Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Role-reversing frogs sing, comfortable trips to Mars, a museum of failures and more in our look around the web

1. Art Basel’s Best Instagram Moments If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from art fair attendance, it’s the unending opportunity for unique Instagram images one simply won’t find elsewhere. With industry-leading Art Basel’s 2017 Switzerland iteration wrapped, the best way to look back might just be through what people captured on social media and the Observer has compiled a strong list. While no Anish …

Role-Reversal in Frog Mating Results in Singing

Documented for the first time ever, the Bornean frog (scientifically known as Limnonectes palavanensis, but more commonly called the singing frog) has made a serious evolutionary change. Usually, male frogs serenade a female and she chooses the suitor of her liking to mate with, but a recent study has shown a complete role-reversal. Now, a single frog surrounded by singers is most likely to be …

Urine Converted to Electricity at Glastonbury Festival

Thanks to electro-active micro-organisms that feed on elements in urine and then produce electrons, bio-engineers at Bristol Robotics Lab have found a way to turn pee into electricity. A fuel cell pack developed by the scientists currently feeds on two liters of urine and, in turn, produces 30 to 40 milliwatts of power. This energy has been used to power smartphones (slowly), LCD displays and …