One of the rewarding things about being a scientist is the opportunity to connect and even collaborate with other scientists around the world., but at the same time there is nationalism in science too. Some nations, perhaps most of them, and some scientists feel a sense of competition against others at least some of the time. […]
A role for nationalism in science? Read More »
Donald Trump wants to build a ‘great wall’ to keep Mexicans out of America and charge for it. I’ve heard many scientists criticize this plan. But if you think about it, in science we already have our own “great” harmful walls related to money and Trump would probably love them. One such wall is the paywall
Trump Would Love The Great Walls of Science & Medicine Read More »
In science we often use equipment, methods, or units that are named after accomplished scientists of the past without even thinking about it. Originally, this piece was going to be dedicated to those pioneering scientists, but then I realized they are essentially all men with disturbingly few possible exceptions. Is there rampant sexism in science naming at work
Sexism in Science Naming of Stuff? Bunsen, Petri, Southern, & More Read More »
Some would argue that much of life boils down to a series of risk versus reward decisions. This equation-based way of viewing life can be applied both to personal and professional levels. When it comes to the latter and to biomedical scientists specifically, how much risk should we take? What forms could this risk take?
On the science riskometer, how much are you willing to take? Read More »
When my kids were younger, sometimes they’d ask why I am a scientist. How did you make that decision? Do you still like being a scientist? My answer would generally be along the lines of, “because I like figuring out how things work and maybe my research can help people”. What do you like about
What do you like & dislike most about being a scientist? Read More »
Editor’s note: this is a guest post on the US stem cell environment. By Heather Main I moved to the San Diego from Australia in August 2015, and Paul asked me if I could write something on my first impressions of doing science in the US, as opposed to other countries I have worked/studied in
First impressions of the US stem cell environment from an Aussie Read More »
What kind of scientist are you and do you engage in transactional science? I suspect that all of us scientists like to think that most of the work that we do is transformative and that we are a transformative scientist. In science we hear quite a lot about the importance of transformative, innovative science. But can
Is transactional science kicking transformative science’s butt? Read More »
Are all scientists as atheists? Definitely not. I confess.I am a scientist and I am not an atheist. Uh oh! Am I asking to be burned at the stake….er, over the lab Bunsen burner? Why is there such a persistent myth that scientists must be atheists? Or is it that good scientists must be atheists?
The myth of scientists as atheists Read More »
Was Einstein wrong on his definition of insanity? “Insanity”, said Einstein, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” But in science, how sane is it to expect experiments to give precisely the same results? How big a problem is irreproducibility in science? Experiments on that question have given variable
Was Einstein Wrong About Insanity? Read More »
I recently did a poll (still running here) about a hypothetical stem cell hotshot called Dr. Famous who might have published a recent paper that was sexy, but crappy. This situation sure rang a bell with a lot of people! In fact, a half dozen people contacted me directly (and privately) to talk about it
Go ahead & blog about Dr. Famous’ sexy, but crappy paper, most people say Read More »