Tag Archives: biology

An introduction to molecular cancer biology

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Joe

This is something I wrote years and years ago, but which slipped through the great blog reorganisation a couple of years ago, back when I thought I’d be able to find the time for a whole blog about cancer biology. … Continue reading →

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Lies, Damned Lies, and Tissue Culture

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Joe

I originally wrote this in Feb 2008, and later updated it for the old Lay Science. While making sure that this website was up-to-date, it occurred to me that this post would have disappeared with the rest of the Lay … Continue reading →

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Genesis on genetics

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival report, originally written for the old blog in 2008. Here’s an interesting one: Genesis chapter 30. If you think Darwin got inheritance wrong, try the Bible. 30:28 And he [Laban] said, Appoint me thy wages, and … Continue reading →

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Model splicing

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival repost, written for the old blog in January 2008. The central dogma of molecular biology, first described by Francis Crick in 1958, describes the flow of information between DNA, RNA, and proteins.[1] The central dogma is … Continue reading →

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Scientists bend observation to fit evolution

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival repost, originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. I wrote the majority of this post a couple of years ago, when I had the intention to do a regular … Continue reading →

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The appeal to fair play

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival repost, originally written for the old blog in march 2007. Shockingly, it’s a new article on the blog. Even more shocking: there will be several more following over the next few weeks. “All those people who … Continue reading →

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Bisphenol A might make you fat

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Joe

(This is another archival repost, written for the old blog in 2009.) If you’ll excuse my tabloid headline writer… A year ago, I wrote Lies, damn lies, and tissue culture, describing some of the reasons why caution and healthy skepticism … Continue reading →

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The selfish gene drives an operon

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost first written for the old blog in 2007. On Monday I mentioned John Maynard Smith’s videos at People’s Archive. They really are marvelous, and you should watch them all. One of the topics he discusses … Continue reading →

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In which a load is lifted

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe

I think I’ve mentioned before that I keep a copy of Burkhardt’s Selected Letters of Charles Darwin handy in the smallest room (“for fun“). In this letter to Asa Gray in November 1857, a load is lifted from Chaz’s mind… … Continue reading →

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Oceans on evolution: you’re doing it wrong

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog — this one from December 2008. So, BBC TWO’s Oceans: marine ecology’s answer to Time Team. I get as excited by marine biology as the next nerd, and you don’t have … Continue reading →

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Did Darwin Kill God?

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog — this time from april 2009. I found on the iPlayer the latest in BBC2′s series of Darwin documentaries, Did Darwin Kill God? This is theologian Conor Cunningham’s attempt reconcile science … Continue reading →

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Lay Science: The Selfish Genius

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Joe

This was originally written a year ago on a now disused blog. I’m reposting it here because I enjoyed writing it so much that I wouldn’t want it to disappear. People love a good argument with Richard Dawkins. So many … Continue reading →

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Sir David was wrong

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Joe

Another in the ongoing project to archive posts from an old blog – this one from february 2009. Not in the television programme — well, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet due to pesky tennis fans capturing the … Continue reading →

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Evelyn Fox Keller on genes, evolution, and epigenetics

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog, first published way back in March 2008. I’ve been following CBC’s How To Think About Science series, and caught the Evelyn Fox Keller episode the other day. It was interesting, but … Continue reading →

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Lay Science: Lies, damned lies, and tissue culture

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Joe

Skepticism is about critical thinking and knowing how to avoid being fooled by charlatans and the honest but mistaken.  Over at Lay Science I explain one way that you can get fooled: by people citing the activities of cells in … Continue reading →

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