Category Archives: Evolution

Richard Epstein’s No Good Interview with Issac Chotiner

Posted on March 30, 2020 by mikethemadbiologist

There are two rules in life: “Never get involved in a land war in Asia” Never agree to an interview with Issac Chotiner. (for the Princess Bride fans). Libertarian ‘thinker’ Richard Epstein, after arguing that the mortality from COVID-19 would … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19, Evolution | 1 Comment

Yes, We Can See Evolution

Posted on April 21, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

So Eduardo Porter wrote an article, in which he dabbled in Compulsive Centrist Disorder, arguing Dirty Fucking Hippies are wrong to oppose nuclear power. For the record, I think coal and natural gas plants should be decommissioned well before nuclear … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Nukular Stuff | 12 Comments

What Does “Human Antibiotics” Mean?

Posted on April 30, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Because, like Honey Badger, bacteria just don’t give a shit what they’re called. Recently, Tyson Food, the largest U.S. poultry producer, announced they’re changing their antibiotic use policies (boldface mine): Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) said today it is striving … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Evolution, Plasmids | Comments Off on What Does “Human Antibiotics” Mean?

You Know Who Else Banned the Teaching of Evolution?

Posted on September 17, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

No, not Hitler, ISIL (boldface mine): The new Mosul curriculum, allegedly issued by al-Baghdadi himself, stresses that any reference to the republics of Iraq or Syria must be replaced with “Islamic State.” Pictures that violate its ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Creationism, Evolution, Fucking Morons | 2 Comments

Some Thoughts on “Die, Selfish Gene, Die”

Posted on December 11, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

I’m often reluctant to get involved in online debates over the philosophy of biology as they usually shed more heat than light. That said, I’m going to do something stupid and comment on David Dobbs’ recent Aeon article “Die, selfish … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution | 4 Comments

What’s More Disturbing…

Posted on November 13, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

…a sitting U.S. senator who thinks global warming is due to “sunspots” or whose staffers think the correct answer to ‘does he believe in evolution?’ is ‘no’? I say, why choose? Here’s what happened when a constituent tried to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Evolution, Global Warming | Comments Off on What’s More Disturbing…

Two Disturbing Carbapenem-Resistance Observations

Posted on October 23, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve discussed before the serious problem of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (‘CRE’): these are common disease-causing bacteria that have evolved resistance to all penicillin derivatives, and usually are resistant to all other commonly used antibiotics* (and in some cases, every antibiotic). So … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Evolution, KPC, NDM-1, Public Health | 1 Comment

Some Truisms About Large-Scale Research Projects

Posted on September 11, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

In light of the recent ENCODE data release and paper blizzard, I’ve decided to provide this list of truisms about large-scale biological research projects to make it easier for everyone the next time around: 1) The most pollyanish, expansive interpretation … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Gambling, Genomics | 1 Comment

Fabulous Friday Fish Phylogenetics

Posted on June 22, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

If you haven’t been to the Harvard Museum of Natural History in a while, they’ve recently revamped the fishes exhibit. It still is full of all sorts of weird fish, but now it actually discusses evolution (TEH DARWINISMZ! AAAIEEE!!). Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Fish | Comments Off on Fabulous Friday Fish Phylogenetics

Creationism and Education ‘Reform’

Posted on June 9, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

When it comes to STEM education in grades K-12, one of the great failures of the U.S. educational system is the complete lack of exposure to even the basics of evolutionary biology in science courses. This isn’t just an academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Creationism, Education, Evolution | 1 Comment