Why is everyone hoarding toilet paper? How can fungi help ecosystems recover after bushfires? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Mar 23 - 29 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best and brightest from the world of science news, explore how scientists came to the conclusion that travel restrictions and social distancing could help slow the pandemic, and delve into the cleaning power of soap: possibly our best weapon in our struggle against disease. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• This is why everyone is hoarding toilet paper by Kiona Smith for Ars Technica.

In times of crisis, it's monkey see, monkey do. Media portrayals of toilet paper shortages cause people to stockpile.
Credit: Sabine Heyer via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

• How effective are travel restrictions and social distancing? by Erica Curles for Sciworthy.
• How is the COVID-19 virus detected using real time RT-PCR? by Nicole Jawerth for International Atomic Energy Agency.
• Embracing complexity: COVID-19 is a case for academic collaboration and co-creation by Benedikt Fecher at Elephant in the Lab.
• How diseases rise and fall with the seasons—and what it could mean for coronavirus by Joel Goldberg for Science.
• EPA issues unprecedented “License to Pollute” during pandemic by NRDC.
• Working From Home by Athene Donald at Occam's Typewriter.
• Study finds huge potential for urban gardens to feed city dwellers by Mike Gaworecki for Mongabay.
• How fungi's knack for networking boosts ecological recovery after bushfires by Adam Frew, Andy Le Brocque,  Dale Nimmo, Eleonora Egidi, Jodi Price and Leanne Greenwood for The Conversation UK.
• Witness trees tell how ecosystems of Silicon Valley have changed by Andrew Trilica for Envirobites.
• Cleaning chemistry – the awesome power of soap by Kat Day at The Chronicle Flask.
• 3 possible models for why Uranus spins on its side by Mark R Smith at Physics Forums Insights.
• Animal ancestor primera by Ian Connellan at Cosmos Magazine.
• Astrophysicists perform test of String Theory by Sci-News.com.

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How does coronavirus testing work? How might hoofed herbivores help keep the permafrost from melting? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Mar 16 - 22 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's predictably coronavirus-heavy selection of the best science news coverage from around the world, explore the impact of the built environment on the spread of the disease, and find out about how you can track Venus across the night sky. A great activity for those of you in quarantine! Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the virus, and our thanks go to all of those who are doing their part in fighting it. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• How do the tests for coronavirus work? by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest.

Get the low-down on how the current testing for coronavirus works, its limitations and future improvements.
Credit: Andy Brunning via Compound Interest (CC-BY-ND)

• The role of the built environment in COVID-19 transmission by Munim Deen for Envirobites.
• COVID-19 prompts closure of Indonesian parks, and a chance to evaluate by Basten Gokkon for Mongabay.com.
• Pandemic “will last 18 months or longer,” leaked US gov’t report warns by Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica.
• Coronavirus cases have dropped sharply in South Korea. What’s the secret to its success?by Dennis Normile for Science magazine.
• Tracking Venus in the evening sky is a great activity for kids by Brian Koberlein for Forbes.
• Herds of hoofed herbivores might help keep permafrost from melting by Leslie Nemo for Discover magazine.
• Carbon conundrum: experiment aims to recreate synthesis of key element by Ling Xing for Scientific American.
• The secretive seahorses hiding in a Bahamian lake by Harry Baker for Marine Madness.

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Call for Editors! Become part of the most comprehensive source of science coverage.

Looking for a new challenge or opportunity in 2020?

When it comes to reporting science, the mainstream media can struggle, and often falls into sensationalism, undermining its message. ScienceSeeker is therefore an essential resource, enabling readers to access knowledge that helps make sense of the headlines. We aggregate the most comprehensive list of science blogs, written by a community including top scientists. Every week, our volunteer editors scour what’s been reported to distil it down to the most essential content. We’ve got a vibrant team - but we're still short in some areas.

Would you like to join us? E-mail sciseekers AT gmail DOT com if you're interested or have any questions. Read on for more details:

What is ScienceSeeker?

ScienceSeeker is a unique science blog aggregator that brings together over 2,400 blog sites (and growing!). It emerged as part of the ScienceOnline movement that has energized the science communication community in recent years. Although ScienceOnline is now defunct, ScienceSeeker continues on a sustainable basis thanks to the sterling effort of its volunteer supporters. For more details about what we do and who we are, see our 'About' page.

What does an editor do?

A ScienceSeeker editor commits to spending some of their valuable time reading science blogs or listening to science podcasts and selecting the newest developments in science every week. The commitment depends on circumstances. An especially busy person might be able to make selections from their general reading. An enthusiastic editor might dedicate three hours a week or more to select the most relevant content. Each editor usually focuses on a limited set of subject areas to restrict the time they have to invest, although there are opportunities to help build ScienceSeeker's platform. The goal of this recruitment exercise is to add to the team of editors so that the effort can be shared more broadly.

Who are we looking for?

We are currently interested in expanding the coverage on science discoveries in the areas of:

• Computer science
• Education
• Psychology
• Mathematics
• Oceanography
• Plant Science
• Geosciences

We also welcome help with curating and/or creating content for our YouTube channel. If you are fond of reading and/or listening to science, it’s your chance to contribute to science outreach by highlighting those pieces you think the society needs to be aware of!

What’s in it for you?

At a general level, it’s rewarding to make an input into a community. In this case you’re helping create an authoritative voice on science that supplements and corrects conventional media coverage. You’re also boosting the reach of individual blogs that might not otherwise be read by many people.

At a personal level, being a ScienceSeeker editor is a relatively low-effort activity that looks good on your résumé. There are also great benefits that arise from the effort invested in reading ScienceSeeker blogs. For scientists and writers, ScienceSeeker blogs often showcase ideas, research and styles of communication that you might not otherwise have encountered that can prove useful in your paid work. And whoever you are, ScienceSeeker blogs are interesting and entertaining – reading them is not a bad way to spend time at all!

Is there a closing date?

No. The ScienceSeeker team is continually evolving, and as such we always welcome enquiries from prospective editors.

Could we use trees to generate electricity? Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Mar 9 - 15 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's coverage of the best from the world of science news, celebrate the earliest equinox since 1896 and inform yourself further about the coronavirus from scientific, reliable sources. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Researchers are sitting on tech that could transform trees into power generators by Anne Quito for Quartz Africa.

  

  Could we engineer trees that generate electricity? We might already have the technology, but there are ethical questions still to be answered.
  Credit:  Gawain Jones Photo via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

• Improving software infrastructure in multidisciplinary research by Jacqueline Kory-Westlund for Elephant in the Lab.
• Have we really found an alien protein inside a meteorite? by Leah Krane for New Scientist.
• The evasive behavior of blue whales by Chris Baraniuk for Hakai Magazine.
• Celebrate the earliest equinox since 1896 this March, thanks to science by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.
• Time scales, viral and human by Derek Lowe at Science Translational Medicine.
• 7 reasons why it’s hard to control your coronavirus anxiety by Sharon Begley for STAT news.
• Some advice for PhD students and their mentors in the time of coronavirus by Meghan Duffy at  Dynamic Ecology.
• An interview with the man who saw the pandemic coming by Kevin Berger for Nautilus magazine.
• COVID-19: Research and development on therapeutic agents and vaccines by Marie Benz for Medical Research.
• Coronavirus testing is starting to get better — but it has a long way to go by Matthew Herper for STAT news.
• Episode 79: Need to Know: COVID19 with Virologist Andy Pekosz by Nina Martin at Public Health United.

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How is ocean plastic contributing to antibiotic resistance? Who is Katherine Johnson and how did she help the US get into space? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Feb 24 - Mar 1 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's best science news straight from science newsmakers, get a reasoned look at the coronavirus outbreak from a scientific standpoint, and find out how tropical forests may turn from carbon sinks into carbon sources. ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• Plastic pollution may be spreading antibiotic resistance by Hannah Thomasy for Hakai magazine.

  

  Ocean plastic provides more places for bacteria to grow, increasing the likelihood of antibiotic-resistant microbes swapping plasmids with their sea-faring cousins.
  Credit: Michael Coghlan via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

• Listening to soap bubbles pop reveals the physics behind the bursts by Emily Conover for Science News magazine.
• Dog nose-tip temperature dynamics and distant-heat sensing ability by Marc Abrahams at Improbable Research.
• Tropical forests may flip into carbon sources sooner than feared, study finds by Mongabay.com.
• Honey, I scared the squids by Amorina Kingdon for Hakai magazine.
• A tribute to Katherine by Hannah Barta via the American Mathematical Society.
• International Women’s Day: Twelve women from chemistry history – pt. 3 by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest.
• Coronavirus: nine reasons to be reassured by Jon Henley for the Guardian.
• We’re learning a lot about the coronavirus. It will help us assess risk by Helen Branswell at STAT news.
• Update on COVID-19: part 14, the changing picture by Marc Bonten for Reflections on Infection Prevention and Control.
• Florida DOH: 2 New COVID-19 Cases - 2 Deaths by Michael Coston at Avian Flu Diary.
• Coronavirus: What are the worst symptoms and how deadly is covid-19? by Jess Hamzelou at New Scientist.
• Should NASA send New Horizons to a nearby star for its final mission? by Ethan Siegel at Starts With A Bang.
• Astronomers spot ultra-massive white dwarf with unique atmosphere by Sci-News.com.

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

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Is the emergence of life inevitable? What are zoonotic diseases and why is destroying the rainforest making them more dangerous? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of Feb 24 - Mar 1 2020 #SciSeekPicks #SciComm.

In this week's cream-of-the-crop from the world of science news, find out what the world should do about the seemingly unstoppable coronavirus, and explore a use for essential oils which you might not have thought of - food preservation! ScienceSeeker editors' favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise also cover many other important and exciting topics. Why not have a read, inform yourself, and indulge your scientific curiosity?

• The noninevitability of life by Caleb Scharf for Scientific American.

The inevitability of life is only true in a statistical, averaged sense. Evolution's directionality is an illusion.
Credit: Text taken from article by Caleb Scharf, Image: Hans Splinter via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

• What are zoonotic diseases and what does the destruction of rain forest have to do with it? by Solveig Boehme at A Tang of Science.
• Unsung Species: One of Earth’s rarest land mammals clings to a hopeful future (commentary) by Joel Berger with Alejandro Vila and Cristobal Briceño for Mongabay.com.
• The coronavirus seems unstoppable. What should the world do now? by Jon Cohen and Kai Kupferschmidt for Science.
• Using essential oils to preserve delicate fish fillets by Erica Curles at Sciworthy.
• Clear air, Calm Hospitals by Kristen Brown for Envirobites.
• Passing a heath and safety inspection: a terrible guide no one should follow by Matthew Partridge at Errant Science.
• Should we teach coding in high school? by Dick Lipton at Gödel’s Lost Letter and P=NP.
• Data + Design + Impact: A workshop on data sculptures and civic change by Rahul Bhargava at Civic Media.
• Most powerful supervolcano eruption in the last 28 million years had no effect on human evolution by David Bressan for Forbes.
• Rainy, energy-filled days by Lauren Nelson at A Short Scientist.
• Astronomers have discovered the biggest explosion in the universe by Down Here on Earth.
• Physicists observe three-atom collisions in ground-breaking experiments by Scinews.com.
• A neural network picks promising antibiotics out of a library of chemicals by John Timmer for Ars Technica.

To indulge your curiosity even more, follow us on Facebook or Twitter for honourable mentions of great posts that didn't quite make our #SciSeekPicks list this week. Want #SciSeekPicks to help satisfy your scientific curiosity every week? Sign up here for regular notification emails.

Check back next week for more great picks!