Episode 29: Pope Francis has sh*t for brains 10/29/14

Halloween is just around the corner, and all the signs of the devil abound: the world's longest snake experiences a virgin birth, the Pope endorses science yet again, evidence of starquakes is found, snobby foodies praise McDonalds as fine cuisine, and prolonged exposure to cat poop appears to alter human behavior.

 

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/virgin-birth-confirmed-world-s-longest-snake-species

 

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/pope-endorses-scientific-account-origins

 

http://www.iflscience.com/space/magnetar-storm-reveals-evidence-starquakes

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/23/358324106/don-t-mock-these-organic-food-experts-for-praising-mcdonald-s?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2047

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/lincoln-mkc-moment-to-think/the-art-and-science-of-our-senses/153/

 

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-horrible-anger-you-feel-at-hearing-someone-chewing-is-called-misophonia

 

http://m.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/

 

http://m.livescience.com/48121-curiosity-boosts-memory-learning.html?cmpid=514627_20141003_32807856

 

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/05/353919711/dolphins-adorable-playful-not-as-smart-as-you-might-think?sc=tw

 

http://iphone.sciencealert.com.au/news/20142609-26244.html

 

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/scientists-convert-human-skin-cells-directly-brain-cells

 

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-bucket-full-of-this-material-can-absorb-all-the-oxygen-in-a-room

 

http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/optimism-is-the-enemy-of-action/380834/

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/10/04/351187049/q-a-plumbing-the-mysteries-of-the-teenage-brain

 

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/10/03/taking-a-fairy-tales-emotional-temperature/#.VFGwOYvF-yO

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/02/the-science-of-soul-mates-xkcd/