# brain: actually they have heads that shrink ...

AA << followed the intra-individual change in skull size and body mass throughout the full cycle in wild recaptured shrews (Sorex araneus) >>

Using X-ray images [AA] << showed that individuals decreased the size of their braincases in anticipation of winter by an average of 15.3%. Braincases then partially regrew in spring by 9.3%. Body mass decreased by 17.6% and then dramatically increased by 83.4% in spring >>

Javier Lazaro, Dina K.N. Dechmann, et al. Profound reversible seasonal changes of individual skull size in a mammal. Current Biology 27 (20): R1106 - 7 doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.055

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31093-X

These shrews have heads that shrink with the season. Oct 23, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-shrews-season.html

# gst: origami, strange behaviors hiding in simple structures

<< The Miura-ori is also unique in having what’s called a negative Poisson’s ratio. When you push on its sides, the top and bottom will contract >>

Marcus Woo. The Atomic Theory of Origami. Oct 31, 2017

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-atomic-theory-of-origami-20171031/

# brain: they may not exist, but they tell us a lot, by Kathryn

<< Consider the yeti ... >>

Kathryn Schulz. Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them. The relative plausibility of impossible beings tells you a lot about how the mind works. Oct 30, 2017.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/06/is-bigfoot-likelier-than-the-loch-ness-monster/

# img: friends (quasi), by Kee Ee Lim

<< A Hug Before The Battle! These 2 large Malayan Water Monitor Lizards (Varanus Salvator) sizes each other up before the epic struggle for territory began. These lizards can grow up to 3m long >>

2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

http://m.yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/11161631/

https://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/924897427722817536

# age: senolytics, to stay young kill zombie cells

<< Killing off cells that refuse to die on their own has proved a powerful anti-ageing strategy in mice. Now it's about to be tested in humans >>

<< Surprisingly, senescent cells turn out to be slightly different in each tissue. They secrete different cytokines, express different extracellular proteins and use different tactics to avoid death. That incredible variety has made it a challenge for labs to detect and visualize senescent cells >> Judith Campisi.

<<  In young mice, no more than 1% of cells in any given organ were senescent. In two-year-old mice, however, up to 20% of cells were senescent in some organs.  But there's a silver lining to these elusive twilight cells: they might be hard to find, but they're easy to kill >> Valery Krizhanovsky.

<< I think senolytics are drugs that could come soon and be effective in the elderly now, even in the next few years >> Nir Barzilai.

To stay young, kill zombie cells. Nature 2017; 550: 448 – 50. doi:10.1038/550448a Oct 26, 2017

https://www.nature.com/news/to-stay-young-kill-zombie-cells-1.22872

# web: MozFest 2017. The world's leading festival for the open Internet movement

MozFest. The world's leading festival for the open Internet movement. Oct 27-29, 2017 Ravensbourne College, London

https://mozillafestival.org/

Decentralization. Who controls the Internet?

https://internethealthreport.org/v01/decentralization/

Building a better blockchain. A new generation of software developers are expanding the scope for an Internet powered by users.

https://internethealthreport.org/v01/stories/building-a-better-blockchain/

Giving artists control of their music.

https://internethealthreport.org/v01/stories/giving-artists-control-of-their-music/

# evol: about an ancient sleep, the tendency for daytime napping, narcolepsy, and evening activities (but not red hair)

<< Interbreeding between Neanderthals and early modern humans has been shown to have contributed about 2% Neanderthal DNA to the genomes of present-day non-Africans >>

AA << found two archaic haplotypes that contribute significantly to differences in  sleep patterns >>

Archaic alleles near ASB1 and EXOC6 << are associated with a preference for being an "evening person" and an increased tendency for daytime napping and narcolepsy, respectively >>

Michael Dannemann, Janet Kelso. The Contribution of Neanderthals to Phenotypic Variation in Modern Humans. The American Journal of Human Genetics. 2017; 101 (4): 578 - 89. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.09.010 Oct 5, 2017

http://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(17)30379-8

Darren Curnoe. Neanderthals didn't give us red hair but they certainly changed the way we sleep. Oct 6, 2017.

https://theconversation.com/neanderthals-didnt-give-us-red-hair-but-they-certainly-changed-the-way-we-sleep-85173

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-neanderthals-didnt-red-hair.html