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Galápagos Giant Tortoises Are Ecosystem Engineers. A decades-long project shows how the reptiles are changing the island of Española.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:13 PM PST - 5 comments

Artists Seek Removal of Sculpture from National Gallery Show in Protest of US Funding to Israel Artists Nicholas Galanin and Merritt Johnson said on Friday night that they had asked the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to remove a sculpture from its galleries as a protest against the US’s plans to provide funding to Israel. The sculpture, titled Creation with her Children (2017), is one of the biggest artworks in “The Land Carries Our Ancestors,” a survey of contemporary Native American art curated by artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. It marks the first time in 30 years that the National Gallery of Art has devoted a show to Indigenous art. [more inside]
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 8:45 PM PST - 32 comments

Notable Sandwiches #75: Grilled Cheese
posted by Artw at 4:27 PM PST - 82 comments

A really brief instruction manual, kept up to date with phone numbers and quick scripts. Let your US politicians know you care. Click here to get started. Ready to start making calls? Find an issue
posted by aniola at 3:43 PM PST - 16 comments

Big news from the world of birding. The American Ornithological Society has announced that it will start changing the names of birds named after humans. Related to the desire of many birding groups to get rid of the Audubon name, this was driven by the need to stop honoring Confederate generals, enslavers, and other racists. The AOS decided to remove all eponyms rather than argue the merits of each individual person and will be rolling these changes out over time. [more inside]
posted by gingerbeer at 12:46 PM PST - 79 comments

I'll confess to not having watched Saturday Night Live at all this season but this sketch—Washington's Dream—is damn funny. The host was Nate Bargatze, who is a comedian I've never heard of, and he also had a funny opening monologue.
posted by bbrown at 11:24 AM PST - 135 comments

Canadian metal quartet, Spiritbox, released The Fear of Fear today—a mix of metalcore, progressive metal, alternative metal, and electronic music—to very positive reviews from KillYourStereo, Boolin Tunes, Crypticrock, and Distorted Sound Magazine. [more inside]
posted by signal at 11:07 AM PST - 2 comments

World Origami Days (every year from Oct 24 through Nov 11). Title from a winner of @peacecraneproject's smallest crane contest. On the other end of the size spectrum, via British Origami, how many people do you need to fold a giant crane? The entries so far for this year's theme: dragon. I like Jo Nakashima's dragon design. WOD archives from 2022. #MyWOD on social media (note that WOD also stands for workout for the day?; third party IG viewer for those not logged into IG). [more inside]
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:10 AM PST - 9 comments

Evolutionary scholars might be surprised to see sexist worldviews reinforced by the ‘dual mating strategy’ and ‘sexy son’ hypotheses, or by the latest research on the ovulatory cycle. The manosphere has its own version of evolutionary psychology, mingling cutting-edge scientific theories and hypotheses with personal narratives, sexual double standards and misogynistic beliefs.

After analysing this phenomenon, this article suggests ways to mitigate it.
posted by Rumple at 9:51 AM PST - 18 comments

"He presented himself as an enlightened humanist, offering the option of a dignified death to those who had no other recourse." (slToronto life) CW: suicide
posted by Kitteh at 8:15 AM PST - 36 comments

The dreams of Gaza's kids (NYT SL)
posted by bluesky43 at 7:08 AM PST - 5 comments

Anne Keast-Butler, the director of GCHQ, tells the BBC that the risks from AI are unknown; Elon Musk tells Rishi Sunak that AI will put an end to work.
posted by Cardinal Fang at 5:45 AM PST - 49 comments

Literary It Girls may have the standard markers of what we think of when we think of an It Girl: they’re beautiful, stylish, and social, with a certain je ne sais quoi. But what really makes them influential is the creative ways they stage and elevate their work — both on the page and in persona. from The Makings of a Literary It Girl
posted by chavenet at 12:38 AM PST - 28 comments