Search Results for: Mukherjee

Indian science curriculum axes not only evolution, but the periodic table, energy sources, and pollution

As I wrote in April, India’s National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), decided to remove evolution—a great unifying theory of biology—from all science classes below “class 11”, , which means that only students who have decided to major in biology will learn about evolution. (Indian students begin specializing younger than do American students.) … Continue reading Indian science curriculum axes not only evolution, but the periodic table, energy sources, and pollution

What’s the order of vaccination?: A discussion featuring ethicists, scientists and epidemiologists

Last week we had a little “accident” at my university. Due to a misstep somewhere, some biology graduate students got their Covid-19 vaccinations before healthcare workers at the hospital. These students had nothing to do with clinical research, but apparently got their jab tickets because they are, like me, part of the Biological Science Division, … Continue reading What’s the order of vaccination?: A discussion featuring ethicists, scientists and epidemiologists

A new Ken Burns series on genes and genetics

Both Matthew and reader Leon alerted me this morning to a new two-part series (four hours total) by Ken Burns, based on Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book The Gene: An Intimate History. You can watch the first episode (aired on PBS last night) by clicking on the screenshot below. I just learned about it, and haven’t yet … Continue reading A new Ken Burns series on genes and genetics

Monday: Hili dialogue

Good morning on a wet Monday, April 12, 2021: National Grilled Cheese Day (the sandwich must be paired with tomato soup, as the combination for some reason is not only felicitous, but also imperative). It’s also National Licorice Day, Drop Everything and Read Day, and International Day of Human Space Flight, honoring the exploration begun … Continue reading Monday: Hili dialogue

Friday: Hili dialogue

End of the week again! It’s Friday, April 23, 2021: National Picnic Day. It’s also National Cherry Cheesecake Day, German Beer Day, World Book Day, UN English Language Day, UN Spanish Language Day, Lover’s Day,  National Lost Dog Awareness Day, and World Laboratory Day. Hili is half an hour late today as I’ve been doing ducky things. … Continue reading Friday: Hili dialogue

Nathaniel Comfort redux: Science doesn’t progress (or does it?)

Oy, my kishkas! Science historian Nathaniel Comfort has now emitted at least 65 tweets either doing down Pinker for Steve’s one tweet criticizing Comfort’s dreadful Nature article, or promoting Comfort’s own article. This includes a series of 25 tweets that duplicate what Comfort said on his own website about Pinker.  Talk about overkill! Having read … Continue reading Nathaniel Comfort redux: Science doesn’t progress (or does it?)

More scientific puffery at The New Yorker

I’ve often carped about the New Yorker‘s science writing (see here and here, for instance), something that became a pet peeve when it published Siddhartha Mukherjee’s wonky ideas about epigenetics and then refused to correct them after many famous geneticists called it to their attention.   After I was getting tired of its attempt to wrap … Continue reading More scientific puffery at The New Yorker