Ask a ScienceBlogger
jstemwedel | June 16, 2008
As I emerge from my fever, I ponder the latest "Ask a ScienceBlogger" question:
There are many, many academic bloggers out there feverishly blogging about their areas of interest. Still, there are many, many more academics who don't. So, why do you blog and how does blogging help with your research?
I started this blog as a way to remind my students (and myself) how my subject, the ethical conduct of science, is relevant to lots of things happening in the world right now. Some of those things involve scientists caught misbehaving, or scientific communities trying to figure out what sorts of…
jstemwedel | February 15, 2008Once again, Dave Ng at The World's Fair issues a challenge:
If you had to write your memoirs in 6 words, what would they be?
Writing that memoir today, here are mine:
Chemist. Philosopher. Parent. Blogger.
Grown-up? Someday.
Six words fit very nicely in the comments field -- what's your life story?
jstemwedel | February 12, 2008
"What is a disease?"
It would be nice to think that this is the kind of question where there are clear-cut, fact-based answers to be had. "Disease" is a term that seems to pick out a category of biological conditions, and biologists are pretty good with categorization.
A disease might be a particular physiological state that is incompatible with the proper functioning of an organism (say, because that state interferes with extracting nutrients from food, or expelling waste products, or oxygenating blood and moving it around the body). Or, from the geneticist's point of view, a disease…
jstemwedel | January 10, 2008
"Why don't they make a birth control pill for men?"
There are important considerations from medical ethics that might explain why a birth control pill for men has not happened yet.
You'd think that there would be an ethical impetus for the development of a birth control pill for men, given that men (or at least, their sperm) are a necessary component of human reproduction and that men have an interest in controlling their fertility, too. Men might view such a pill as a useful option. The question is whether that benefit outweighs the potential risks.
The Belmont Report (which lays out the…
jstemwedel | December 11, 2007David Ng at The World's Fair asks what kind of scientist Santa Claus might be. I'm not sure I have the answer to that, but I at least have a hunch about what kind of scientist might make the most headway studying Santa. (Of course, if Santa followed Socrates' advice to "Know thyself," that would be the kind of scientist Santa should be.)
So, here are the facts as we know them:
Santa delivers gifts or toys to millions of locations in a fairly narrow window of time in the same night.
Despite his reputed girth, Santa manages to make it down the chimney.
Observing Santa at work is a Very Bad…
evolgen | December 3, 2007
Not all animals must have sex with another individual to produce perfectly viable offspring. And neither do humans, thanks to technological breakthroughs in artificial insemination. But what about those critters that do not require masturbation and meat basters to produce babies sans contact with another individual? Remarkably, this is quite common in the animal kingdom, although different animals go about doing it in different ways.
Caenorhabditis elegans, the roundworm that has become a popular model in developmental biology, lives in populations made up almost entirely of hermaphrodites.…
jstemwedel | September 19, 2007Avast, ye bloglubbers!
We be starin' down the crow's nest at another International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a holiday marked in these seas by the seizin' o' this bucket by the Dread Pirate Free-Ride. Aye, it happened last year, and by the beak o' the squid guardin' Davy Jones' locker*, it's happened again.
What's that ye be sayin'? Pirates didn't really be sayin' "Arrrr"? Shove some hardtack in that mouth or I be usin' it to scrape the barnacles off this bucket!
Me deckhand Smee be askin', "Why is it we seafarers be callin' each other scurvy dogs? Do dogs be gettin' scurvy?"
A fine…
jstemwedel | September 18, 2007
Civilization's imminent collapse is upon us. What's in your survival pack?
There are many ways that civilization could collapse, so let me put my assumptions on the table: I'm considering a world where the electrical grid, phone and internet communications, and running water and waste water treatment systems are no longer operative. For sure you can't drive to the store for a loaf of bread because the stores will have been long since looted and the gas stations have no more gas.
I am not assuming sea levels rising dozens of feet all at once (since that will put me and mine well…
neurontic | August 10, 2007My gut response after reading this question was: Well, duh--obviously, summer is more conducive to happiness. I mean, you can make a good case for the virtues of spring and fall, but they're really less seasons than they are opening acts. And apart from Christmas and skiing, winter doesn't have a whole lot to recommend it. Nope. If you're ranking seasons, summertime is the clear winner. Summer=hot sun, slow, quiet afternoons, and water-logged family vacations. What more does a human being need to be happy, apart from an air-conditioner and an ample supply of snacks?
Proving my theory seemed…
sciencetolife | July 30, 2007
I have the honor of answering the next installment of "Ask a ScienceBlogger". This time around the question is:
Can a forensic scientist tell the difference between DNA from blood samples of identical twins?
The short answer is "No."
Identical, or monozygotic, twins occur when a fertilized egg divides into two embryos that then develop into separate fetuses. Because they come from a single egg that's been fertilized by a single sperm, identical twins have identical DNA. This makes it difficult for forensic scientists to distinguish between DNA from blood samples of identical twins.
To set…
scientificactivist | June 19, 2007For this round of Ask a ScienceBlogger, the question is "Is sunshine good for you?"
It's a beautiful sunny day outside. And, of course, you're stuck in the lab (or the office, classroom, or daily holding tank of your choice). Although you may thumb your nose at those who seem to have nothing better to do than have fun in the sun, don't be so quick to judge. In fact, your lack of sun exposure might be partially to blame for that not-so-sunny disposition of yours. Or worse.
Your body operates on a 24-hour circadian rhythm, and regular daily exposure to sunlight keeps it running smoothly. So,…
jstemwedel | May 17, 2007Dave at The World's Fair is collecting field data on coffee mugs. Or maybe he's trying to create a meme.
Anyway, he poses a bunch of questions which I seem to be unable to resist answering:
Can you show us your coffee cup?
Can you comment on it? Do you think it reflects on your personality?
Do you have any interesting anecdotes resulting from coffee cup commentary?
Can you try to get others to comment on it?
My answers will be restricted to the coffee delivery vessels (all three of them) I use at work, thus excluding the travel mug I use in the car on weekday mornings and the mugs I use at…
dmunger | April 4, 2007Cognitive Daily has been chosen to respond to the first question in a newly revised feature on ScienceBlogs: Ask a ScienceBlogger. Readers can submit questions, and they'll be answered by an expert in the field of inquiry (even though it's posted under Dave's name, Dave and Greta worked together on this one). Then, hopefully, discussion among the various ScienceBlogs will ensue. This week's question:
What's the difference between psychology and neuroscience? Is psychology still relevant as we learn more about the brain and how it works?
The main difference between psychology and neuroscience…
jstemwedel | March 12, 2007Chris at Mixing Memory points to research that suggests musical preferences provide a window to the personality. I haven't seen the research yet but, at Chris's prompting, I'll throw myself into the ring as an experimental subject by listing 10 songs I like an awful lot*:
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Knock Me Down
Ani Di Franco, Gravel
Public Enemy, Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man
Sleater-Kinney, Good Things
Steely Dan, My Old School
Billy Bragg, St. Swithin's Day
Nina Simone, My Baby Just Cares for Me
The Beatles, I'm Only Sleeping
Descendants, Wendy
Dar Williams, In Love But Not at Peace
There are…
jstemwedel | January 12, 2007Chad and Tara have spilled the beans on a highly classified backchannel discussion we ScienceBloggers have been having. Since the cat is already out of the bag (presumably a bag of beans), I suppose I'll chime in.
What basic concepts would you like me to explain here?
The idea, of course, would be for me to take a basic concept from my area of expertise and explain it in such a way that an intelligent non-expert would be able to grasp the important bits. As well, I'd want to explain why it matters to get clear on the concept, what it's good for, etc.
I'd be happy to entertain requests…
retrospectacle | January 12, 2007The worst criticism I ever received happened when I was an undergrad. I was under the mentorship of an extremely bright and competent biochemist, who today I could honestly say nothing but wonderful things about. I was being trained by her in basic molecular biology and biochemical techniques that summer, but unfortunately, right in the middle of my fellowship there, my relationship of 4 years dissolved (in a particularly nasty way). I was devastated, and left only barely functional, but thought it would be unprofessional and tacky to bring this up as an excuse for my despondence and…
evolgen | December 4, 2006The funniest lab accident?
There was the time I spent an entire day trying to make electrophoretic gels using distilled water instead of buffer. The agarose suspended fine in the distilled water, but I couldn't get it to solidify. I kept remaking the agarose solution and never got anything worthwhile. The next day, I asked a lab mate what I was doing wrong. I found out and felt damn stupid.
And just last week the autoclave leaked. A brown liquid covered the floor. It was real funny while I cleaned it up.
Or how about the time I mouth pipetted ethyl methanesulfonate . . . NOT!!
jstemwedel | December 1, 2006The most recent Ask A ScienceBlogger question is:
What's the funniest lab accident you've ever had?
Those who know me can tell you I like to laugh, but I'm having trouble coming up with a lab accident that I'd call funny.
During my doctoral research in chemistry, lab accidents were anything but funny. The time the waste-trap didn't work right? We had to call a HAZMAT team to clean it up. The time my glass reaction vessel went smashy-smashy? I had to hie myself to a glass-blowing shop with the detailed internal dimensions (which, luckily, I had measured and recorded mere weeks before) and…
evolgen | November 22, 2006Who would you nominate for Scientist Laureate, if such a position existed?
That's the question they are asking us this week. And everyone is answering E.O. Wilson. This, of course, comes with the caveat that if Carl Sagan were alive today, he'd be the obvious choice.
If we can't get Carl Sagan, why not go after the guy Nick Matzke calls "the new Carl Sagan"? Nick's post is in response to this article in the NYTimes about the Beyond Belief meeting -- where science, religion, and atheism were discussed. Nick thinks Neil deGrasse Tyson stood out because, instead of attacking the religious or…
evolgen | November 16, 2006The editors are asking us for the best pickup lines for scientists and science-savvy folks. How's about this:
Hey baby, that's a nice cleavage furrow, how about we introgress? I promise, no incomplete penetrance.