Category Archives: Biology

Rosalind Franklin, Artist’s Muse?

Posted on August 12, 2007 by cicada

Photo 51 Rosalind Franklin, 1952 Rosalind Franklin: Photo 51 Denise Wyllie & Clare O Hagan, 2007 Via Lablit: Wyllie and O Hagan first became interested in Franklin when they discovered her story while doing an art residency at a laboratory … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology | 2 Comments

Shrooms on the run?

Posted on August 11, 2007 by cicada

Made in Transit: oyster mushrooms Agata Jaworska On Saturday I went to the farmer’s market to snag some nectarines and peaches. Unfortunately, by Tuesday they’d gone bad already, which left me wondering what farmers do with all the peaches and … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science | Comments Off

But where’s the Cephalopod counter?

Posted on August 7, 2007 by cicada

Every biologist secretly craves seafood counters labeled “Crustacea” in beautiful art deco lettering. Thank you, Harrods.

Posted in Biology, Destinations, Frivolity | 4 Comments

Snakes on a plate! part deux

Posted on August 2, 2007 by cicada

Bernard Palissy, 1565-1585 As promised, here’s the Palissy snake serving dish from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It’s very similar to the one from the British Museum, except that the colors in this piece seem much brighter. I like the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Museum Lust | 1 Comment

Dinner snakes – I mean, dinner plates

Posted on July 29, 2007 by cicada

Lead-glazed polychrome-painted earthenware dish Workshop of Bernard Palissy, Paris, circa 1575-1600 British Museum Just in case you didn’t find Laura Zindel’s creepy-crawly place settings unusual enough, here’s a treasure from the British Museum: an antique dish embellished with sculpted snake, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Museum Lust | 3 Comments

The biology is only as good as the labs

Posted on July 29, 2007 by cicada

I winced in sympathy at this account, “A biologist in Nigeria”, by Dave Ng (The World’s Fair) of his experience teaching a genetics course. The conditions were simply awful. But I’m afraid any non-biologist readers won’t understand how awful – … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Education, Science | Comments Off

Wander-lust

Posted on July 25, 2007 by cicada

I woke up yesterday in Idaho, today I’m in Seattle, and in a few hours I fly to London. Woohoo. I’m somewhat sleep deprived and I still have to pack my bags, so I’m going to drop this link and … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Department of the Drama, Frivolity | Comments Off

Genetics of autism: is it safe to marry an engineer?

Posted on July 16, 2007 by cicada

from xkcd.com A few months ago, I dreamed that I attended a cocktail party, where I mistook Simon Baron-Cohen (the neurobiologist) for his cousin Sacha Baron Cohen (better known as Borat). I don’t know why either of them was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science | 13 Comments

Ow, my eyes

Posted on July 15, 2007 by cicada

The famous Rotating Snakes illusion I was in the subway yesterday when the repeating pattern of concrete blocks started messing with my head. I did a little research later, but couldn’t find anything about the illusion I experienced (probably because … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity | 3 Comments

Aesthetic outsourcing: arthropod artisans

Posted on July 13, 2007 by cicada

Peacay just let me know about this cool article in Cabinet Magazine, written by Jeffrey Kastner. The aquatic caddisfly constructs a shell-like “case” for itself out of debris in its environment. For years, artist Herbert Duprat has been supplying his … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Frivolity | 5 Comments