Monday Reads

1. The blood of horseshoe crabs is a beautiful shade of periwinkle.  Scientists are harvesting this pretty blue blood and it's miraculous property of being able to identify and trap contamination in a given solution.  Considering these solutions could come in contact with human blood (as an injection, for instance) being able to confirm that solution is clean is a breakthrough. 
2. There has been a lot in the news lately about the long term effects of football injuries on the brain.  Now, the King-Devick test can be administered on the sidelines to determine if a tackle has resulted in a concussion.  It's even available as an app!
3. Read about the New York Times v. Sullivan case that, 50 years ago, molded the First Amendment as we know it today.
4. After only a few years at the 2400 point format, the SAT is reverting back to a 1600 point scoring system.  As part of the change, they are removing all those big fancy words.  True, we no longer commonly use "punctilious" when chatting with friends, but perhaps the reason language has dumbed down in general is because we don't stress its importance.  It seems like this change is saying we're ok with people who "talk stupid."