Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology. Comment policy: say what you want, but back it up with an email address. I don't like anonymous trolls.
mikethemadbiologist
Posts by this author
April 14, 2011
Links for you. Science:
George Price, Group Selection, and AltruismFarming on water: Stackable, sustainable, in the cityIonTorrent: Benchtop Sequencing, Streamlined
Other:
Raghuram Rajan's wrongness ranklesAmerica is burning; Washington fiddlesConcern About Federal DeficitsWar Is Paul Ryan Is a…
April 14, 2011
Sadly, too many Americans are probably unaware that the anniversary surrender of the Confederate rebels at Appomattox happened a few days ago. I've found three posts I highly recommend. First, Tony Wikrent:
One thing I really would like you to take away from this diary is a basic sense of how the…
April 14, 2011
A while ago, I made the following observation in "A Nation of Deluded Dependents" about how many who receive government assistance don't even realize (or perhaps admit) that it's government assistance:
This seems a case of willful ignorance by definition. Government aid is for lazy slackers, for '…
April 13, 2011
Gray. Rainy. Links. Science:
You can't be a fan of SF and lament the rise of ebooksThe Meaning of Mastodon TusksWhen journalists do primary research
Other:
Stop Waiting for a SaviorThe Deficit Debate is Deception DrivelPeter Orszag Can Defuse Complaints About His Giant Wall Street Payday By…
April 13, 2011
Hopefully, I'll suffer the same lack of consequences. Regarding Planned Parenthood, Republican Senator John Kyl recently uttered this factually disabled statement:
...Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) defended Republicans' willingness to shut down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood by falsely…
April 13, 2011
Last week, Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism posted a satirical letter by 'Outis Philalithopoulos' (Outis means 'nobody' in Greek) about another problem facing the economics profession--corruption of its practioners. Outis/Yves writes (italics mine):
Soon after receiving tenure, it occurred to me…
April 12, 2011
Because people can be bamboozled by the simplest schemes. I observed this at my local CVS drugstore:
You'll notice on the left that two bottles of mouthwash can be had ON SALE!!! for $6.98. On the right, one bottle of the same mouthwash costs $5.79.
The one large bottle of mouthwash is the same…
April 12, 2011
I found this post titled "What scientists really want from digital publishing", and, after reading it, I'm pretty certain this scientist doesn't want what's offered. Before I get to the details, here's what computer scientst Philip Bourne offers:
"as a scientist I want an interaction with a…
April 11, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Wolf Crosses the Lake Superior Ice to Become Leader of the PackA Field Guide to Pandemic, Epidemic and Sporadic Clones of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusPhysicist Takes a Look at TIMSSA2s, the national budget crisis, and irrationalityBeyond Heritable IQ in…
April 11, 2011
Comrade Physioprof raises a point I've always wondered about:
...this old saw has been brandished:
Innovation is, and always was, higher in smaller/younger labs[.]
There is never any fucken evidence marshalled in support of this claim.
I'll admit that smaller labs can be quick and nimble,…
April 11, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, President Obama acted like the president we hoped he would be and not the corporate donation seeking tool that he has turned into--he declared a sane educational policy in response to a question about the absurd number of standardized tests some students end up taking:
... we…
April 10, 2011
Still spring-like! Links for you. Science:
Rape is not an "adaptation"Superbugs Found in New Delhi's Water and SewageWhy 23andMe Genetic Testing Is A Waste Of Time And Money (most people just want the engine to run; they don't find the mechanisms interesting...)Why should we care...? II. History…
April 10, 2011
David Plouffe, Obama's spokesman, responds to critics of Obama's capitulation to the Republicans:
"I would ask Robert Reich and others to actually consume the details of this," Mr. Plouffe said in an interview on Saturday. "There are some in our country who simply believe spending cuts are not…
April 10, 2011
Yes, it's good that Planned Parenthood was defunded--I support Planned Parenthood. But the Democrats were routed on the economics. Right now, with U3 unemployment still near nine percent, and under- and unemployment essentially unbudged, we need more spending, not less (remember, government…
April 9, 2011
Spring has finally sprung. Let's celebrate with some links. Science:
Lawrence Krauss Defends a Sex Offender, Embarrasses Scientists EverywhereWho Killed The Deep Space Climate Observatory?Today's lesson: "Alternative" Virginia school closes after half of its students infected with pertussis. All…
April 9, 2011
A few months ago, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg hired a new Chancellor of Schools, Cathleen Black. After 95 days on the job, she was dismissed. Black had been very successful in managing Hearst Magazines and had risen to the rank of president at Hearst. But all that managerial experience…
April 8, 2011
First a video, then some links. Video:
Science:
A carpenter ant at homeWorld Health Day: Time to tackle resistanceBiodiversity Wednesday: The Green Spaces of New York (fascinating about the centipede)What makes a great scientific talk?What Motivates a Climate Skeptic?
Other:
Stephen Moore's ode…
April 8, 2011
Tom Hayden reminds us of two costs of the Libyan war*:
If the US gets lucky this time, Power will be vindicated. It's possible that US airpower can protect opposition ground forces on the road to Tripoli until Qaddafi's regime collapses from within. Even then, the US will have to take part in an…
April 7, 2011
Links for you. Science:
The unpalatable truth is that the anti-nuclear lobby has misled us all: I've discovered that when the facts don't suit them, the movement resorts to the follies of cover-up they usually denounceSignificant (although we can correct for multiple comparisons...)The Evolution…
April 7, 2011
According to Florida Republicans, these are freeloading parasites not worthy of your tax dollars (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
We typically think of budgets as boring, dry things, the charge of the green eyeshade brigade. But they are a profound statement of what we think is important…
April 6, 2011
Feds to College Students: "We don't want your professors to know how to teach"The Claim: Dental Cavities Can Be Contagious.A correlation between gut bacteria and obesity.Plenty more bugs in the seaMeasurements That Mislead: From the SAT to the NFL, the problem with short-term tests Transferable…
April 6, 2011
As long as NIH doesn't end the R2D2 funding mechanism, we'll be fine. The C3PO mechanism was always a joke, however.
I'm hoping the concept that even a stopped clock is right twice a day is operative here:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) denounced on Thursday a Republican proposal to cut…
April 5, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Why is aspirin toxic to cats?F.B.I. Seeks Help Cracking Code in Victim's Notes (of course, if it's just insane babble or doodles....)How to Get Tenure at Almost Every Other Research UniversityAntimicrobial soap ingredient found to accumulate in fish
Other:
Why I'm…
April 5, 2011
Nick Loman listed the fifty most sequenced bacterial genomes according to NCBI. A reader at Nick's blog came up with an improved list--one that reflects the genomes for which we actually have data (depending on who is doing the sequencing, a project will be registered with NCBI, often months…
April 4, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Anxiety May Influence Belief in Intelligent DesignA Sense of Wonder and Awesome Slime MoldsPhysics "A Waste of Time"?Icefish: a really "cool" fish family
Other:
New model legislation would call for states to investigate all abortion clinicsThe worst idea in WashingtonOur…
April 4, 2011
Clearly, I'm suffering from instructor error here, but I'll try it one more time. Back in my parents' day, mothers told daughters, "Learn how to type." Because one never knew if you might have to go it alone, and accurate, rapid typing, at the time, was a genuinely employable skill in demand.…
April 3, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Just Remember, Parsons: Elephants Never Forget (And Neither Will I)How to Get Tenure at a Major Research UniversityDoes evolution contradict the second law of thermodynamics? (no)The Piglet Squid, into the abyss lives a squid with Gonzo's face!
Other:
Cleveland, Texas and…
April 3, 2011
Last evening, I was walking back to my apartment, and I was stopped by a young woman on crutches who said, "I don't mean to bother you, but do you have a moment? I'm trying to get a train from Back Bay Station."
Even if I hadn't recognized her, anyone who lives in Boston knows what comes next. "I…
April 3, 2011
A while ago, I raised the problem--an inconvenient truth, if you will--that moving to a renewable energy future is going to be difficult:
My impression reading a lot of commentary about renewable energy is that there's this fantasy that we just have to build a bunch of windmills, install some solar…
April 2, 2011
It's actually kinda like spring outside. Let's celebrate with some links. Science:
Is econ a science? On its good days, yes.Social insects raise crop yieldsThe heritability debate, againBelly button biome is more than a piece of fluff
Other:
Oh c'mon, are we really talking about starving babies…