Author Archives: Steve Caplan

About Steve Caplan

I am a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska where I mentor a group of students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers working on endocytic protein trafficking. My first lablit novel, "Matter Over Mind," is about a biomedical researcher seeking tenure and struggling to overcome the consequences of growing up with a parent suffering from bipolar disorder. Lablit novel #2, "Welcome Home, Sir," published by Anaphora Literary Press, deals with a hypochondriac principal investigator whose service in the army and post-traumatic stress disorder actually prepare him well for academic, but not personal success. Novel #3, "A Degree of Betrayal," is an academic murder mystery. "Saving One" is my most recent novel set at the National Institutes of Health. Now IN PRESS: Today's Curiosity is Tomorrow's Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research (CRC PRESS, 2021). https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B006CSULBW? All views expressed are my own, of course--after all, I hate advertising.

The Lady and the Trump

Posted on 19 September 2015 by Steve Caplan

This week, my family and I convened to do something very unusual: to watch television. And not just any television program — no, it was to watch the Republican presidential candidate debate. While I fully expected the debate to be … Continue reading →

Posted in autism, Ben Carson, CDC, doctor, Donald Trump, education, ignorance, NIH, pediatrician, Rand Paul, Republican debate, Research, science, vaccine, vaccines | Comments Off on The Lady and the Trump

Flushing out the culprit

Posted on 22 August 2015 by Steve Caplan

Over the years in academia, I’ve learned a trick or two about good administration. And here I am, rising to the task: a serial leaver-of-paper on the men’s departmental toilet seat needed to be taken care of. At first, I … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, administration, cleanliness, humor, Research, science, toilets | Comments Off on Flushing out the culprit

Right on: the only museum dedicated entirely to human rights

Posted on 28 July 2015 by Steve Caplan

Technology and hands-on exhibits make the Canadian Museum for Human Rights accessible for visitors of all ages When I last visited family in the city of Winnipeg, Canada, I had the opportunity to do a tour of the outside of … Continue reading →

Posted in Assiniboine River, Canada, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, education, Forks, Holocaust, Holodomor, human rights, Manitoba, Red River, Winnipeg, women's rights | Comments Off on Right on: the only museum dedicated entirely to human rights

Who the hell will tell me who my father really was?!

Posted on 7 July 2015 by Steve Caplan

This angry question, uttered repeatedly by the protagonist of Bualem Sansal‘s courageous and thought-provoking novel, translated into English as “The German Mujahid,” has been permanently etched in my brain. The story follows the day-to-day chaos in the life of Malrich, … Continue reading →

Posted in Algeria, Bualem Sansal, genocide, Holocaust, housing projects, Islamic fundamentalism, mass murder, Paris, reviews, The German Mujahid | Comments Off on Who the hell will tell me who my father really was?!

Being an expert in (membrane) recycling has perks!

Posted on 8 May 2015 by Steve Caplan

This morning I awoke to the following email (and yes, “OMICS” does it again): Dear Dr. Steve Caplan, Greetings of the day. Hope you are doing well.

Posted in barcelona, emminence, endocytosis, humor, mitosis, OMICS, recycling, Research, science | Comments Off on Being an expert in (membrane) recycling has perks!

Paying for peer review? No thanks, I’m outta here…

Posted on 12 April 2015 by Steve Caplan

I spent Friday traveling west of Omaha to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, in of course, Kearney, Nebraska–about 3 hours west of Omaha. The University of Nebraska has 4 major campuses: 1) The University of Nebraska Medical Center (where … Continue reading →

Posted in compensation, editor, editorial board, editors, journals, nature, peer review, publishing, Research, review, rubriq, science, scientific reports | Comments Off on Paying for peer review? No thanks, I’m outta here…

Sweet Serendipitous Science

Posted on 8 March 2015 by Steve Caplan

One of the best arguments for supporting basic science is that serendipitous discoveries — those not necessarily outlined in a grant proposal — have always been key to scientific progress. Many of us who lobby for basic science like to … Continue reading →

Posted in allulose, Andrew Han, basic science, fructose, Izumori, Newsweek, penicillin, Research, science, sugars | Comments Off on Sweet Serendipitous Science

Cheating in science — and life

Posted on 7 February 2015 by Steve Caplan

Not too long ago, one of my teenagers brought up an age-old ethical issue that recurs and festers, and at least theoretically, provides an opportunity for open discussion on “what do we want out of life?” The issue at stake, … Continue reading →

Posted in A grade, cheating, Chronicle of Higher Education, education, exams, getting ahead, medical schoolmath, Research, science, undergraduate education | Comments Off on Cheating in science — and life

Moved to poetry by….OMICS

Posted on 24 January 2015 by Steve Caplan

Yes, the unfunny joke of a company called OMICS has moved me. Debating between tears and poetry, I opted for the latter, writing my “Epic Omics Limmerick,” provoked by the email pasted below. Here is my verse: There once was … Continue reading →

Posted in BS, fraud, humor, limmerick, OMICS, Open Access, poetry, Research, science, science journals, Science research, sucker born every minute | Comments Off on Moved to poetry by….OMICS

Let’s just call it “ideology”

Posted on 19 January 2015 by Steve Caplan

The recent murderous terror attacks in Paris at the weekly “Charlie Hebdo” magazine office and the Kosher supermarket — as well as the policewoman who was killed in the street — probably elicited the same emotions in me that they … Continue reading →

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