Links and Miscellany – September 20

• Toxoplasma infected mice lose their fear of cats "New research by graduate student Wendy Ingram at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals a scary twist to this scenario: the parasite’s effect seem to be permanent. The fearless behavior in mice persists long after the mouse recovers from the flu-like symptoms of toxoplasmosis, and for months after the parasitic infection is cleared from the body."
• How Toxoplasma Gets Into Human Brain and Influences Human Behavior "A number of studies confirm that mental diseases like schizophrenia, depression and anxiety syndrome are more common in people with toxoplasmosis, while others suggest that toxoplasmosis can influence how extroverted, aggressive or risk-inclined an individual's behaviour is."
• “Guns Do Not Make a Nation Safer,” Say Doctors Data examined for 27 developed countries. Any calm discussion of violence in the US must, at the least, distinguish between Second Amendment issues and gun culture issues.
• Mobility is key to healthy aging "Mobility limitations are the edge of that slippery slope that leads to loss of function," said Brown. "A decline in mobility seems to quickly lead to an across-the-board decline, including the routine activities of daily living. Mobility is a sort of barometer for how well an older person ages."
• Google May Stop Using Cookies to Track Users WSJ via Gizmodo. 
• 2008 economic crisis could be to blame for thousands of excess suicides worldwide British Medical Journal.
• The piano as a typewriter "Saarbrücken researchers transferred skill in piano playing to text entry by developing a computational approach that assigns words and letters to notes and chords. In this way experienced as well as hobby-pianists can enter text as fast professional typists."
• Study suggests cheque-cashing stores target areas with high crime Draw your own conclusions.

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There is no dark side of the moon, as shown by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

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Glimpses of our robot infested future:

• Emotional attachment to robots could affect outcome on battlefield "Soldiers acknowledged they felt a range of emotions such as frustration, anger and even sadness when their field robot was destroyed. What if they “care” too much about the robot to send it into a dangerous situation?"
• Elon Musk Is Building a Self-Driving Car Because Of Course He Is 
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A peaceful summer morning.