Interesting Articles: August 29th-Sep 4th 2005

* But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? You know a meme is old when it hits the New York Times. But for those of you that haven't seen this yet, check out the original web site (An Open Letter to the Kansas School Board) and the Wikipedia entry.
* In Re Grammar, Roberts's Stance Is Crystal Clear. An article reflecting an aspect of Robert's personality that I hadn't previously known. I appreciate people that are precise in their writings. (New York Times)
* Getting the Gull: Baiting trick spreads among killer whales. A neat example of (non-human) cultural transmission. If you can't read the Science News article, the abstract of the paper Gull Baiting in Captive Orcas: A Possible Instance of Cultural Transmission (on which the Science News story was based) pretty much summarizes the facts.
* Coming Soon: Broccoli and Peach 'Seaweeds'. Cool! And people think you can't innovate in produce. (Science News)
* Scientific Savvy? In U.S., Not Much. Are people becoming more ignorant or is the world becoming too complex? (New York Times)
* The Breaking Point. On the (possibly) increasing difficulty in supplying oil. It's long read but has a personal narrative tone that makes it a relatively easy read. (New York Times via Energy Bulletin)
* Study Indicates Organic Foods Are Best for Children. The title is perhaps overblown, but the article does demonstrate (unsurprising) consequences of switching to an organic-food diet. (LA Times)
* Student finds term paper for sale online. An unusual complement to the traditional argument against these sites (based upon students using them to submit plagarized papers in their classes). (Business Week)