In one of my very first blog posts on this site ("Raindrops keep falling on our heads…and on the microbes") I shared some science news I had seen about microorganisms and clouds. Scientists across different disciplines are trying to learn about the relationship between the planet's water cycles and the growth of tiny organisms (such … Continue reading Tiny science update: Clouds and microbes
science writing
Stories of heredity: “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh”
The title refers to a book I just finished reading. I'll tell you more in a moment. But first, I need to report "breaking news." Last night, while scrolling through my social media feeds, a cutesy entry from the pop culture website Buzzfeed showed up: "32 People That Look So Much Like Their Parent You'll … Continue reading Stories of heredity: “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh”
A story about…science?
This week, I finished reading The Woman Who Smashed Codes, by Jason Fagone. It chronicles the life and contributions—mostly behind the scenes—of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, arguably one of the most important cryptography specialists working in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. She and her husband William created useful methods and … Continue reading A story about…science?
From canals to carp–a book about the Great Lakes
I wanted to share a quick post about a book I finished reading this week, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. In 2017, Milwaukee journalist Dan Egan wrote a compelling "un-natural history" of the Great Lakes, chronicling the shifting relationship modern human society has built with these giant inland seas. Balancing stories of … Continue reading From canals to carp–a book about the Great Lakes
Science from the sidelines: Lessons from jellyfish
What does it mean to be a scientist? When children are young, we teach them about the types of people they will encounter in the big world and their own options for their future adult roles. We tell them that scientists are people who ask questions about how the world works and try to find … Continue reading Science from the sidelines: Lessons from jellyfish
Sparrows in the news (yes, really)
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)
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
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
