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

RNA people reading this?

Posted on May 30, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

RNA is best known for its role in protein synthesis. A section of chromosomal DNA is copied (transcribed) into a single strand of the chemically similar RNA, which migrates from the nucleus into the cytoplasm. The 4-letter RNA code is … Continue reading →

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

The Creation Museum Carnival

Posted on May 28, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

PZ Myers has co-ordinated a fantastic response to the opening of a Creation Museum in the States. I’m afraid I didn’t get around to contributing anything myself, but here’s a nice juicy link:Creation Museum CarnivalOn a recent trip to Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in creationism, education, science | Comments Off on The Creation Museum Carnival

Science is a Symphony

Posted on May 24, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I came into work this morning thinking that it was about time I found an interesting paper to summarise here. My inbox contained table of contents alerts from various journals, so I ignored the strictly work-related ones and went straight … Continue reading →

Posted in journal club, music, original research, science | 5 Comments

A perfect forum for the work I’m no longer doing!

Posted on May 22, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

As someone who previously worked on the co-evolution of primates with endogenous retroviruses, and whose recent career change required a rapid refresher course in immunology, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to a new journal – Cell … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, publishing, science | Comments Off on A perfect forum for the work I’m no longer doing!

First rule of The Race: do not talk about The Race.

Posted on May 18, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I am lucky enough to be able to cycle to work every day, using three of the many designated bike routes that criss-cross the city of Vancouver. These are quiet side streets with various traffic calming measures and favourable stop … Continue reading →

Posted in cycling, Vancouver | 4 Comments

Career advice for aspiring scientists

Posted on May 16, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I freely admit that I am a huge geek. I knew from a very early age (around 15 or 16) that I wanted to be a professional geek, also known as a scientist. As soon as I realised that there … Continue reading →

Posted in career, conferences, science | 2 Comments

Drunk dancing scientists

Posted on May 11, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’m attending a conference this week. Yes, I am one of those people who stands at a booth trying to make sure that I get something back for all the free pens I give away. At this conference that means … Continue reading →

Posted in conferences, drunkenness, science | 2 Comments

The joy of citation

Posted on May 10, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

One of the things I miss most about research is reading scientific papers. I try to keep up with the literature, but there’s much less incentive when your entire career doesn’t depend on knowing what’s been published lately. I dutifully … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, science | 4 Comments