Dr. Bank

Exercise is healthy? What a novel concept.

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:17:05 -0700

The fact that “does moving/exercising more affect weight” was the inspiration for an entire study speaks volumes about the level of activity children-and all of us-are getting. I’m glad the study was done, but sad that the study had to be done.

NYTimes: Sports Promote Healthy Weight in Teenagers
http://nyti.ms/O7QGTe

Our Political Black Hole

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 10:09:00 -0700

Our Political Black Hole:

I adore Gail Collins.

Brainbow mice

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:50:00 -0700

Brainbow mice:

From Cell.com

Individual neurons in a mouse brain fluoresce different colors based on a cool genetic trick with genes that encode different fluorescent proteins. It’s kind of like putting in all the primary colors into each neuron, randomly turning some on and some off, and with all those different possible combinations, you get all the different possible colors.

Well, I'm glad that's cleared up.

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:25:01 -0700

Well, I'm glad that's cleared up.

A little light, historical reading to sit down with today.

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:02:24 -0700

A little light, historical reading to sit down with today.

Go Ritz!

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 19:46:17 -0700

We interrupt the science speak for this running-related announcement: Dathan Ritzenhein (@djritzenheim) met the 10k A standard of 27:45 and was 3rd place in the Trials to earn a spot to London! Go Ritz!

Is the fountain of youth flowing with methyl groups?

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:07:00 -0700

Is the fountain of youth flowing with methyl groups?:

This blog post from the Promega Corporation describes a paper recently published in PNAS by Heyn and colleagues who studied “epigenetic drift” as a way to explain differences between old and young people. It would have been interesting if old-young pairs would have been related, but their findings are interesting regardless. Even though they trigger my pet peeve button by calling it a “methylome,” these researchers showed that the genomes of older adults are significantly less methylated compared to the genomes of newborns.

Obviously, this will affect how genes are expressed and could have important implications in understanding the aging process. Of course, sorting that all out is a Herculean task. But, by knowing that the methylation status of the overall genome changes with age, scientists can probe the changes on an individual gene to determine if epigenetics plays a role in regulating its expression over the course of aging.

This video is strangely and beautifully captivating. It looks...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:37:51 -0700

This video is strangely and beautifully captivating. It looks like someone’s playing around with food coloring on a globe, but it’s a visualization of actual ocean currents based on data from an NOAA model.

The NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory actually has all kinds of cool ways to display ocean properties and events, including the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. This is all done to advance the GFDL mission: “Scientists at GFDL develop and use mathematical models and computer simulations to improve our understanding and prediction of the behavior of the atmosphere, the oceans, and climate. GFDL scientists focus on model-building relevant for society, such as hurricane research, prediction, and seasonal forecasting, and understanding global and regional climate change.”

Webcast: Venus crossing the sun

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:22:39 -0700

Webcast: Venus crossing the sun

Alan Alda and Stephen Colbert on the World Science Festival in...

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:12:10 -0700

Alan Alda and Stephen Colbert on the World Science Festival in NYC.

Green Protein-making Machines

Mon, 28 May 2012 20:00:31 -0700

Green Protein-making Machines:

Finally, a blog update!

Draft: The Most Comma Mistakes

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:45:31 -0700

Draft: The Most Comma Mistakes:

Rules about when to use and not to use commas are legion. But certain errors keep popping up.

Targeting cancer with drug-laced antibodies

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:13:00 -0700

Targeting cancer with drug-laced antibodies

New Drug Trial Seeks to Stop Alzheimer’s Before It Starts

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:32:20 -0700

New Drug Trial Seeks to Stop Alzheimer’s Before It Starts:

A clinical trial of Crenezumab will focus largely on members of a Colombian family who are genetically destined to develop the disease but who do not yet have any symptoms.

Words to live by

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:16:03 -0700

Words to live by

Improving Childhood Vaccination Rates — NEJM

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:11:46 -0700

Improving Childhood Vaccination Rates — NEJM:

“Data and facts, no matter how strongly supportive of vaccination, will not be sufficient to compete with the opposition’s emotional appeals.”

Some guy, in a wine bar in NYC, thought he was hitting on me when he told me that I, in jeans and a...

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:31:20 -0700

Some guy, in a wine bar in NYC, thought he was hitting on me when he told me that I, in jeans and a tank top, “blended in” to the suit-and-shift-dress clientele.

I realized that he described my worst nightmare, on so many levels.

I have never been so happy to love NYC but live in San Fran.

I recently read a book that I hope dramatically and wonderfully changes the way I, as a scientist,...

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:29:00 -0700

I recently read a book that I hope dramatically and wonderfully changes the way I, as a scientist, communicate: Randy Olson’s Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style.

Simply put, everyone who finds themselves encountering science jargon or scientists (a redundant statement perhaps) as they speak, write, listen, debate, make policy, vote, or ask questions about the world around them should devour this book.

On a personal note, Olson managed to find words for my frustration with the world of science communication. It wasn’t something I could tangibly describe, until now.

Scientists speak a different language.

I’m not talking about the technical mumbo-jumbo that is important when talking to other scientists. I mean - and the point that Olson drives home - is that scientists are so used to letting the science speak for itself that they don’t understand why the facts alone don’t make a compelling argument.

Perhaps in an ideal world, they should. But, the facts aren’t sexy in a vacuum. Scientists need to understand how to package - translate - the facts into accurate but digestible packets that can be propagated through society.

Call them sound bytes, call them headlines, call them sensationalized spins on the truth - the point is, these are what grab people’s attention and make them listen. And want to change things and learn and appreciate science.

Is it beneath us as scientists to play to popular culture and “dumb down” the pure science we all are passionate about and have made a career investigating? I get as frustrated over headlines about the next cure for cancer/AIDS/obesity/unhappiness/old age to no end - but at least people are reading those articles and have the current research as part of their lexicon.

I’m not - nor is Randy Olson - saying to be irresponsible or misleading. But when we emerge from our labs, shrug off our lab coats and safety goggles, and start talking to the public, why can’t we also blow off the egghead, boring, monotone stereotype and make the facts fun?

Science for your Mother: My Blog

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:26:06 -0700

Science for your Mother: My Blog:

Bear with me as I navigate the world of tumblr and start linking my blogs and other random musings here!