Genomycism: “Deflating the Genomic Bubble”

Genomycism – the unsubstantiated belief that the cataloging of the genomic sequence of an individual conveys useful understanding about their ancestry, current characteristics, and disease risk with high degrees of accuracy and predictive power.

An important policy forum article has appeared in the most recent issue of Science discussing the expectations for the benefits of genomics, the issues created when those expectations are unrealistic, overinflated, and over-hyped[1]. Continue reading “Genomycism: “Deflating the Genomic Bubble””

University scientist job description

Some more musings on the odd notion that a university PR officer would act as a gatekeeper between journalists and scientists:

Academic scientists are typically (but not always) university employees, however they are generally hired as more independent actors than a scientist at a corporation or government agency (as demonstrated by the fact that most research universities have a tenure system).

In addition to teaching and various administrative duties, the job description of a university scientist is primarily the following:

1) Conceive of a research plan

2) Get that research funded

3) Carry out the research

4) Communicate the research

These tasks are generally distributed among the PI (professor), graduate students, and postdocs, with the key to the balance of power among these people being that the PI is generally the only one eligible to apply for lab-wide funding, and the PI has hiring/firing/graduation power. These scientists are carrying out the four primary tasks on their own, not under the supervision or control of some university manager or officer.

University scientists are not like corporate scientists or government scientists. There is no reason why scientists and journalists cannot communicate directly with each other.

Touché par la Douche

If you haven’t read about the dust-up between the science writing community (on behalf of the much beloved Ed Yong) and (now contrite) University of Manchester PIO, Aeron Haworth, go just about anywhere on the science blogging internets. The twitter rhetoric surrounding this event brought into clear focus the dominant position of “douche/douche bag/douchey” as an insult has taken in our modern culture. Continue reading “Touché par la Douche”

Whither Dweebery?

Oh, he’s very popular, Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads — they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.
-Grace in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Lost in the endless arguments over the definition of “geek” and “nerd” – let alone the competition for superiority – is what happened to the “dweebs” and “dorks”? Are they still out there? Have we misclassified them in the geek/nerd hegemony? Are “dweebs” and “dorks” just the juvenile form of “geeks” or “nerds”? If so, which nomenclature came first? Did they go extinct with no one to morn their passing? Did global warming get them?

Going with Your Gut

The bacteria in your gut (known as the microbiota) are the new cool. And, by cool, I mean the bogeyman for everything that is wrong with you. That is not to say they aren’t very, very important; but the science exploring the role of the complex colonies of microbes residing inside your gut[1] and comprising ten times as many cells as in your actual body[2] is still developing and enormously complex.

According to a new study by Heijtz et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gut microbiota also affects neural development in mice[3]. Continue reading “Going with Your Gut”