What does synthetic mean in Metric’s “Synthetica”?

It’s almost ironic to find an often synthesizer-heavy electro-rock/pop band like Metric, and lead singer Emily Haines, pleading “Hey! I’m not synthetica” on the title track of their new album, released in June 2012. On second thought, though, as the lyrics suggest, there’s a distinct difference between using synthetic sounds to express human emotions and becoming a manufactured and fabricated being, something made by someone else.

We’re all the time confined to fit the mold
But I won’t ever let them make a loser of my soul Continue reading “What does synthetic mean in Metric’s “Synthetica”?”

Mathematically challenged biology

I can’t decide whether this is sad or hilarious:

PNAS July 17, 2012 vol. 109 no. 29 11735-11739

Heavy use of equations impedes communication among biologists
Tim W. Fawcett1 and Andrew D. Higginson

Most research in biology is empirical, yet empirical studies rely fundamentally on theoretical work for generating testable predictions and interpreting observations. Despite this interdependence, many empirical studies build largely on other empirical studies with little direct reference to relevant theory, suggesting a failure of communication that may hinder scientific progress. To investigate the extent of this problem, we analyzed how the use of mathematical equations affects the scientific impact of studies in ecology and evolution. The density of equations in an article has a significant negative impact on citation rates, with papers receiving 28% fewer citations overall for each additional equation per page in the main text. Long, equation-dense papers tend to be more frequently cited by other theoretical papers, but this increase is outweighed by a sharp drop in citations from nontheoretical papers (35% fewer citations for each additional equation per page in the main text). In contrast, equations presented in an accompanying appendix do not lessen a paper’s impact. Our analysis suggests possible strategies for enhancing the presentation of mathematical models to facilitate progress in disciplines that rely on the tight integration of theoretical and empirical work.

Big SF award, big let-down

Jane Rogers’ The Testament of Jessie Lamb, shortlisted for the Booker, won a big SF award. This was a temptation I couldn’t resist so I checked it out of my library, and damn, this book was a let down.

It certainly qualifies as SF, in the great British, non-pulp tradition. It’s also one more book in the current fad of teenagers in dystopia, and like many teen-dystopias, this book, to its detriment, couldn’t decide whether it was YA or adult fiction.

There is nothing wrong being YA fiction. But if I don’t go in knowing that a book is aimed at young adults, I usually end up unsatisfied – it’s like picking up a cup of hot chocolate that you thought was coffee.

The idea behind this book has potential – a world-wide virus that kills all pregnant women is just one more catastrophe to add to our 21st century list of woes that includes global warming, terrorism, exploitation of animals and the environment, etc. Continue reading “Big SF award, big let-down”

The Art of Science – Water Flea Circus

Let’s say you’re an artist who wants to explore the effects of global warming on the Arctic environment. The first idea that would spring to mind is to recreate a centuries-old circus sideshow act, right? OK, it might not have been the first idea, but Ars Bioarctica, a group of artists and scientists in Finland, ran with it, using water fleas, or daphnia, to create the Water Flea Circus, a multi-media spectacle starring translucent planktonic crustaceans.

The first Water Flea Circus, in 2009, was a fairly simple show, mainly projected images of live water fleas doing tricks (actually, just being themselves, flipping around and waving their legs) to musical accompaniment.  Water Flea Circus 2010 was much more elaborate, with 10 live performances featuring live projections as well as performers dressed as water fleas and researchers.  Yeah, just watch the video.

Ars Bioarctica, a long term art/science initiative with a focus on the Arctic environment, was started in 2008 in Finland by the Finnish Bioart Society and the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the University of Helsinki.  Its aim is to support joint projects between artists and scientists to develop new kinds of scientific and artistic thinking, specifically on the relationship of man and nature. If you think this sounds like the best thing ever, they have a residency program that will allow you to go to sub-Arctic Lapland to hang out with scientists and make art.

Being a science career realist

Apropos of yesterday’s quote about the science job market, here are some key points that anyone interested in pursuing a science career should keep in mind:

1) The number of independent research positions in academia, industry, and government has always been less than the number of qualified individuals who desire those positions, but the scarcity of such positions is much more severe now than it was 30 years ago, particularly in the biomedical sciences1. Whether we have the right number of independent research positions is a different issue. The purpose of independent research positions in not to provide employment for people who want such positions, and so the fact that many people want independent research positions but don’t have them does not indicate that we need more of these positions. Continue reading “Being a science career realist”