Author Archives: Cath@VWXYNot?

About Cath@VWXYNot?

"one of the sillier science bloggers [...] I thought I should give a warning to the more staid members of the community." - Bob O'Hara, December 2010

Say again?

Posted on July 17, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I saw an advert on local TV last night for an upcoming street festival. It was described as a fun-free event for all the family.I guess the announcer didn’t realise that a comma translates to a pause…

Posted in English language, silliness, Vancouver | Comments Off on Say again?

Field dispatches from the war on viruses

Posted on July 15, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have yet to be formally challenged, so I will take the initiative to venture ever so slightly away from the very centre of my usual comfort zone…I have written before about the ongoing arms race between viruses and the … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, journal club, original research, science, virology | 2 Comments

Challenge me!

Posted on July 11, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’ve been actively soliciting feedback from scientists whose papers I have summarised on this blog. A critique I received from one respondent is that my posts are very technical, and might be difficult for the lay person to follow.I tend … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, publishing, science | 6 Comments

The singing cyclist

Posted on July 11, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

It’s a beautiful day for bicycle commuting, you’ve crested the hill, and it’s downhill all the way to work. Traffic is light, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing.So what are some really unfortunate songs to get stuck … Continue reading →

Posted in cycling, music, personal, silliness | Comments Off on The singing cyclist

Evolving regulation

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

For the latest installment of my Sunday Journal Club, I had initially thought of summarising this paper, but half of the internet seems to have been there before me. All I will contribute to the debate is to say that … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, journal club, original research, science | 2 Comments

Tonight’s entertainment provided by…

Posted on July 6, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

A very entertaining 64th Skeptics’ Circle is now up at the skeptical alchemist – and I get to make my first contribution! I must be going up in the world. Here’s something else that is enormous fun to read, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnivals, creationism, embarrassing fan girl, evolution, science, silliness | Comments Off on Tonight’s entertainment provided by…

So-called Science

Posted on July 4, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

What message did you infer from my choice of title? Perhaps that I am going to talk about something that is posing as science – pretending to be the real deal – but that is actually some kind of quackery … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, English language, rants, science | 2 Comments

Spot the Difference

Posted on July 1, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Apologies for the shockingly unsophisticated use of images below. I will try and find someone to help me fix it… Here is the Reasons to Believe 2003 archives page, as printed on 19th April 2004, kept in a folder for … Continue reading →

Posted in creationism, evolution, Reasons not to believe in lies | 6 Comments

Tagged! I’m It.

Posted on June 29, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Well, I’ve heard of transposon tagging, but I’ve never personally been tagged by an ERV before. Yes, the ‘8 Random Things About You’ game has arrived! I feel so validated.Here are the rules: We have to post these rules before … Continue reading →

Posted in meme, personal, silliness | 4 Comments

Fun with yeasty beasties

Posted on June 26, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’ve always been quite envious of researchers who work with yeast; there are some amazing tools available for microbial genetic analysis that just don’t exist for mammalian systems. You do have to put up with some unpleasant odours in your … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, journal club, original research, science | 6 Comments