“Scientists gave squirrels fitness trackers and found that males are lazy and females do all the work,” Quartz
Katherine Ellen Foley writes a wry and informative piece on research being conducted on the Arctic squirrels in Alaska. Researchers are discovering that the female squirrels, during the short periods between hibernation, forage for food, have babies and care for their young. What the male squirrels do during the same period above ground is still unknown, but may include quite a bit of loafing and sunbathing. I see a CBS sitcom coming out of this. — Corey Anderson, web editor
“The Downsides of the Back-to-the-City Movement,” CityLab
Richard Florida, the guy who coined the phrase “Creative Class,” looks at the winners and losers of a strategy that has become the centerpiece of economic development campaigns in just about every city in America. — Peter Callaghan, local government reporter
“This machine could prevent gun violence — if only cops used it,” The Marshall Project
Machines used by law enforcement to scan and match shell casings fired by the same gun could help authorities link crimes, and stop murders before they happen. But the system doesn’t work very well. The idea behind the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network is if you collect and analyze every shell casing. That sounds great, but you need a lot of shell casings in the database to make it work. “Since the program began two decades ago, more than $300 million has been invested in it. Yet only a few hundred of the nation’s 18,000 police departments use the database.” (It looks like Minneapolis and St. Paul have crime lab sites that use the technology). — Greta Kaul, data reporter
“The Literature of Creepy Clowns,” Literary Hub
With creepy clowns much in the news, Literary Hub has published a helpful round-up of books and stories those who like this sort of thing may want to read, from Stephen King’s novel “It” to Thomas Ligotti’s story “The Last Feat of Harlequin.” Writer Tobias Carroll even provides a link to what King has to say about the current evil-clown epidemic. (“Most of em are good,” King tweeted. “Cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.” Heh.) BTW, the fear of clowns has its own word: coulrophobia. — Pamela Espeland
Male Arctic Squirrels
may also gather in the sun to assess the merits of any new pickups that come their way.