Blog Archives

February 21, 2015

2/21/2015

One of the classical processes in developmental biology - interdigital apoptosis - turns out to involve vascularization:
http://dev.biologists.org/content/142/4/672.full

The latest issue of Nature is all about epigenetics:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7539/full/518314a.html

Now onto more "fluffy" stuff

A fine reading at the intersection of genomics and linguistics:
http://www.nature.com/news/steppe-migration-rekindles-debate-on-language-origin-1.16935

I keep hearing about the shortage of girls in STEM fields, especially in academia, with recruitment and retention being thrown around as solutions.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7539/full/nj7539-447c.html
Or is it that girls are smart enough to realize that as things are, the reward is not worth the effort? Recruitment and retention… Cheap grad student and postdoc labor with a topping of "feel good”.

Here is to those trying to decide: Grad or Med?
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6224/918.full
Does not really help to decide, but encouraging nonetheless.

An if you do decide to become a scientist, you must hurry up not to waste your creative years:
http://www.nature.com/news/young-scientists-lead-the-way-on-fresh-ideas-1.16934
According to Nature, using buzzwords makes you innovative. Indeed.

Have a good weekend everyone.

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February 13, 2015

2/13/2015

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We’ll go easy on the actual hard science his week.

Now, we finally have a gene for Darwin’s finches' beak shape:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14181.html
Positive selection is the real deal.

With our Department turning more and more evolutionary, perhaps I should post an evolutionary paper every now and then.
http://www.biotechniques.com/news/biotechniquesNews/biotechniques-356685.html?utm_source=BioTechniques+Newsletters+%26+e-Alerts&utm_campaign=ca37b4ad04-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5f518744d7-ca37b4ad04-87700457#.VN05s3a-8_E
I would not have guessed that 0.5% of males worldwide are descendants of Genghis Khan. My guess is that all Nobel laureates’ stats combined will not be as good a few hundred years from now. Evolution at work?

Many of us have something Rand Paul can only dream about:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/02/13/rand-pauls-claim-twice-in-one-day-that-he-has-a-biology-degree/
Maybe that explains his recent vaccine BS.

I must point out that there also are some differences between being a crown prince and being a junior biomedical researcher...
http://www.nature.com/news/nih-plan-to-give-ageing-scientists-cash-draws-scepticism-1.16895
One of them is "hidden" in the numbers in the last sentence.

Then there are a few more numbers in this article:
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2015_02_12/caredit.a1500039

Have a great weekend everyone.

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February 9, 2015

2/9/2015

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Better late than never…

A really cool way to monitor nuclear translocation of beta catenin in specific tissues.
http://dev.biologists.org/content/142/3/497.full
In zebrafish of course.

Optogenetics taken to a new level:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7537/full/nature14128.html

Playing with LEGOS is never a waste of time:
http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-animals/2015/02/lego-contraption-allows-scientists-safely-handle-insects?rss=1

Apparently being a part of highly hierarchical group makes you succeed. Or die trying.
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/5/1338.full
From now on, lab members may no longer address me by first name.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that your graduate school does care about you.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7537/full/nj7537-129c.html
But only until you graduate…

Which means that you must find a balance between working in the lab and schmoozing:
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2015_02_04/caredit.a1500032
And please do not take the urban dictionary literally on this one...

Darius

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Weekly sciencey bits

Disclaimer: This started as a "weekend reading list" meant to encourage students in the lab to think about science and their own future in it. Do not take it seriously: I myself may no longer agree with whatever I wrote here last week.
- Darius