Category Archives: science

Why I got out of research

Posted on June 14, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My last post explained how I got into research. This post concerns why I got out*. I loved many aspects of bench research. I think that performing original research is a privilege that few people are lucky enough to experience. … Continue reading →

Posted in career, personal, rants, science | 10 Comments

Why I got into science

Posted on June 13, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I don’t usually believe in fate, but I do believe that I was meant to be a scientist. Whether it’s innate curiosity and logic, or a mixture of other traits, I seem to be very well suited to biology in … Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, personal, science | 2 Comments

I’m a specialised generalist

Posted on June 10, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Another month, another conference. This is June, so it must be clinical immunology in San Diego. As a postdoctoral researcher I used to go to one major meeting per year, usually the American Society of Human Genetics. That was when … Continue reading →

Posted in career, conferences, science | 1 Comment

On the Origin of Tumours by Means of Natural Selection

Posted on June 8, 2007 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I had an interesting conversation with a medical doctor this week. Granted, I’d much rather he’d chosen not to discuss cancer stem cells while removing a suspicious mole from my arm, but these things often seem to happen to me … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, medicine, science | 2 Comments

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!

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