A weekly collection of links to interesting things curated by Colin Wright.
The Contested World of Classifying Life on Earth
“At least in theory, anyone can name a new species: For example, to name a new animal species, you need to publish the name, along with a description of the species and some additional details, in a scientific journal or book chapter. You also need to designate the location of a specimen — in a museum, for example — that others can refer to. The rule, according to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature — which sets the standards for scientific nomenclature of animals — is one organism, one name. If a species is mistakenly named twice, the oldest published name is considered valid. Similarly, if two species wind up with the same name, the first one named gets to keep it.”
Saving a Sea Monkey Sanctuary
“Beginning about 40 years ago, at the start of what food-systems types refer to as the Blue Revolution, marine scientists set out to take pressure off wild species by domesticating a select few. An early challenge was figuring out how to feed fish in their larval forms. At early stages of life, most ocean fish need living feed. Upon hatching, they have only rudimentary eyes and nostrils and can’t hunt by sight or smell. The only thing that triggers the feed response is the vibration that live prey register on a fish’s lateral line. In the wild, species of fish favored for human consumption, like branzino and cod, typically hatch a few weeks after the springtime bloom of zooplankton and have adapted to home in on a particular set of planktonic organisms called copepods.”
Most Work Is New Work, Long-Term Study of US Census Data Shows
“Most work in the U.S. is new work, as U.S. census forms reveal. That is, a majority of jobs are in occupations that have only emerged widely since 1940, according to a major new study of U.S. jobs led by MIT economist David Autor.
“We estimate that about six out of 10 jobs people are doing at present didn’t exist in 1940,” says Autor, co-author of a newly published paper detailing the results. “A lot of the things that we do today, no one was doing at that point. Most contemporary jobs require expertise that didn’t exist back then, and was not relevant at that time.””
Fake Email Jobs
“Rose*, 39, lives in Brooklyn and works in tech support “for a product that doesn’t need to exist,” she says. Her job consists of sending emails to customers seeking help with the product, which sometimes involves nothing more than copying and pasting relevant instructions from her company’s internal documentation.
“All I have to do is hit a certain number of emails to send each day,” she says. “I don’t even have my work email on my phone.””
The Coming Birth-Control Revolution
“This coming slew of treatments will be notable not only for their imaginative delivery methods, but for their target audience: men. For decades, men hoping to manage their fertility have been limited to just two imperfect options—condoms or vasectomies. But in recent years, researchers have taken massive steps toward developing simple, convenient, and effective contraceptive options for men with virtually zero side effects. Soon, women may not be forced to bear nearly the entire burden of preventing pregnancy.”
The Internet Archive Just Backed Up an Entire Caribbean Island
“The Internet Archive is now home to the Aruba Collection, which hosts digitized versions of Aruba’s National Library, National Archives, and other institutions including an archaeology museum and the University of Aruba. The collection comprises 101,376 items so far—roughly one for each person who lives on the Island—including 40,000 documents, 60,000 images, and seven 3D objects.”
Sharing the Secrets of a Lifelong Career
“Why bother? Wasn’t retirement supposed to be the goal of a contented old age? Didn’t the plan call for taking up needlepoint or golf? The old, as it happens, represent a rapidly growing global population: the proportion of those 65 and above is increasing at a faster rate than those below that age, according to World Population Prospects, a United Nations study. Between 2022, when the report was issued, and 2050, the global population of those over 65 is expected to rise from 10 to 16 percent. People are already working longer, and, as they do, it would appear that a road map is needed, a means of understanding what keeps people like Martha Stewart, at 82, not only undiminished by age but actively in the game.”
oh, seems to be blocked from our wifi provider (Germany). Works on mobile. *shrug*
last link (life long career) link is not reachable. You currently get the following message:
"The New York Times. We’re sorry, we seem to be having some technical difficulties, but we don’t want to lose you. Please report the issue here."