under the microscope

Extending the life of a yeast cell by 82%.

There are two ways the cell deteriorated over time: either deterioration within its cellular nucleus or its mitochondria. “[R]ather than the entire cell aging at once, the aging process was toggled between different physical parts of the organism, extending its […]

to your health

The Soviets invented paid time off.

But they also dictated how workers would spend it, and with whom. “Broadly speaking there were two types of Soviet vacations: one where people stayed in a single place, and one where they moved around. The former took place at […]

better doing

Robo-coaches are here.

Sure, the advice that an AI chatbot offers can be found elsewhere on the internet in blogs, books and podcasts. Yet this new format for interacting with the advice might just be better for many uses. “At risk of sounding […]

tech, startups, internet

The state of private markets in Q1 2023.

Carta’s doing some content marketing with their data (which is arguably pretty good). “Total venture capital raised by startups plunged 80% from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023. Venture deal count fell 45% over the same span. Overall, Q1 was the […]

oh, chicago

Chonkosaurus.

There’s a very very well-fed turtle living in the Chicago River. This brings back memories of Chance the Snapper. ~ learn more

fun facts

For 20 years the nuclear launch code was 00000000.

There’s an interesting tension between top-down control over our nuclear arsenal and decentralized ability to launch even if communication lines were wiped out. “Oh, and in case you actually did forget the code, it was handily written down on a […]

fun facts

Whalefall.

An incredible example of the food web in action. “When a whale dies and sinks to the ocean floor, it creates a new ecosystem that changes the local food web for up to a century afterwards. They only occur in […]