We could probably have a long conversation about this over coffee or wine, but the central, defining feature of art in the “modern era,” which began with the Renaissance (circa 1500), and continues to this day, is its subject matter. Catalyzed by the runaway mercantilism that was consuming Europe, which was fueled by the imperial […]
Part I. Darwin’s Ducks Upon turning over the back cover of On The Origin of Species, I was left with the overwhelming urge to hug Charles Darwin to let him know that he was doing good and that everyone loves him. There is a cold British sorrow, like a gray winter rain, that pervades his […]
One of my favorite things to do when I start studying something new is to go back as far as I can in the literature to look for the primordial kernel of the idea, or field, that I’m interested in. My thesis advisor Jacquito taught me to do this. For example, the idea that plant […]
There was one more great story that came out of Copenhagen. My hosts Kim and Namiko work with a guy called Stanley who is an old-school third-generation molecular microbiologist…third generation meaning that he did his postdoc with a guy named Jon Beckwith, who himself studied with Jacob and Monod in Paris, who are of course […]
I’m at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen for the week drinking coffee and talking about bacteriophage all day with a couple of the scientists here. The institute is a small collection of two or three old non-descript but charming beige stone buildings that together look like an old manner, in the North part of […]
This one is for the true microbiologists, but just for context for anyone else, “LB” is the most common growth medium used for bacterial culture, and is used in nearly all molecular biology labs… My buddy Eric invited me to give a talk at the University of Florida last week; UF is in Gainesville, which […]
Academics talk about the depth of prison, the feeling of being submerged below the surface upon which society floats. The W train (mustard yellow line) goes straight from Washington Square to Queens Plaza, an emblematic Gotham-style subway and el-train center in Long Island City (Queens). After you get out, you have to go over on […]
