Typographic tweaks, risky receipts, and the zombie apocalypse

From Amber Williams:

Me and Lucy went to the museum. Oops! Lucy and I… Humans aren’t the only ones with language rules: Birds use grammar, too!

This past summer, the SHERP 29s took a class called Data Journalism. We grappled with how to show sets of data in a straightforward and accessible way. And while visualizing data isn’t easy, the products can be awesome. This infographic shows what 138 years of Popular Science looks like. Check out the sudden change to color for the cover, the decreasing page numbers, and the use of the word ‘computer.’

Another reason to get electronic receipts: Paper ones have Bisphenol-A (BPA), the estrogen mimic. A new study found 100 percent of the receipts collected in the U.S. are tainted with BPA, writes Scienceline’s own Rachel Nuwer.
From Stephanie Warren:

We all want to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Luckily, now we have this exhaustive report about the inner workings of the zombie brain, plus tips on how to outsmart these stumbling, gory killers–when and if we have to.

A thought experiment turned into a movie deal for amateur military history geek James Erwin when he answered this question on reddit: “Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?” Popular Mechanics declares a winner in this time-traveling matchup.

Tomorrow, a team of fake astronauts returns from a real trip to fake Mars. Six men lived for 520 days in a space the size of a bus and only showered once a week, all in the name of science: to find out how real space crews might deal with the confinement of such a long trip.
From Lena Groeger:

See every word used in the archives of Popular Science magazine – visualized!  Presenting: The Popular Science Archive Explorer. Search through all the magazine’s past issues since 1872.

Oh, the power of typography. Dyslexie is a font that helps dyslexics read. Slight changes, rotations, and tweaks to the letterforms prevent them from looking like each other, which means fewer mistakes and extended reading time.

Siri has lost her voice. Kind of. Apple’s service is dropping all over the place and the beloved Siri (with all her impeccably astute comments) is causing some distress with her absence.