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Excerpt

Posted on 12 October 2011 by Henry Gee

I have been deluged by a request from a Dr J. G. of Sussex to see some of the draft of my ongoing book, The Beowulf Effect: Fossils, Evolution and the Human Condition. I’m now well over 30,000 words in – so almost halfway – and the writing is proceeding apace. I’m quite pleased with this bit, which arrives hot and steaming f Continue reading →

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Is this an Insoluble Problem?

Posted on 12 October 2011 by Athene Donald

Previous posts by fellow OT blogger Jenny Rohn (here and here) and me (here) about fellowship funding have sparked a lot of debate and interest. With the report that Science is Vital has just produced for David Willetts described in another of her posts, plus the round table that Jenny and I will both be participating in later in the month with Wil Continue reading →

Posted in careers, David Willetts, fairness, fellowships, postdocs, Science Culture, Science Funding, Science Is Vital | Comments Off on Is this an Insoluble Problem?

The Royal Society Library [4]

Posted on 11 October 2011 by Frank Norman

Librarians love to snoop round other libraries, looking for new ideas and taking inspiration from different institutions and their collections. I must confess that sometimes I find such visits a bit tedious but I really enjoyed my latest visit. Last week I went with a small group of fellow librarians to the Royal Society library, courtesy of Librar Continue reading →

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Science Crossword Quiz

Posted on 11 October 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

As I mentioned on Friday, while tidying my desk at work last week I found a new and miraculously untouched science puzzle from last year’s desk calendar! It’s in the form of a crossword, and after trying and failing to format the grid properly, here’s a damn photo:

Please post your answers in the comments,

L I K E
T H I S
I S U P
P O S Continue reading →

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International Congress of Human Genetics – day 1 [7]

Posted on 11 October 2011 by Richard Wintle

Palais des Congrès, Montréal
This is where it will all happen… tomorrow.

Well, day “minus one” really, since the thing doesn’t start until tomorrow.

Nevertheless, I have braved the Canadian Nationalized Train Service, and am now, after a long and interesting discussion with a mathematician from Dalhousie University, who (a) happened to be sitting next Continue reading →

Posted in and so forth, ASHG, Canada, conference, conferences, farming, farms, Guest posts, ICHG, is anyone else blogging here?, Montreal, not really releasing Calcium from intracellular stores, Photography, rural Quebec, trains | Comments Off on International Congress of Human Genetics – day 1 [7]

Misquotation

Posted on 9 October 2011 by Henry Gee

As both of you will know by now, my next book, which I’m writing now, will be called The Beowulf Effect: Fossils, Evolution and the Human Condition. In it, I revisit some of the themes I first explored in my book In Search of Deep Time more than a decade ago, specifically, the common mistake made by evolutionary biologists in re-telling evolu Continue reading →

Posted in creationists, cretinists, deep time, devotees of the great sky fairy, in search of deep time, the beowulf effect, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Misquotation

Science is Vital meets David Willetts

Posted on 9 October 2011 by rpg

Cross-posted from Science is Vital.

Following the publication of our report on science careers in the UK, which drew on nearly 700 responses to a call for evidence, members of the Science is Vital team met with Minister of State for Universities and Science, the Rt Hon David Willetts, MP, on Thursday 6th October to discuss matters arising and expl Continue reading →

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Science in isolation

Posted on 9 October 2011 by Steve Caplan

A recent invitation and very pleasant visit at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (UOHSC) served as a stark reminder of the degree of isolation that I have been facing on a daily basis since moving to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) 8 years ago. Both campuses share a number of common features: 1) they are small-mediu Continue reading →

Posted in faculty, isolation, lonesome george, microscope, Nebraska, omaha, Research, science, technician, This is for all the lonely people... | Comments Off on Science in isolation

Dresden

Posted on 8 October 2011 by Henry Gee

I’m just back from a visit to the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden. If I told you what I found out, I’d have to kill you. Suffice it to say that this ex-paleontologist found that cell and molecular biology can be really, really, interesting. Who knew? I was there in part to do my stand-up routine (h Continue reading →

Posted in civilization, cuisine des girrafes, Domesticrox, dresden, max planck institute for molecular cell biology and genetics, Research, Science Is Vital | Comments Off on Dresden

Frittering

Posted on 7 October 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Friday Twittering – is there anything finer?

In other news, while tidying my desk today I found a new and miraculously untouched science puzzle from last year’s desk calendar. I’ll post it tomorrow (or possibly on Sunday) for your geeky pleasure. Continue reading →

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