A Data Visualization Newsletter

We’re excited to share this collaboration with How We Get to Next, a publication about how breakthroughs in science and technology are building the future. It’s about “microphysiological systems”, or organs on chips, that can simulate human organ systems like the lungs and intestines and are only the size of a computer memory stick. These chips have the potential to aid in the development of new drugs and help the military prepare bioterrorism countermeasures. Be sure to play with the interactive chip midway through the article :)

Many complain that pop songs are starting to sound more and more similar, but this new essay from The Pudding has the numbers to prove it. Their analysis of Echo Nest data shows that, according to a variety of indicators, hit songs appear to have become increasingly homogenous over time. Find out what those indicators are, and what the future of music might hold.

As a part of their “Planet or Plastic” series, the team at National Geographic spun up this stunning piece on where discarded plastic ends up. Through maps and powerful visuals, they show us how so much debris ends up on a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean. While Asia is the main culprit of this global waste problem, there are still many ways that we can all help clean up our Earth.

Here’s the latest article from Nathan Yau at Flowing Data, just in time for a Game 7 matchup between the Warriors and Rockets tonight. It provides a visual tool to “cherry pick” stats, i.e. a team is X percent more likely to win when some star player reaches an arbitrary threshold in one statistical category. Perhaps the Stephen A. Smith’s of the world should take note.

According to this analysis by NYT’s Sahil Chinoy, about 90% of total damage due to natural disaster occurred in ZIP codes that contain less than 20% of the U.S. population. Yet, subsidies from the federal government in the aftermath encourages people to rebuild in disaster-prone regions instead of moving. Come for the analysis, stay for Chinoy’s beautiful maps of data from the Small Business Administration.