Category: Science

Eagerly awaiting my genetic destiny

23andme offers an incredibly detailed glimpse into your genomic identity. Given their recent DNA Day discount, I’m about to venture into the world of genetic illumination.

Thursday April 29th, 2010 in Personal, Science, Technology | View Comments

The Scientific Journal of Failure

Science is riddled with failure Really, it’s all over the place.  It’s built right into the scientific method.  You make a hypothesis, with a firm understanding that anything could happen to disprove your faulty notions.  Sometimes it works and you see what you expected, and sometimes it doesn’t.  And some of the most interesting discoveries [...]

Friday July 31st, 2009 in Commentary, Science | View Comments

Become a Research Subject

Admit it.  You like science.  You thrive on the unknown.  You seek adventure and mystery.  You enjoy being enclosed in absurd magnetic fields while grad students sit safely in the room next door.  Or maybe I’m alone there.  But at least you like money. Most universities with research programs have science.  And that science sometimes [...]

Friday July 24th, 2009 in Science | View Comments

Google has a problem with DNA analysis

About a year ago, my roommate started a little DNA analysis journal club here at Berkeley. It was just meant to be a group of like-minded students discussing recent advances in analytical DNA technologies.  He tried creating a Google group for that club, not expecting the fairly judgmental response he received… Note that Google’s skilled [...]

Wednesday July 22nd, 2009 in Science, Technology | View Comments

Zotero is magic for saving, organizing, and sharing documents on the web

The Citation Management Problem Most of you probably recall the disproportionately large emphasis elementary and secondary education often placed on “the bibliography.”  A significant amount of time was spent teaching you just how to cite someone else’s work in the right way.  Where does the author’s name go?  The edition?  The page numbers?  …Who cares? [...]

Sunday July 19th, 2009 in Productivity, Science, Technology | View Comments