Random links

Noninvasive spinal stimulation method enables paralyzed people to regain use of hands, study finds
This sounds really cool: "A UCLA-led team of scientists reports that six people with severe spinal cord injuries — three of them completely paralyzed — have regained use of their hands and fingers for the first time in years after undergoing a nonsurgical, noninvasive spinal stimulation procedure the researchers developed. ... In addition to regaining use of their fingers, the research subjects also gained other health benefits, including improved blood pressure, bladder function, cardiovascular function and the ability to sit upright without support."
Watching the Election from The Post-Truth Future
"Contrary to popular sentiment in the US, Chinese readers don’t blindly trust the state-run media. Rather, they distrust it so much that they don’t trust any form of media, instead putting their faith in what their friends and family tell them. No institution is trusted enough to act as a definitive fact-checker, and so it’s easy for misinformation to proliferate unchecked. This has been China’s story for decades. In 2016, it is starting to be the US’ story as well."
Getting the message across: evaluating think tank influence in Congress
"think tanks engage in strategic ideological positioning to maximize their influence. ... think tanks’ ideological positioning affects directly how members of Congress engage with them, both by citing them in floor speeches and in calling them to testify, with more extreme think tanks being cited more frequently in floor speeches and more moderate think tanks called more often to testify." You can find an ungated draft of the paper here