Category Archives: research

Brief Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry–a novel by Bonnie Garmus

I can hardly keep up with the reading pace of some of my Occam’s Typewriter colleagues (looking at you, Dr. Gee—and I loved the Richard Osman recommendations!), but I have had the pleasure of reading a number of really good … Continue reading

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Persistence: the essence of science in a nutshell

In 2015, I wrote a blog that was published in The Guardian titled “Can we expect a MIRAcle for biomedical researchers in the US?” In this blog I outlined the radical new plan of the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) General … Continue reading

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It’s out! Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure

Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research is now officially published and available from Routledge/Taylor & Francis/CRC Press on their website, from Amazon and all the regular book sellers, including Barnes & Nobles, Waterstones, etc. I’m … Continue reading

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Corner Office

As a child, one of the most humiliating punishments at (elementary) school was being banished “to the corner” for bad behavior. Something to be avoided at all costs. But as an adult, I have learned that there are advantages to … Continue reading

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Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research

I am very excited to finally have my most recent book, “Today’s Curiosity is Tomorrow’s Cure: The Case for Basic Biomedical Research” in press and now available for preorder.  For a very long time I have been concerned that there is decreasing … Continue reading

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A perfect experiment and the poop factor

In the midst of the pandemic, it was time for me to plant my tomatoes. Being unwilling to visit local nurseries for obvious reasons, I did the next best thing and ordered 12 tomato plants online. The drawback was that … Continue reading

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In the shadow of the great narcissist

Having written my last post titled “Preliminary lessons from a global pandemic” on March 8, before my self-imposed sequestration at home for the past 6 weeks, I find it too depressing to write a sequel on additional lessons. Much has … Continue reading

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Preliminary lessons from a global pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) map of COVID-19 infections as of March 8, 2020 1)         All humans on this planet are one species, with a genetically identical composition. The Coronavirus doesn’t distinguish between any of the so-called “races” … Continue reading

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The Coronaviral lie detector

Coronavirus cover from the Journal of Biological Chemistry’s virtual issues. Back in Oct. 2019, the Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler had counted 13,435 lies or false claims by President Donald Trump. They came in all shapes and sizes, large and small, … Continue reading

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Does it pass the smell-test? Review of “The DNA of you and me”

Moving into 2020, I realize that this is now my 10th year of blogging, a sport that I never really signed up for. In 2010, my daughter was 13 years old; now she is preparing for a series of interviews … Continue reading

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