whales

Willy Wonka would have liked this, but I can't imagine a whole lot of human cooks worth their -- ahem -- salt, will have much interest: a company is selling a book of spices made from edible paper. Want some chili flavoring in a dish? Just rip out the perforated page and put in the pan.

In today's links: forcing people to smoke fails, why it's sometimes better to eat bland food, and more.

Apparently, freeing Willy was not so good an idea. A new paper suggests that the killer whale who played the titular character in the 1993 movie did not really thrive after being returned to the wild. However, we're not really seeing a sequel, Keep Willy in Chains.

Also in today's links: a creepy child robot destined to star in a horror movie, breaking down a car factory and more.

With much of the world's fish population in a precarious state, here are some recipes to prepare for a future eating other kinds of sea creatures: jellyfish tempura and Greek-style squid.

Also in today's links: big babies, bionic eyes, and more.

Yes, she's still in the news. This time it's a battle over protecting beluga whales. Erstwhile VP candidate Sarah Palin has filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government over protection for the belugas of Cook Inlet. Her chief of staff wrote the fabulously titled op-ed for the Anchorage Daily News, "Protection Requirements for Cook Inlet Belugas Are Silly."

Also in today's links: lighting the earth's farts, wearing out your brain on Facebook and more.

Whales, spiders, butterflies, explaining optical illusions, anticipating flu outbreaks, and more, all in today's links.