Link About It: This Week’s Picks

The truth about the Five-Second Rule, new more inclusive emoji, an exhibition about jargon and more

1. A New Origin Story for Dogs When, where and how wolves were domesticated and eventually became dogs has always been disagreed upon by scientists. Now, new research suggests our best pals have a different origin story than once thought. Archaeologist and geneticist Greger Larson now believes—after extensive study—that dogs were domesticated not once, but twice. (It makes sense then, that the origin times and …

Watch The Launch of China’s Tiangong-2 Space Lab

Conducting 14 more experiments in space, astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong-2 space lab were zoomed off into space this week—and will remain on the orbiting station for up to 30 days. Research will focus on various fields; from advanced plant cultivation to space-to-earth quantum communications and more. The take-off was live-streamed online, thanks to CCTV.

Star Trek Was More Than it Seemed

The original Star Trek series might have only lasted three years, but it explored significant political and cultural issues—despite it oftentimes being looked over as purely playful and kitsch. The cult TV show is celebrating its 50th birthday today, and NPR explores how the show was “much more than a five-year mission.” From an episode showing the absurdity of racism through an alien war, to …