
In this final blog post of the Art and Science of the Diagram (see Part 1 and Part 2) series, I will venture away from more overt conceptual (and computational) diagrams in the practices of science to consider what it means to have all these diagrammatic models and schemas. As a refresher of what I [...]
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May 22nd, 2013 |
1

All the hoopla over the 17-year cicadas, set to emerge any day now in the Northeast, has so far missed one of the greatest facts about them. Sure, it’s no surprise for grand gatherings of male animals to get together and sing their hearts out. Frogs do it, crickets do it, and we all know [...]
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May 22nd, 2013 |
3

It is in our nature to fit nature to us. We are best at it, but other species do it. This obvious but overlooked factor contradicts the dominant one-way-street gene-centric view of adaptation. A better framework for evolution is needed. Its shape isn’t clear, but it must incorporate: extracorporeal gene effects, “gene-culture coevolution,” “niche construction,” [...]
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May 22nd, 2013 |
1

A nonagenarian puts aging research into perspective. “To another ninety years!” I said, toasting my grandma. My brother and I had stopped by her apartment on her birthday with a six-pack of bock beer, her favorite brewing style. Being a German Wisconsin woman, there are few things she likes better. Though I’m used to her [...]
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May 21st, 2013 |
3

Right now in Oklahoma, first responders and volunteers are pulling out the stops to mobilize all the help they can, including psychological support. They’ll be able to rely on people’s great reserves of generosity and resilience. Devastating tornadoes have a lot in common with other major traumas, like life-threatening accidents, the Boston bombing and the [...]
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May 21st, 2013 |
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There is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, but in 2001 the Norwegian government established a million-dollar Abel Prize, which is widely considered as an equivalent of the Nobel for mathematicians. This year’s prize was awarded to Pierre Deligne, professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J. Today, he is honored at a [...]
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I’ve yet to meet anyone who loves cancer. When President Nixon began the war on cancer in 1971 with the signing of the National Cancer Act, it was intended to “…strengthen the National Cancer Institute in order to more effectively carry out the national effort against cancer.” Despite the billions of dollars spent, and a [...]
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May 20th, 2013 |
4

After learning that she had inherited a mutation on one of the so-called breast cancer genes, actress Angelina Jolie decided to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer. She also plans to have her ovaries removed to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer. It may sound like a drastic measure, [...]
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May 20th, 2013 |
1

In the Facebook age, it’s increasingly clear that scientific research and innovation simply can’t be relegated to the informational vacuums or institutional silos of yore. Long before the golden era of all networks social (and even before Alan Alda had a grad program at Stony Brook in communicating science named after him), luminaries including Sagan [...]
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May 19th, 2013 |
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Dear Consumers: A disturbing trend has come to our attention. You, the people, are thinking more about health, and you’re starting to do something about it. This cannot continue. Sure, there’s always been talk of health in America. We often encourage it. The thing is, we only want you to think about and talk about [...]
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