Sparrows in the news? The little brown birds that visit my yard, that I never can confidently conclude are sparrows and not perhaps wrens? Yep. These unassuming neighbors have been featured in a few science headlines over the past couple of weeks, which I thought was curious. So I thought I'd pop in this week … Continue reading Sparrows in the news (yes, really)
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Discovering Dr. Sacks in his final essays
I'm late to discovering the writing of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a British neurologist who practiced medicine in New York City until his death in 2015. In fact, I became aware of his career only shortly before his death, when an autobiographical essay about his own cancer and mortality was published in The New York Times. … Continue reading Discovering Dr. Sacks in his final essays
Earth, Mars, and working in the space in between
As a child, one of my favorite picture books at my Grandma's house to read and reread was about astronauts. I was born after the moon launch, but the lure of "the space age" continued to populate children's literature, and I marveled at the curiosities of space travel, the preparations and lives of astronauts, and … Continue reading Earth, Mars, and working in the space in between
“The Radium Girls” and the lasting legacy of Marie Curie
I have a healthy respect for radiation. As a fledgling student in genetics in the 1990s, I learned how to use radioactive phosphorus (32P) safely to tag fragments of DNA molecules. When you expose materials containing radioactive DNA to X-ray film, the emitted particles from the phosphorus atoms create dark splotches on the film that … Continue reading “The Radium Girls” and the lasting legacy of Marie Curie
2017: A year of “Mulled Science”
It's the end of December. I've finished another semester of undergraduate teaching, and I'm looking ahead to the next calendar year full of new students and new adventures in my professional and personal life. This is also the time of year when everyone trots out a year-end retrospective on their little niche in the world. … Continue reading 2017: A year of “Mulled Science”
What’s new(s) in science
I teach introductory biology courses to college students. It's a busy time of the semester, with exams and assignments and the balancing act of all that goes on in and out of the classroom (for students and professors alike). To ease into our time in class together and provide some motivation to my students for … Continue reading What’s new(s) in science
The rhythms of life–biological clocks and a new season
We're almost midway through the semester at my university. It's a busy time for students and professors alike: assignments, exams, and projects seem to pile up... and so we all anticipate a few days of welcome respite during the upcoming fall break. Meanwhile, the days shorten, the leaves fall, the insects quiet down, and festive … Continue reading The rhythms of life–biological clocks and a new season
Science news this week: Cassini and cats
Maybe you saw the news: this week, we humans intentionally crashed a space probe into Saturn at the end of the spacecraft's 13-year mission to photograph and gather data about Saturn and its moons. The probe, Cassini, has sent amazing images like this one back to us here on Earth, illuminating our understanding of Saturn … Continue reading Science news this week: Cassini and cats
Sharing science: teaching and learning about communication
Many years ago, I became a college professor. My job was to help introductory students learn about the basic principles of biology--the stuff you need to know to build on in higher-level classes, or apply toward asking and answering new scientific questions. To be honest, I had to relearn some basic biology myself. It had … Continue reading Sharing science: teaching and learning about communication
Nature’s blues
Recently, two science news topics crossed my path about seemingly very different themes: genetically modified flowers and sea creatures that glow. The articles caught my eye for different reasons, but it was thanks to a casual conversation on social media with a friend about a third science news article about a rare genetic disease that … Continue reading Nature’s blues
