I cannot document this, but ‘Way Back When, in the days when I was a graduate student studying the interactions between nucleic acids and proteins, I was firmly convinced that the then so-called “junk” DNA—which was comprised of all noncoding sequences in the genome—couldn’t just be junk. As much energy and resources were expended on maintaining its sequence as for …
The Power of a Handshake
When I was much, much younger—early teens, I believe—my father taught me what he considered the proper way to shake hands. Key to his technique was to grip my contact’s hand firmly, to look that person directly in the eye, and to say—with great confidence and enthusiasm—something pithy, like, “Nice to meet you!” I took that advice to heart, and …
The Urge to Merge
I come across all kinds of interesting things in the course of my daily activities. Take this item from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which describes how and why mosquitos aren’t just crushed when they collide with raindrops—which are many times more massive than the troublesome insect. Using high-speed videography, they demonstrated that mosquito’s strong exoskeleton and …
Perceived Powerlessness?
The news in several places that the recently released movie, The Avengers broke the $1 billion mark for ticket sales (see here, for example) left me wondering, Why? What is it about this movie that has knocked earlier blockbusters (such as the Harry Potter canon) off their pedestals? I mean, I love a good movie, and may even set things …
Taking Big Bites
A couple of weeks ago there was much sound (and some fury) at the prospect of a group of billionaires coming together to form an entity that would seek out and mine asteroids. I loved it! That asteroids may be sources of multiple gigatons of useful materials (metals, mostly) has long been known. That mining them could bring untold riches …
Protective Coloration
A recent report from the California Academy of Sciences caught my eye, as it seemed to have implications for organizational dynamics. Summarized here, with a video of the interaction here, the report describes how a fish has developed the capability of imitating the look of an octopus that imitates the look of potentially dangerous fish, thereby allowing the octopus and …
What Would You Do If You Could Not Fail?
I came across this question recently via two different communications channels (Wired magazine and a YouTube video), both referring to the same person. That person is Regina Dugan, who—until March 2012—was director of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, or DARPA. She left DARPA to move to Google, and faced lots of criticism for the way she allocated work to …
A Thought for Today
The world looks with some awe upon a man who appears unconcernedly indifferent to home, money, comfort, rank, or even power and fame. The world feels not without a certain apprehension, that here is someone outside its jurisdiction; someone before whom its allurements may be spread in vain; someone strangely enfranchised, untamed, untrammelled by convention, moving independent of the ordinary …
Prejudiced? Me?
I like to think of myself as an equal-opportunity everything. Despite too many experiences to the contrary, I go into every new relationship thinking that I will be accepted for who I am, and that I will extend the same courtesy. Not. I was listening to the radio while making a cup of coffee to support my next task effort …
Do You Care If Big Brother (or Anyone Else) is Watching?
I just read an interesting analysis by Cory Doctorow, known to some (many, perhaps) as a blogger, columnist, and science-fiction author, with perspectives on the so-called information society that I find worth considering. The piece in question deals with why in/on-the-street security cameras (known generally as CCTV) don’t deter criminals generally, and those who were involved in the recent mobs …
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