• From the New York Times, check out, Scientists Investigate How Viruses Like Zika Cause Birth Defects.

• Last month, the Wellcome Library released more than 100,000 high resolution images online under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY licenses. The collection spans centuries and includes a wealth of resources for researchers – read more about some of the highlights in the blog announcement.

• On Forbes, Judy Stone writes about the new bacteria found to cause Lyme Disease in the Midwest.

• Apple has refused to help the FBI unlock the phone of a suspect in the San Bernadino Mass Shooting, coverage from NPR here.

• For those of us who are Twitter users, Phil Bradley has compiled a list of 10 New Twitter Tools. The tools offer a range of solutions, from help posting longer tweets and adding images to ways of exploring analytics and strategizing your posts.
• Last month on the Guggenheim’s blog Checklist, Caitlin Dover visited with with Arlene Shaner, Historical Collections Librarian at New York Academy of Medicine‘s Rare Book Room to see examples of the long tradition of doctors as artists. NYAM’s own Urban Health Matters Blog, Lisa O’Sullivan, PhD, also explored the interconnectedness between art, medicine, and the humanities.
• Earlier this week, Ars Technica reported that a draft deal on surveillance had been reached by the US and the EU.
• For those of you interested in further research on intellectual freedom, Steven Greechie has written Intellectual Freedom Associations: Resources for Online Research, in the current issue of College and Research Library News.

A safe and happy holiday to everyone! Here are a few items that have caught my attention recently:

• The AMA has called for a ban on direct to consumer advertising of medications and implantable medical devices. A report from the AP is here.

• Some food for thought on Bibliographic Wilderness called Linked Data Caution.  Sure linked data is a great tool, but to what end is it being used and implemented? Via Ondatra iSchoolicus aka @Libskrat.

• Have you seen the recent reports about invasive permissions requested by Apps on Android phones? Visit the Pew Research Center for a through overview and analysis.