Category Archives: science

That’s the way science works

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Steve Caplan

There have been a lot of articles published in newspapers around the world discussing a recent PLoS ONE paper published on July 23 by Harris and Provoust entitled “Jealousy in Dogs.” Ginger, in a reflective, non-jealous mode For those who … Continue reading →

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Scientists: the same old villains and nerds

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Villains and nerds – that’s what scientists are, if you believe the media. At least the “big screen.” Finding myself in a state of near exhaustion this past month, I’ve taken the opportunity to watch a few films on ‘Netflix.’ … Continue reading →

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A breath of fresh (scientific) air

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Steve Caplan

As I sat yesterday in a student career development workshop, and listened to the fears and anxieties surrounding the prospects of a career in academia – or in any scientific field, for that matter – I felt a million miles … Continue reading →

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100 years of…. biochemistry!

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Steve Caplan

No, not 100 Years of Solitude – Biochemistry! Last week was a very special occasion in our department – the celebration of 100 years of existence of our department, the Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB). 100 years is … Continue reading →

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OMICS, in your face…

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Before you can say “endocytic recycling,” there it is, OMICS strikes again with its ridiculous ‘in-your-face‘ attempts to hoodwink researchers into submitting manuscripts (and money). I am glad to be an “eminent, efficient and supportive adept,” but: 1) I don’t … Continue reading →

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What makes a dog tick? No pun intended…

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Having adopted Ginger as a 4 year old Vizsla-Labrador retriever mix less than a year ago from an animal rescue organization in Nebraska, I cannot even remember what life used to be like pre-arrival of my loyal retriever-pointer-and all around … Continue reading →

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The ease of publishing does not reflect the realities of science

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Almost every day I am besieged through email to either join editorial boards of new ‘up-and-coming’ journals or submit manuscripts to them. Neither is a trivial matter for me. A submitted manuscript often comes after several years of research by … Continue reading →

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On the connection between (April) fools and trolls

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Trolls seldom have anything worthwhile to say. They twist, bully, rant and rave and insult, putting forth their worst drivel to provoke a response. All behind a cloak of anonymity. That is the nature of a troll; inevitably a loser … Continue reading →

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Volcanoes

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Steve Caplan

Many geologists and climatologists believe that global warming aside, the next major global climate issues are most likely to come from the explosion of a super-volcano; after all, just look at what an isolated Icelandic volcano did to air traffic … Continue reading →

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Costa Rica: Part 2- river adventures (“Don’t cross the river, if you can’t swim the tide…”)

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Steve Caplan

No visit to Costa Rica would be complete without visiting the fascinating rivers than run through the luscious rain forests. However, there are a wide variety of river adventures, some of which I would warmly endorse, whereas others – well … Continue reading →

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