Monthly Archives: November 2006

Gene copy number varies more than anticipated

Posted on November 29, 2006 by cicada

Times Online: Genetic jot that makes us unique Nature: Global variation in copy number in the human genome Another interesting Nature paper out recently – I’m beginning to kick myself for not subscribing while I could have gotten the faculty … Continue reading →

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Bwahahaha.

Posted on November 26, 2006 by cicada

How evil are you? I probably wouldn’t have scored quite so extremely evil, if I wasn’t watching My Best Friend’s Wedding while taking the quiz. I don’t like weddings. They’re not evil enough.

Posted in Frivolity | Comments Off

“A cherry, I say, is nothing”

Posted on November 26, 2006 by cicada

Bishop Berkeley’s Cherry Watercolor, 2006 Cherries have quite a few interesting literary associations. Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753) chose the fruit to illustrate his philosophical conviction that objects can only be known through our direct perception of their sensory attributes: I … Continue reading →

Posted in My Artwork | Comments Off

BioVisions

Posted on November 25, 2006 by cicada

The Inner Life of a Cell My friend at Harvard sent me the link to this stunning animation. It portrays a number of biological processes, from translation, to diapedesis, to microtubule depolymerization, to (my favorite) vesicular transport along the cytoskeleton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Education, Film, Video & Music | 2 Comments

“The Fountain” drops this weekend

Posted on November 23, 2006 by cicada

And in honor of the occasion, here’s an interview with director Darren Aronofsky in the latest Seed Magazine: Seed: Transcending Death

Posted in Film, Video & Music | Comments Off

Something cryptic in Kansas City

Posted on November 21, 2006 by cicada

Rachel Berwick Living Fossil: Latimeria chalumnae (2001) Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale If you’re near Kansas City before December 20, this exhibition (at the Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO) should be worth a visit. Featured artists include … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology | Comments Off

How many have you read?

Posted on November 20, 2006 by cicada

Discover Magazine: The 25 Greatest Science Books of All Time The list is worth a look, especially since they’ve reproduced the covers/frontispieces from each book. The graphics emphasize at a glance how venerable most of the winning books are – … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books | Comments Off

Funny, I’ve never seen one of those. . .

Posted on November 20, 2006 by cicada

Net Data Space vs. Every Day Life — Aram Bartholl I was showing my mom a Google Map the other day and we puzzled over it for several minutes before we realized it hadn’t been updated. A recently completed thoroughfare … Continue reading →

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Stem cells: when they’re bad, they’re naughty

Posted on November 20, 2006 by cicada

globeandmail.com: Stem cells core of more cancers Grumble, grumble.  I can’t access Sunday’s two Nature advance articles, on the role played by stem cells in tumor growth. (Nature and its ilk are way too expensive for our small local college … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology | 4 Comments

Deadlines, both good and bad

Posted on November 16, 2006 by cicada

Alas, National Novel Writing Month is half over, and I once again forgot to start my novel. Do I wait until next year? Do I write a half-novel? Or do I (gasp) ignore the arbitrary deadline imposed by National Novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Frivolity | Comments Off