science tatoos

linky

I won't be getting one, but I'm impressed by the devotion to the cause(s).

How perfectly cool is this bit of news from the NYT?

Oliver Sacks Joins Columbia Faculty as ‘Artist’

The new appointment will allow Dr. Sacks, the author of 10 books and a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, to range freely across Columbia’s departments, teaching, giving public lectures, conducting seminars, seeing patients and collaborating with other faculty members. Many of the details of his appointment have yet to be worked out, but among other things, he will be teaching in the university’s creative writing department as well as at the medical school.

Hearing about this new interdisciplinary position makes me happy. My two life goals: philanthropy and (more importantly) creative leeway.

Phd comics....hits a little close to home.

the difference.

politics and pipettes

Indeed.

As Noel put it, it's like the bitch-ifying slime running under New York City in Ghostbusters. Things have just been uncomfortably off. And I can only hope the worst has passed.

the joys of research

Unexpected findings, such as rats....giggling.



Thanks, CuteOverload.

All I know is....


...I should be in Atlanta right now.

Despite current interest in estimating the diversity of fossil and extant groups, little effort has been devoted to estimating the diversity of dinosaurs. Here we estimate the diversity of nonavian dinosaurs at 1,850 genera, including those that remain to be discovered. With 527 genera currently described, at least 71% of dinosaur genera thus remain unknown. Although known diversity declined in the last stage of the Cretaceous, estimated diversity was steady, suggesting that dinosaurs as a whole were not in decline in the 10 million years before their ultimate extinction. We also show that known diversity is biased by the availability of fossiliferous rock outcrop. Finally, by using a logistic model, we predict that 75% of discoverable genera will be known within 60–100 years and 90% within 100–140 years. Because of nonrandom factors affecting the process of fossil discovery (which preclude the possibility of computing realistic confidence bounds), our estimate of diversity is likely to be a lower bound.

Wang SC, Dodson P. Estimating the diversity of dinosaurs.

PNAS September 12, 2006 vol. 103 no.
37 13601-13605

Hmmm. There's still time for a career change....

We're the subject of a big press release. Finally, some recognition for the work we've been doing, some of which is light years ahead of what other places are putting out.

It's usually rather frustrating working for a socially inept (luvyameanit), tactless, scheming and dreaming maverick, but occasionally it pans out just fine. After all, that's why I work here.

evo devo

In keeping with the post title, I'm currently reading this, and it is very, very good. This is what good science writing is all about - taking a topic that is intrisically boring, and adding clarity and passion.

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The recent developments have been indeed been drastic.

I'm overwhelmed at (many) times. But this gritty little godforsaken city hasn't bested me yet.

My best friend recently moved close by. We walked on the cobblestones and I told her, now you live only ten minutes from all this. This view will bring you contentment. This walk will do you good. Only afterward did I realize I was speaking for myself.

My expensive, stressful trip is over. Now I can look forward to a long, hot summer.

At least the location's good.

ps - I never want to be a (long distance) bridesmaid again.