Monthly Archives: June 2015

Ode to Space Balls

Posted on June 17, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Actually, I have no idea what this sculpture on 21st Street, between N and O, Dupont Circle, is:

Posted in DC | 1 Comment

Did Vaccination Just Become a Partisan Issue?

Posted on June 17, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

If California is any indication, the answer, tragically, is yes (boldface mine): …many states have since taken up legislation to make it harder for parents to skip vaccines. One such bill in California, SB 277, would remove the “personal belief … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Fucking Morons, Public Health, Vaccination | 2 Comments

Links 6/16/15

Posted on June 16, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: The Web Will Either Kill Science Journals or Save Them Academic publishers reap huge profits as libraries go broke Why the sea squirt eats its brains out Genetics Allows the Dead to Speak from the Grave … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 1 Comment

David Brooks: Still a Movement Conservative…

Posted on June 16, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

…just one that has been prettied up. I’ve written many times that nothing in movement conservatism makes sense except in the light of creationism (with apologies to geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky). And NY Times columnist David Brooks’ pedigree is all movement … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Common Core, Science, and Louisiana

Posted on June 16, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

For the record, here’s my thoughts on the Common Core: …I don’t oppose a national curriculum or annual testing: as I’ve written repeatedly, I do think we should be using Massachusetts’ curriculum and tests (including the importance–not so important–that used* … Continue reading →

Posted in Creationism, Education, The War on Science | 1 Comment

Links 6/15/15

Posted on June 15, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Dogs snub people who are mean to their owners, study finds Sympathy for the Devil? Seeking the Source of Ebola My response to the OSTP’s RFI on the microbiome Funding Fever: Researchers Will Use Genome Editing … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 6/15/15

Title IX and Tim Hunt: Some Context

Posted on June 15, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Admittedly, I have no idea what the state of gender discrimination law is in the UK. It also appears that scientist Tim Hunt doesn’t seem to have an active lab at this point. But if he were an active U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Feminism | Comments Off on Title IX and Tim Hunt: Some Context

WACO Bikers Get TSA’ed

Posted on June 15, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve long suspected the reason why many white people get bent out of shape over the TSA airport security measures is that it’s one of the few times white people get treated like black and brown people–they are presumed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, The Rule of Law | Comments Off on WACO Bikers Get TSA’ed

Links 6/14/15

Posted on June 14, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Why Congress should not cut funding to the social sciences Viruses on a plane! Getting Loud and Angry In which I’m pretty sure I disagree with Lior Pachter and try to figure out why The Problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 6/14/15

Amidst All the Fuss Over CRISPR…

Posted on June 14, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

The microbiologist in me wants to note that, despite all of the fuss over CRISPR due to its potential in engineering human genomes, bacteria have many ways to protect themselves against bacterial viruses (which is a key function of CRISPR … Continue reading →

Posted in Viruses | Comments Off on Amidst All the Fuss Over CRISPR…