Great Moments in Representative Democracy
He just wants to know if E.Coli can evolve into a person. Honest question.
Jurassic Park for humans
How could you work this into a murder mystery? SPIEGEL: Wouldn't it be ethically problematic to create a Neanderthal just for the sake of scientific curiosity? Church: Well, curiosity may be part of it, but it's not the most important driving force. The main goal is to increase diversity. The one thing that is bad …
I Do Not Understand Fashion
I love Tom and Lorenzo's blog, but there is so much I have to learn. Like, for example, why does everyone seem to love this horsehead dress? I'm so stunned I can't even make a proper Godfather joke.
A heartwarming story…?
An eight year old boy used Facebook to reunite a brother and sister who were separated 65 years ago. This is a lovely story. As long as it's not this 66 year old Clifford Boyson.
First, spend a semester teaching intro comp. Then you can write about the “cushy” life of a college professor.
Gawker is on the story. "Even when school is in session they don't spend too many hours in the classroom. For tenure-track professors, there is some pressure to publish books and articles, but deadlines are few. Working conditions tend to be cozy and civilized and there are minimal travel demands, except perhaps a non-mandatory conference …
Addio, Rita Levi-Montalcini, age 103
Her niece, Piera Levi-Montalcini, told La Stampa newspaper that she had died peacefully "as if sleeping" after lunch. Her aunt had continued to carry out several hours of research every day until her death, she said. A Nature article on the occasion of her 100th birthday is here.
You can go to jail for grade-fixing.
I have to admit, I derived an unseemly amount of satisfaction from this story. He was the kind of school administrator some college students might have considered themselves lucky to encounter, someone who was willing to raise grades issued by professors when the students’ marks fell short of graduation requirements...Mr. Koutsoutis, 56, who was director …
Real life inspirations for mystery plots:
3. Paul Babeu Paul Babeu's coming out may be one of the most sensational, and complicated, of the year. The fiercely conservative, anti-immigrant Republican Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, and a good friend of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, another extremely anti-immigrant law enforcer, Babeu was outed in February, when his undocumented Mexican immigrant boyfriend of …
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Exercise doesn’t make you live longer, but it does help you deteriorate less rapidly.
"Typically, the most aerobically fit people lived with chronic illnesses in the final five years of their lives, instead of the final 10, 15 or even 20 years." Of course they can't disentangle cause and effect, as "aerobic fitness is partly determined by genetics, and to that extent, the luck of the universe." Still, "much …