I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
Two words:
New T-shirt.
Ive had my eye on these shirts for a while, but it took an 'I hate all of my clothes' moment, plus a plug from Skepchick to get me to finally order one of these (taken with a digital camera from 1992 Mom and Dad still cant figure out how to use):
I really wanted to get one of those 'teach the controversy' shirts... But I was genuinely worried that some in OK might not 'get' the joke... I also loved the 'SCIENCE!' with the scientists cheering over a mushroom cloud... but again... afraid no one would get the joke...
So just the microbe wrangler for now :)
Comments
I rather like the "teach the controversy" shirts, I think I'm going to get the invisible pink unicorn one...
Posted by: Jared | July 31, 2008 9:45 PM
That's funny, I was looking at those shirts few days ago and I thought you'd love that particular one.
I'm thinking of getting the T-Rex burger one, as well as the 'planted evidence' from teach the controversy.
Posted by: Darek | July 31, 2008 9:48 PM
Having spent the longest 2 years of my life in Oklahoma, I'm pretty sure they won't get the joke.
I've never been anywhere that I was so often asked what church I go to...and never so much moral indignation when I said "I don't".
Posted by: Dr. J | July 31, 2008 9:49 PM
Oooooh...PRETTY!!!
*drools*
I saw the shirts a while back. They made my day (and resulted in hopeless giggling), but most people that I know wouldn't get the joke.
Posted by: joy | July 31, 2008 10:01 PM
These shirts are excellent! I'm a big fan of the mushroom cloud.
Posted by: Alex M | July 31, 2008 10:21 PM
So jealous, although what I really want is the devil-burying-fossils Teach The Controversy shirt.
Posted by: kc | July 31, 2008 10:53 PM
Nice!
I meant to order one, but then my ADDHD took over and I moved on to looking for braised short rib recipes.
Time to refocus.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 31, 2008 11:07 PM
Ya, I got all the SCIENCE! shirts, but i got them in the standard grey and red format. Since I own a cafe here in Ponca, I make my own dress code, and I wear them to work all the time. Dont really care if they get the joke or not. But, it is a way to constantly promote science, and at least make people think a little bit.
Posted by: David Broome | July 31, 2008 11:15 PM
Yes, it's true some people might not get the other shirt, BUT there is a definite increase in the coolness power of people who DO.
Posted by: The Chemist | July 31, 2008 11:19 PM
You need, NEED the xkcd shirt which says "Stand Back, I'm Going To Try SCIENCE!"
I'd recommend "Science. It works, bitches" but that's physics...
I have both, and I'm a political philosophy major.
Posted by: wazza | August 1, 2008 12:07 AM
Lots more here. You can even design your own shirt.
http://amorphia-apparel.com/
Posted by: Johnny Cache | August 1, 2008 7:24 AM
Hi Abbie,
Pretty cool shirt, but I think a really cool one would have a picture of Chuck Darwin on it.
Cheers,
John
Posted by: John Kwok | August 1, 2008 10:37 AM
I'm sorry to get off topic (enjoy your vacation, btw!), but I'm trying to find a post that I could have sworn I read at ERV, either here or back at blogspot, that dealt with HERV involvement in mammalian placental development. Unfortunately, searching the blogs isn't turning up the post I thought I was looking for.
Does anyone know a good reference for that sort of discussion? I'm trying to write an email on the subject to non-science-oriented family, and google only turns up stuff that's too technical for me to wade through (I'm still a filthy undergrad), so I'm afraid to even try PubMed at all. Any pointers would be appreciated. D:
Posted by: Terry Small | August 1, 2008 2:54 PM
I picked up both the geocentrism and the satan-fossils "teach the controversy" shirts and I love sporting them around in Kentucky. I don't particularly care who gets the joke, I get some funny looks... it's totally worth it.
Posted by: zer0 | August 1, 2008 3:58 PM
P.S. I want today's XKCD on a t-shirt... NOW!!!!!!!!!!1111111one
Posted by: zer0 | August 1, 2008 4:00 PM
You're just sitting around, twiddling your thumbs, trying on T-shirts, and meanwhile Barack Obama is preparing the world for the Antichrist.
Posted by: Bayesian Bouffant, FCD | August 1, 2008 4:32 PM
I bought my girlfriend, who is getting her PhD at OU in microbiology, the same exact T-shirt (in red), and she loves it! Her lab mates also love it, although I'm pretty sure that cross-section of people isn't representative of OK. I bought the "Teach the Controversy" shirt for myself and wore it to McNellie's one night. I was with the g-friend and some of her friends, and they didn't say anything about it until we were walking to the car as we were leaving. They said, "Hey, we really like your shirt! We weren't sure at the beginning of the night if it was ironic or not, though!" i.e., they weren't sure whether I believed that the Earth was the center of the solar system. Sigh.
By the way, I live in OKC, and am Oklahoma born and raised. I love your blog! If you see someone else walking around campus (She's in the building right next to the Lloyd Noble Center that's next to the new meteorology building. . .my brain can't think of the name of her building right now) with the same T-shirt in red, say hi for me! It will properly freak her freak.
Posted by: Mandy | August 1, 2008 7:02 PM
Terry, The Science of Discworld 3: Darwin's Watch, has an excellent discussion of HERV 3 and its place in the development of placental mammals. I think it might also point you to other books with more details, but I'm sort of tidying my room right now...
Posted by: wazza | August 1, 2008 9:54 PM
Awesome, many thanks.
Posted by: Terry Small | August 1, 2008 11:00 PM
I have an idea for a T-shirt. I got it after reading about the scientist who just killed himself.
He was researching Anthrax, and not HIV, though.
T-shirt with feds kicking in door with mad scientist frantically loading envelopes with some genetically modified disease, in a sick twisted effort to cull the population to a manageable, sustainable, Earth friendly size.
Ah, anyway, enjoy the ride on whatever that thing is...
Posted by: William Wallace | August 2, 2008 2:33 AM
That's an odd tangent, Mr. Wallace. Are you alluding to the HIV-was-designed-to-wipe-out-undesirables idea?
Africa's tragedy will one day be its triumph. In areas hard-hit by AIDS, already we can see an increase in the frequency of HIV resistance genes.
Master plans are teh fail.
Posted by: Dr Benway | August 2, 2008 9:23 AM
@16
holy christ on a cracker! (+)
Posted by: mikeg | August 2, 2008 10:02 AM
No, I was alludeding to certain personalities who should not have access to dangerous germs.
Posted by: William Wallace | August 2, 2008 5:36 PM
Dr. J,
I've lived in Oklahoma all my life and very very rarely get asked what church I go to or if I go at all. I do live in Oklahoma City, though, so maybe that compensates.
Posted by: Logan N | August 3, 2008 12:23 AM
Purdy!
The T-shirt is nice, too.
There were digital cameras in general circulation in '92? Damn. We didn't even get a PC till '96.
Posted by: Sili | August 3, 2008 11:45 AM
Logan, I'm sure OKC is a lot different from Stillwater. Spent a good bit of time down in OKC since it wasn't Stillwater. ;-)
Posted by: Dr. J | August 3, 2008 3:49 PM
Want one?
http://www.nycskeptics.org/images/darwin08shirt.jpg
Posted by: John Dennehy | August 3, 2008 7:58 PM
As long as someone's going to be talking about the guy sending the anthrax letters, let's be clear about the fact that he was a conservative targeting liberals, just like the guy who shot up the Unitarian hall. Enjoy the ride...
Posted by: Eric Saveau | August 4, 2008 9:52 AM
@16
That's some high-grade, frothing at the mouth crazy, that is... I just can't imagine someone truly thinking those things while not being utterly insane. But then, I'm canadian. When we see such crazy things in our media, they are in interviews in mental asylums.
Please, please tell me this is some kind of bizarre humor ?
Posted by: Kemist | August 5, 2008 12:20 PM
Maybe I'm jaded, but, I see crap like what is linked in #16 all the time. I can't open my email without finding something just like that. It is more common than you think.
I got a "Science" shirt with the clones (sure it's a bit on the sexist side, but, I love it), but, my favorite is the "Prank Heaven". One guy who checked it out looked like he didn't know if he was supposed to be offended or not.
Posted by: fatherdaddy | August 5, 2008 9:11 PM