The Phylo project is hard at work on preparing the next high quality Phylomon* deck, and this one will revolve around Charles Darwin and his wonderful 5 year voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle. At this point in time, we’ve enlisted the help of noted Darwinian aficionado, Karen James, who has nicely narrowed down the list of cards that are needed for this endeavour (see original google doc here). In turn, I have a group of folks in the backend of the phylo website, who have produced a number of nice looking “beta” cards that can be used to test…
The Science Creative Quarterly
The Science Creative Quarterly (SCQ) is not a quarterly, but instead publishes new material at a non-linear rate. Currently, it is sleeping and in a sort of stasis (turpor?) It used to seek science writing of any genre, and your contribution would have involved checking out our submissions guidelines.
The Science Creative Quarterly (SCQ) has a single print edition so far (half SCQ pieces, and half fake science journal – see here for more details). Also, badges?
Stay safe everyone!
SENILE MIOSIS
The pupils of the eye become smaller as we age, shrinking to a mere third of their robust, youthful size. You knew this, even if you were not aware of the vanishing look in your grandmother’s window, the reptilian ooze of warm blood over the cliff. Open wide. Please. Open wider, so that we might forget the collapsing, the narrowing portals of grace, the cold neutron stars, in to which we are crushed. In this gaping sun filled array of gently swaying green, wide opening pink petals, and blue azulejo sky, I lament the constriction of your pupils more fervently…
I’M STILL PROUD EVERY TIME I TIE MY SHOES
Scientific inquiry can be driven by a variety of motives. Certainly the quest to cure cancer can be a matter of wanting to simply help, but even anger, frustration, or grief can be involved. Recently, I saw a news story of a researcher who forged results for new cures, exposing patients to dangerous treatments for his own pride or vanity. And here, scientists sometimes seek recognition, or positions of power. In academia, jobs are won and lost based on the progress of scientific research. That is motivation enough for some. But in the ideal world, scientific inquiry would be driven…
CLEAVAGE OF SUPERPOWER PROTEIN DETERMINES THE SUPERPOWER PHENOTYPE IN A TISSUE DEPENDENT MANNER: HOW INCREDIBLE!
JOURNAL OF SUPERHERO RESEARCH (2013). Vol 13 Vol 547. pp328-3332 doi:23.1724/SR20130328 pdf download We demonstrated that the presence of superpower (SP) protein cleavage is responsible for the diversity of superpowers in a tissues-specific manner within The Incredibles family. This cleavage event produces two fragments, 135 kDa and 85 kDa, without a loss of peptide, as confirmed by Edman degradation. We speculate that the 85 kDa protein fragment is involved in the generation of superpower. Key words: Superpower phenotype, Supers, Supers Relocation Program, The Incredibles. INTRODUCTION The study of humans with unusual intrinsic superpowers, or Supers, has been an ongoing effort…
I DO NOT MEAN TO BRAG, BUT I AM A SCIENTIST
Hello! Nice to meet you. Before we begin this conversation, I have to ask: are you a scientist? Oh. Okay. This might be hard, then. You see, I am a scientist, and it will be difficult for me to talk to you, a layperson, without seeming like I am tooting my own horn, as you laypeople are fond of saying. Why, you ask? I am assuming that is a rhetorical question, but I am happy to answer, rhetorically. For starters, I am endowed with an incredible intellect, so at least half of what I say will be completely unintelligible to…
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR URBAN FOREST CAN DO FOR YOU…
It’s time that we upped the ante on the level of public discussion on the urban forest. What is the urban forest you ask? Well it’s those pleasant remnant stands of forest that speckle the urban landscape, like Vancouver’s Stanley Park – but it’s also every other tree in the city, from that old oak tree on the front lawn to those pitiable and short-lived trees sprouting from the concrete downtown. Trees have been the recipient of a growing urban celebrity over the past years. I subscribe to Google News alerts, so whenever the words “urban forest” appear in a…
HOWLETT: NOVEL WOLVERINE PROTEIN CONTRIBUTES TO RAPID REGENERATION AND HEIGHTENED CELLULAR REPLICATION
JOURNAL OF SUPERHERO MUTATIONAL SCIENCE (February 2013). Vol 13 Issue 2. pp297-302 pdf download Wolverine, a mutant from the X-men team, possesses super healing abilities. Wolverine’s healing abilities have striking similarities to that seen in axolotl, an amphibian with the capacity to regenerate amputated limbs. In this study we sought to determine the mechanisms by which Wolverine regenerates. We identified a novel protein, dubbed Howlett, that is nearly identical to the Amblox protein in axolotl which is known to be responsible for the amphibian’s limb regeneration. siRNA knockdown of the howlett and amblox genes demonstrated decreased replication in Wolverine and…
EVEN JELLYFISH DESERVE A HAIKU
Stinging medusa Aurelia aurita Lunar Translucence
WHO’S THE CUTEST RATTLESNAKE?
After passing me a beer from the fridge, Kimberly led me to the snakes, which were contained in forty-gallon Rubbermaid bins in her living room. I sat down while she shifted the bins to clear a place on her floor where she and her colleague Jayme could work. As soon as she moved the bin, a warning rattled from within it. That sound could strike fear through any heart, and to calm mine, I took a long swig of my beer. Despite this initial reaction, which I have no doubt evolved to experience, when Kimberly—Dr. Kimberly Andrews, who works for…