All by Itself, the Humble Sweet Potato Colonized the World

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The New York Times, April 12, 2018

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Of all the plants that humanity has turned into crops, none is more puzzling than the sweet potato. Indigenous people of Central and South America grew it on farms for generations, and Europeans discovered it when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean.

In the 18th century, however, Captain Cook stumbled across sweet potatoes again — over 4,000 miles away, on remote Polynesian islands. European explorers later found them elsewhere in the Pacific, from Hawaii to New Guinea.

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Friday’s Elk, April 7, 2018

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen
Books to Consider

A few months ago, I participated in Facebook’s #Readtolead Program, sharing some of my favorite books of 2017. The response was so enthusiastic, I decided to write some new posts about books I’ve been reading. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be posting them each Friday.

So far, I’ve written two. The first is about Stalin and the Scientists by Simong Ings. I had grown interested in Soviet science as a result of the research I did on the Stalnist biologist Trofim Lysenko and his crackpot notions about heredity for She Has Her Mother’s Laugh. I read more about Lysenko for a lecture I gave in September on journalism, science, and democracy. Only last month did I come across Ing’s 2016 book. Primed as I was, I blasted through it. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, April 7, 2018” →

Friday’s Elk, March 29, 2018

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen
Chilean Scientists Protest the “Ata” Study

Last week, I reported on a study by American scientists on a mysterious, tiny mummy from Chile that some claimed was an alien. The study demonstrated it belonged to a stillborn Chilean girl. In response, the Chilean scientific community has spoken out against the research, contending that the mummy was illegally removed from its grave and then exported illegally out of the country. Some of them are even calling for the study to be retracted. And the Chilean government is stepping in to investigate. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, March 29, 2018” →

A Few Species of Frogs That Vanished May Be on the Rebound

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The New York Times, March 29, 2018

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In 2013, two biologists named Jamie Voyles and Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki spent weeks slogging up and down mountainsides in Panama. “We were bug-bitten and beat up,” recalled Dr. Voyles, now an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Near the end of their trek, they came to a stop. In front of them sat the object of their quest: a single gold-and-black frog.

“I can’t tell you what that moment was like,” Dr. Voyles said.

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Chile and Its Scientists Protest Research on Tiny Mummy

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The New York Times, March 28, 2018

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Days after researchers announced that a tiny mummy once rumored to be an alien was actually a human infant, Chilean scientists condemned the new study as unethical and their government began an investigation into grave robbing.

The Chilean National Monuments Council, a government agency, said in an email Tuesday that it had initiated an inquiry into whether the little girl’s remains were illegally exhumed in 2003 and smuggled out of the country. The council has turned over its records to the Public Ministry of Chile in response to the outcry from Chilean researchers. They contended that the grave site was plundered and the mummified skeleton was stolen, violating the country’s laws.

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