What We're Talking About Thursday, March 18, 2010
HeLa Gets the Colbert Bump
Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has been the toast of the town for over a month now, holding it’s own on the New York Times’ and Amazon’s best-sellers lists and garnering critical acclaim from the science and mainstream press alike. Last night, however, she received what may be the greatest boon a public figure can hope for: The Colbert Bump. Appearing as a guest on the Colbert Report not only has the power to boost politicians at the polls, but apparently can also anoint people as the messiah of an obscure religious sect: just ask Raj Patel. While we’re sure Skloot’s book will continue to dominate the charts on its merits alone, a little extra publicity never hurts. And just in time for the clips of her interview to hit the Web, Abel Pharmboy of Terra Sigillata has put the finishing touches on a trio of impressive posts on another unsung heroine of medicine, Dr. Florence Rena Sabin, whose story is intertwined with that of Lacks and the scientists who discovered the amazing properties of her cells.
- More news of the week on Page 3.14.
What's the difference between HeLa and HeLa S3 cells? Part I: Launching the lab
Terra SigillataMarch 16, 2010
“Florence Rena Sabin, MD (1871 - 1953), a daughter of a Colorado coal mining family, became a female pioneer in medicine and public health. With the simple notation of "S3" she is forever linked to the first clonal population of these cervical cancer cells from the poor Virginia tobacco farmer.”
Part II: The life and careers of Florence Rena Sabin, MD
Terra SigillataMarch 7, 2010
“Florence Rena Sabin was born in the mining town of Central City, Colorado, on November 9, 1871, two years after her sister and lifelong companion, Mary. Florence's father. George Sabin, had moved from Vermont to Colorado in the midst of the Colorado gold rush…”
Part III: Theodore "Ted" Puck, MD, and the first clonal isolation of human tumor cells
Terra SigillataMarch 16, 2010
“We left our previous discussion with the final and still-productive years of Dr. Florence Rena Sabin. After graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1900, Dr. Sabin embarked on a nearly 40-year career at Hopkins and now-Rockefeller University, elucidating the developmental origin of the lymphatics and antibody responses to tuberculosis and training a generation of physician-scientists.”
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The 2010 Pi Day Pie Bake-Off contest is in full swing! Last year's competition was a smashing success, so we're teaming up with Serious Eats and mental_floss to make this year's prizes—for bloggers and readers—even better. Check out the official announcement for the details and get cracking (and mixing, and baking, etc.)
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In Conversation
“I am one of those people who writes a sentence, then stares at it for a while, then runs off to play three games of internet chess before deleting it and trying again. Oh well. All you can do is keep chipping away.”
Channel Surfing
Life Science
Francis Collins announces voluntary genetic test registry
NIH Director Francis Collins has announced the creation of a voluntary registry for genetic testing services, with the...
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Today's Mystery Bird for you to Identify
Even if you can't identify this species, it will delight you with its loveliness, many thanks to a talented and generous photographer!
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Challenges of Life: Cheetas Hunting Ostrich
Gail Weiswasser at Discovery emailed recently to tell me about the upcoming March 21 premiere of Discovery Channel's LIFE, the 11-part follow up to PLANET EARTH (the most successful natural history documentary of all time).
The Life Science Channel RSS FeedPhysical Science
Vote for the next Volcano Profile
Here's your chance to vote for the next Volcano Profile on Eruptions.
Why is Helium so Scarce?
I have this one little saying. When things get too heavy just call me helium, the lightest known...
Highlights of the Geological Society of America NE/SE Section Meeting
I've attempted to reassemble the fun, productive conference based on my 140 character soundbites.
The Physical Science Channel RSS FeedEnvironment
Spring in California
I definitely did not want to go home. More than that, I did not want her to want to go home.
At Slate, A Need for Diplomacy in the Climate Wars
Time to take a deep breath and think carefully about strategy....
CITES Rejects Bluefin Tuna Ban: Another Failure to See Fish as Wildlife
The UN has rejected the proposal that Atlantic bluefin tuna be listed by the Convention on International Trade...
The Environment Channel RSS FeedEducation
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Embrace Life
This is a very touching public service announcement (PSA) by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, asking people to always wear their seatbelts when in a moving vehicle. Is there an Academy Award for PSAs? If so, this one deserves to be nominated!
Lecture notes
In which I wonder whether I'm any good at lecturing or not.
Discovering Biology in a Digital World
The annual Bio-Link summer fellows forum is coming
Apply now for a fellowship!
The Education Channel RSS FeedPolitics
Dispatches from the Culture Wars
Exchanging Scripts on Deem and Pass
So now we have a whole new example of the two parties exchanging scripts, this time on the...
Dispatches from the Culture Wars
Say Goodbye to Social Security Surpluses
2010 may prove to be a major turning point for the United States. AP explains why: For more...
Dispatches from the Culture Wars
Use of FOIA Exemptions Increases Under Obama
And more bad news on the hope and change front. AP reports that the use of exemptions to...
The Politics Channel RSS FeedMedicine & Health
ScienceOnline2010: Talks Between Generations (video) - Part 4
Sunday, January 17 at 9-10:05am E. Science online talks between generations - Beatrice Lugger and Christian Rapp:...
Another example of why I fear for the future of medicine
Meet Jonny. Jonny is a medical student. Jonny loves him some woo. Fear for the future of medicine.
The cure for autism?
The Medicine & Health Channel RSS Feed
Brain & Behavior
We be symbolic
The Evolution Of Symbolic Language by Terrence Deacon and Ursula Goodenough. Deacon's The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of...
Basics: Guest Post 3: Sperm maturation and ejaculation
What you all were waiting for has finally come! Yeah. Sperm maturation and ejaculation OK!! So the last...
Randomness and God
The world is a confusing place. Causation looks like correlation; the signal sounds like the noise; randomness is...
The Brain & Behavior Channel RSS FeedTechnology
On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess
Dr. Isis's Shoe of the Week
Spring has sprung, little muffins, and mama is so ready.... Figure 1: Prestige by Carlos Santana. $79.00 at...
The continuing "death of comments"
A week ago I observed that commenting was being transformed with the spread of Disqus and Echo. The...
Technology Musings
A couple of unrelated technology things....
The Technology Channel RSS FeedInformation Science
Confessions of a Science Librarian
Advancing and Promoting your Research on the Web
I received an email a couple of weeks ago from Daniel Cromer of the Hrenya Research Group located...
Today's must-reads on science communication/journalism
Journalism has always been communal Top Google queries about scientists: should we be surprised? Getting more out of...
New blog on science journalism and communication
First, I would like to welcome Gozde Zorlu to the blogosphere - check out her blog and say...
The Information Science Channel RSS FeedJobs
Scholars and Teachers on Divergent Paths
What does Full Professor mean?
Today's must-reads on science communication/journalism
Journalism has always been communal Top Google queries about scientists: should we be surprised? Getting more out of...
Discovering Biology in a Digital World
The annual Bio-Link summer fellows forum is coming
Apply now for a fellowship!
The Jobs Channel RSS FeedAdvertisement
ScienceBlogs Super Photos
Top Lists
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- 1Episode XL: An Australian romance
PZ Myers 03.17.2010
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PZ Myers 03.18.2010
- 3Another example of why I fear for the future of medicine
Orac 03.18.2010
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Ed Brayton 03.18.2010
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Orac 03.17.2010
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Why is Helium so Scarce?
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No! Edward Tufte Would Never!
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Painting lines on the playground - easiest physical activity intervention. EVER.
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Flags Don't Wave in a Vacuum; Or: NASA Reboot
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From NYTimes.com
Latest science stories | More at nytimes.com
Latest posts from the GE Collective Imagination blog
SB Basics
Synthetic Biology
Some engineers use cranes and steel to make their designs reality, but synthetic biologists engineer using tools on a different scale: DNA and the other molecular components of living cells. Synthetic biology uses cellular systems and structures to produce artificial models based on natural order. Read these posts from the ScienceBlogs archives for more:
Pharyngula May 30, 2007
“Playing God”
The Loom January 31, 2008
"Frankenstein Was Here": Synthetic Biology as Graffiti
Discovering Biology in a Digital World July 2, 2006
Build your own virus
Humanities & Soc. Sciences
Mike the Mad Biologist
Income Inequality, Regression, and Understanding the Residual
Learning from the outliers.
Greg Laden's Blog
Why should there be an "Atheist Sumer Camp" like Camp Quest?
Here, I'd like to tell a simple story of one girl's experience and why it may have been better for her to attend an atheist summer camp than the camp she did actually attend.
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)
Frankfurt, nebliger Morgen
A picture of Frankfurt and a request for your help: if your friend was visiting Frankfurt am Main, what nearby fun things would you want to do with that person?
The Social Sciences Channel RSS Feed