious what my readers think.
I enjoy your newsletters! About the pigeon / magnetic fields article, though: I was excited by the title / abstract. Then I read the paper. I don't buy the conclusion at all, and I'm surprised it got into Science. Their evidence that macrophages contribute to navigation is solely that depleting macrophages with drugs makes pigeons unable to navigate in cloudy skies. However, depleting macrophages causes all sorts of problems, including (as in my lab's experiments) strong gut contractions. So an equally valid conclusion would be "pigeons with intestinal distress can't navigate in cloudy skies!"
Thank you for the comment and for your thoughts. There were comments to the initial study as well, where someone raised similar questions. The authors replied (should you not have seen it): "We therefore share Dr. Kumarās view that several key questions remain to be addressed. At the same time, we believe that our study establishes three relevant observations: pigeons possess iron-loaded superparamagnetic macrophages, predominantly detectable in the liver; clodronate administration removes this population; and treated birds lose homing orientation under conditions in which solar and visual cues are unavailable. These findings support a previously unrecognized link between macrophage biology and magnetic navigation, while defining clear experimental priorities for future work."
That said, I can't navigate at all when I feel sick, so I support your thesis haha
Thanks! I hadn't seen the authors' comments. I don't find the reply convincing, since it just restates what they found/claimed. I wouldn't really expect them to write, "yes, we overstated our claims; sorry," though!
What a fantastic issue, Jodi! Thank you so much, I've really enjoyed reading all the articles you mentioned. Some were food for thought, others enraging and some a total pleasure. Hope you have a kind August š
Wow, Jodi, this is an amazing collection. Just about every one of your links was not only new to me this month but also things I wanted to read. I've now got like a dozen new tabs open!
I have just read your Missing Mountains piece and was heartened - there are still people out there who take care, the finder of your HDD must be a wonderful person. What a lucky happenstance!
Like you I have a chronic illness that limits my mobility and causes frequent discomfort. Over the 20+ years I have lived with limited scope I have transitioned from typical British stiff upper lip stoicism to epicureanism.
Small delights are worth pursuing, if only for the anticipation, and negative thoughts are not worth ruminating on. Now I relish the memories with no regrets.
What a lovdly edition. So many topics that Iāve marked to read and are just pure awesome. I love your notes about every piece too.
Crows used to be my favorite birds as a kid š¦āā¬ and I associate them with happy childhood memories which many find odd. So Iām definitely checking out that one.
The new color and the Alzheimerās pieces are very informative from your notes but I saved for full reading.
The ātoo many bad apples in societyā the A.I. pieces are very interesting and mirror conversations Iāve been having with my husband lately.
And thank you very much for the feature for my CSF leak piece. Itās a true honor to be mentioned here š
š® this one is a home run. I really don't know if it is 'serendipity' because it just about covered all bases. Good one Jā£ļøš¤
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it
A joy as always. And I like that (I think) you have more of a tendency to editorialise around each link than you used to? Bring it on - I want all this stuff filtered through your immense, hyper-connecty brain.
I missed the Anne-Laure piece! Thanks for that. She's concluding what I've been pondering as well - the value of sitting with questions, and the way an unresolved answer is such a powerful creative engine (and also a creator of alternative explanations, which is part of it too). It's like we're being taught to equate information gaps with a kind of discomfort we need to kill as quickly as possible, like the way we've become so uncomfortable with introspection that we will literally electrocute ourselves to avoid it, as that now-famous study demonstrated: https://www.science.org/content/article/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts
Thank you Mike! When I first started CAE, the editorializing was a lot longer because I only featured a few pieces each month. But there were so many I read that I really wanted to share, because there is so much good writing out there. I changed the format to feature more pieces, with shorter writeups a few years ago, but you're right ā there has been word creep going on. You know me, I'm long-winded! I often wonder if I ought to go back to shorter write ups ā curious what my readers think.
I love your newsletter. This was a particularly good issue; thank you. Take good care!
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I enjoy your newsletters! About the pigeon / magnetic fields article, though: I was excited by the title / abstract. Then I read the paper. I don't buy the conclusion at all, and I'm surprised it got into Science. Their evidence that macrophages contribute to navigation is solely that depleting macrophages with drugs makes pigeons unable to navigate in cloudy skies. However, depleting macrophages causes all sorts of problems, including (as in my lab's experiments) strong gut contractions. So an equally valid conclusion would be "pigeons with intestinal distress can't navigate in cloudy skies!"
Thank you for the comment and for your thoughts. There were comments to the initial study as well, where someone raised similar questions. The authors replied (should you not have seen it): "We therefore share Dr. Kumarās view that several key questions remain to be addressed. At the same time, we believe that our study establishes three relevant observations: pigeons possess iron-loaded superparamagnetic macrophages, predominantly detectable in the liver; clodronate administration removes this population; and treated birds lose homing orientation under conditions in which solar and visual cues are unavailable. These findings support a previously unrecognized link between macrophage biology and magnetic navigation, while defining clear experimental priorities for future work."
That said, I can't navigate at all when I feel sick, so I support your thesis haha
Might you share more about the lab work you do?
Thanks! I hadn't seen the authors' comments. I don't find the reply convincing, since it just restates what they found/claimed. I wouldn't really expect them to write, "yes, we overstated our claims; sorry," though!
About my lab's work, here's a blog post I wrote in late 2024: https://eighteenthelephant.com/2024/11/30/a-gut-wrenching-tale-of-bacteria-and-immune-cells/
What a fantastic issue, Jodi! Thank you so much, I've really enjoyed reading all the articles you mentioned. Some were food for thought, others enraging and some a total pleasure. Hope you have a kind August š
Thank you so much! I hope you do as well.
Wow, Jodi, this is an amazing collection. Just about every one of your links was not only new to me this month but also things I wanted to read. I've now got like a dozen new tabs open!
So glad to hear it! Do I need to change my byline to āhelping people crash their browser, one link at a timeā? š
Hahahahaha!!
I have just read your Missing Mountains piece and was heartened - there are still people out there who take care, the finder of your HDD must be a wonderful person. What a lucky happenstance!
Like you I have a chronic illness that limits my mobility and causes frequent discomfort. Over the 20+ years I have lived with limited scope I have transitioned from typical British stiff upper lip stoicism to epicureanism.
Small delights are worth pursuing, if only for the anticipation, and negative thoughts are not worth ruminating on. Now I relish the memories with no regrets.
As always, very interesting and also funny!
Thank you! I was more tired this month so there was less self censoring than usual!
What a lovdly edition. So many topics that Iāve marked to read and are just pure awesome. I love your notes about every piece too.
Crows used to be my favorite birds as a kid š¦āā¬ and I associate them with happy childhood memories which many find odd. So Iām definitely checking out that one.
The new color and the Alzheimerās pieces are very informative from your notes but I saved for full reading.
The ātoo many bad apples in societyā the A.I. pieces are very interesting and mirror conversations Iāve been having with my husband lately.
And thank you very much for the feature for my CSF leak piece. Itās a true honor to be mentioned here š