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Category Archives: science and society

A collection of videos for discussion of ethical and social issues in developmental biology – Stem cells: I. Introduction to the topic

Over the years, I have been leading a discussion about the ethical and social issues of stem cells research in my class and have used a few useful videos on various aspects. You may find them useful too. I. Introduction to the topic “A Stem Cell Story” – a great introduction of human embryonic stem […]

Occupy Science

This is a cross post from a discussion thread on my facebook, after the UC Davis pepper spray incidence. There are interesting ideas that are worthwhile to think further. It is also interesting to see that there are scientists joining the actual Occupy protests… um..  I still think the problem is not merely the lack […]

All students should realize what is going on in the country and your sister institutions

and the reasons behind the OWS movement. From boingboing: Police officer pepper-sprays seated, non-violent students at UC Davis Interview with a pepper-sprayed UC Davis student

Douglas Prasher and the Green Fluorescent Protein

The other day I shared the story of Douglas Prasher‘s with the medical students in my class.  Dr. Prasher’s contribution to the study of Green Fluorescent Protein had ultimately led to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008; however he was not one of the laureates because of life circumstances. During my preparation, I read some […]

How data interpretation can be distorted by its presentation

  The other day my reading of Three common mistakes in medical journalism brought me to the original blog article How the News Media May Hurt – Not Help – Health Literacy Efforts. The author Gary Schwitzer discusses nicely three issues of data presentation in public media that may lead to distortion of interpretation of the […]

U.S. Biggest Budget Cuts in History

It has always been my role to tell you the reality and teach you how to fish, and not giving you a fish, nor the bogus “American Dream” or things-will-somehow-get-better hope. I have been saying for a while that the economy is going to be much worse and now the really hard time is going […]

Horizon: Science Under Attack

A nice documentary by Paul Nurse, a Nobel laureates in 2001 for his work on cell cycle, on public skepticism on scientific findings. There are a number of interesting articles with the opposite view, some even from the people who were interviewed in the documentary. How BBC warmists abuse the science In paricluar, James Delingpole […]