December 1, 2011

Google Logo Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm

Editor s Selections: Public Restrooms, Black Death, Social Cooperation, And Resilient Ecosystems

By Krystal D'Costa

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Part of my online life includes editorial duties at ResearchBlogging.org, where I serve as the Social Sciences Editor. Each Thursday, I pick notable posts on research in anthropology, philosophy, social science, and research to share on the ResearchBlogging.org News site. To help highlight this writing, I also share my selections here on AiP.

The range for selections for this week were extended to include a few notable items from Thanksgiving Break:

  • At Inkfish, Elizabeth Preston urges us not to urinate on the seat in public restrooms with a review of the bacteria researchers have found in this particular environment. It's an interesting read in terms of the overlap of ecosystems.

  • At Contagions, Michelle Ziegler explains why India and China may have narrowly avoided devastation from the Black Death and highlights the relationships between networks, space, and ways of knowing.

  • At The Primate Diaries, Eric Michael Johnson asks traces changes in the brain structure of social networkers to determine if the number of Facebook friends you have can make you smarter. Our inclination for social cooperation may prime some individuals to thrive in these socially-oriented environments.

  • And finally, at Per Square Mile, Tim DeChant explores how ecosystems can adapt when faced with human activity. It is a hopeful discussion that focuses on the positives of change.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

I'll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe