The Discovery of SKA2

Canada's hitchhiking robot, parasite tintypes, Patagonia's weed wetsuit and more in our weekly look at the web

Researchers at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University have discovered that identifying an individual’s suicide risk could be as simple as a blood test. The study has found “a chemical change in a single gene, called SKA2, which is linked to how the brain responds to stress hormones” and this gene makes all the difference, as SKA2 “works to inhibit negative thoughts and control impulsive actions.” While …

Patagonia’s Weed Wetsuit

Canada's hitchhiking robot, parasite tintypes, Patagonia's weed wetsuit and more in our weekly look at the web

Nope, not that kind of weed. We’ve been following Patagonia’s industry-changing use of the desert shrub guayule in its Yulex wetsuit since early prototypes hit the water. The technology substitutes traditional petroleum-based neoprene for a sustainable and equally effective substitute that—as a bonus—naturally imparts the wetsuits with a eucalyptus-like smell. With the wetsuit now hitting the market, Patagonia has opened up the material for use …

Woolfy vs Projections: Ask (The Smiths Cover)

The Smiths get covered, DJ DB Burkeman on the Rolling Stones and more in this week's look at music

While California’s Woolfy vs Projections (aka Simon James and Dan Hastie) have been working in tandem and as solo artists for well over a decade, their 2012 album—The Return Of Love, on label Permanent Vacation—put them on the (ever-so-slightly) mainstream map. Fans of their work will immediately recognize their take on The Smiths’ song “Ask,” which uplifts Morrissey’s more somber tone and elucidates the vocals …