"Ancillary Materials"

By Anna Rose Welch, Editorial & Community Director, Advancing RNA

Without fail, the Internet has once again delivered the goods we probably didn’t really need — but never say never...

• What do you get if you cross a koala with a deer? Folks, meet my future pet.  
• We all have that one friend who shows up at all the picnics, bonfires, and beach outings with a drone and, more likely than not (in my own circle anyways), gets mercilessly teased. Well, jokes on us — turns out you can take some pretty incredible photos via drone, and there’s even an annual drone photo award series. Say goodbye to the next six hours of your life; there are too many here to even pick a small handful of favorites. 
• The “Lost World” isn’t just a Jurassic Park film; researchers have discovered a red mangrove forest growing on the banks of the fresh-water San Pedro Martir River — far from its normal habitat on tropical or subtropical coast lines in salt or brackish water. How and when did this “lost world” find its new home?  
• This riveting story in Medium about how art forger Alfredo Martinez got nabbed by “America’s greatest art detective” kind of made me want to change my career. I’ll let you guess which character I want to be. 
• BRB… moving to Montreal to vote in its cat election. Whoever came up with this advertising campaign for a local cat café is my new favorite person. 
• How do we smell petrichor? What gives pencils their distinct smell today, especially now that they’re not made of red cedar? Why was cannon smoke used to ward off the plague? I love this series of microessays entitled, “On The Act of Smelling,” in The Believer.  
• “Netflix for tacos?!" Taco Bell is the latest in an increasingly long line of fast-food establishments venturing into the subscription realm. This could be really great or… well, your digestive track will let you know sooner rather than later.