Survival Machine » biology

150 Years of On The Origin of Species

simian — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:13:21 +0000

150 years ago today, on November 24, 1959, the most important book in the history of biology was published. Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species was, and still is, the foundation upon which all of modern biology rests, with its myriad applications in medicine, ecology, philosophy, and beyond. I’ve sort of let blogging take a back seat now that I’m busy with school in the evenings and working to get my foot in the door of the academic world, so even at the momentous anniversary I will probably be content to just remind everyone how important biological science is, and ask that you consider making a charitable donation to an organization that supports scientific research and/or education. Perhaps there’s a cancer research foundation whose work saved the life of a loved one, or a college scholarship fund that helps low-income students in your community pursue higher education in biology. I am personally a fan of the National Center for Science Education, which is constantly waging the legal battles to protect our public school science cirricula from an ongoing, organized assault by creationist groups who seek to replace the discipline of biology with their dishonest and ignorant religious agenda. You can contribute to NCSE here. Lastly, I’ll mention that the National Science Foundation has put together an excellent resource in celebration of the Origin of Species anniversary, which can be found here. I highly recommend checking it out!

I’m leaving on a business trip to Dubai on Saturday, which will be my first real adventure outside of the United States (except for the 51st state, aka Canada)*. I hope to have some cool pictures and stories to share from the UAE next week, so stay tuned.

* Just kidding, ay? I love you, Canucks.

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Back from Canada, soon Back to School

simian — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:21:16 +0000

This fall, I’m going back to school. I’d been weighing options for graduate school and finally determined that my best prospect for getting into a good ethology/zoology PhD program would be to get a B.S. in Biology first. My first bachelor’s degree was a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Maryland-College Park; I focused on biological anthropology, but I decided I need more experience in research methods and applied math to really hack it as a doctoral candidate. So, I’m about to embark on what will probably be at least a ten-year-long odyssey of learning and hard work before getting that Piled-higher-and-Deeper piece of paper. I couldn’t be happier about it, however, because I’ve always dreamed of spending my life in the pursuit of scientific advancement, even if the work is tedious, repetitive, unrecognized, and doesn’t pay well.

On another note, C and I just returned from our vacation to Niagra Falls and Toronto, Ontario. The falls were even more amazing than I remembered from a short visit around age 8. And what a great city Toronto is! It’s too bad I got a nasty virus (influenza or something similar) and spent much of the time suffering through fever, aches, congestion, cough, and fatigue – but we still managed to ascend the CN Tower, ride Segways, and catch a Blue Jays game among other things. I’d certainly go back there again when I have more time and better health. I’ll conclude this post with a few pictures from our Canadian excursion.

Niagra Falls, viewed from the American side

Niagra Falls, American Falls, illuminated at night

Toronto city center at night

Celeste & I rode Segways through Toronto's Distillery District

The CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in North or South America, illuminated at night.

View of Toronto from Skypod, perched 447 meters up on the CN Tower.

“It is time for us to lead once again”

simian — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:41:21 +0000

I regret having just set a personal record for the longest period of time between posts. But let’s forget about that right now, because today there are a couple BIG events to talk about.

Swine flu: Having very recently mutated to allow human/human transmission, it has already spread around the globe, leading to fears of a global pandemic. To be fair, I think the mainstream news media have been doing more to fan the flames of fear (while sanctimoniously denying any intent to do so) than the flu itself. As of this evening early Tuesday morning, only 40 50 cases had been reported inside the United States, and not a single fatality. CDC laboratory tests thus far indicates that the infection responds well to antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), which are being stockpiled in a number of states. Maryland has already opened a swine flu command center right in my home city of Baltimore, in anticipation of likely infections occurring in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. CDC lab tests have also indicated that the other two FDA-approved antiviral drugs for flu, amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine), are ineffective against the swine flu. Both oseltamivir and zanamivir are neuraminidase inhibitors, which work by blocking the action of the viral neuraminidase protein. This is the protein on the surface of influenza viruses that allows it to be released from the host cell in the process known as “budding.” Amantadine and rimantadine are both M2 protein inhibitors, drugs whose mechanism of action involves blocking the ion channel that removes a virion’s coating and releases its genetic content into the cytoplasm of the host cell. It is worth noting that poultry farmers in China used amantadine to guard againt the H5N1 avian flu in chickens, an ill-advised practice (H. sapiens as an agent of natural selection!) that has led to the abundance of influenza strains resistant to amantadine.

It’s too early yet to tell whether the swine-flu fatalities in Mexico will be seen here in the United States or elsewhere around the world, but we probably won’t have to wait very long to find out. As the eccentric chaotician Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, “life finds a way” – we had better work hard to ensure that it’s human life that finds a way this time. If you’re wondering what you can do, look at this guide on the US Department of Health and Human Services’ PandemicFlu.gov website. And, of course, you can follow the CDC’s swine flu updates on Twitter.

In that vein, I lastly want to commend President Barack Obama, who, speaking today before the National Academy of Sciences, made a remarkable (and badly needed) commitment to the advancement of American science. After describing how the current swine flu emergency should remind us of the necessity of science, and among many breaks for applause, Obama said:

I believe it is not in our character, the American character, to follow. It’s our character to lead. And it is time for us to lead once again. So I’m here today to set this goal: We will devote more than 3 percent of our GDP to research and development. We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race, through policies that invest in basic and applied research, create new incentives for private innovation, promote breakthroughs in energy and medicine, and improve education in math and science.

That’s why I campaigned for this guy. Let’s all make sure we hold him to this promise.