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Once again, Dave Ng at The World's Fair issues a challenge: If you had to write your memoirs in 6 words, what would they be? Writing that memoir today, here are mine: Chemist. Philosopher. Parent. Blogger. Grown-up? Someday. Six words...
Posted on February 15, 2008 3:48 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
"What is a disease?" It would be nice to think that this is the kind of question where there are clear-cut, fact-based answers to be had. "Disease" is a term that seems to pick out a category of biological...
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Posted on February 12, 2008 10:08 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
"Why don't they make a birth control pill for men?" There are important considerations from medical ethics that might explain why a birth control pill for men has not happened yet....
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Posted on January 10, 2008 10:00 AM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
David Ng at The World's Fair asks what kind of scientist Santa Claus might be. I'm not sure I have the answer to that, but I at least have a hunch about what kind of scientist might make the most...
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Posted on December 11, 2007 12:44 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Avast, ye bloglubbers! We be starin' down the crow's nest at another International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a holiday marked in these seas by the seizin' o' this bucket by the Dread Pirate Free-Ride. Aye, it happened last year,...
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Posted on September 19, 2007 11:56 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Civilization's imminent collapse is upon us. What's in your survival pack? There are many ways that civilization could collapse, so let me put my assumptions on the table: I'm considering a world where the electrical grid, phone and internet...
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Posted on September 18, 2007 12:04 PM • 25 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Dave at The World's Fair is collecting field data on coffee mugs. Or maybe he's trying to create a meme. Anyway, he poses a bunch of questions which I seem to be unable to resist answering: Can you show...
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Posted on May 17, 2007 5:09 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Chris at Mixing Memory points to research that suggests musical preferences provide a window to the personality. I haven't seen the research yet but, at Chris's prompting, I'll throw myself into the ring as an experimental subject by listing 10...
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Posted on March 12, 2007 10:44 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Chad and Tara have spilled the beans on a highly classified backchannel discussion we ScienceBloggers have been having. Since the cat is already out of the bag (presumably a bag of beans), I suppose I'll chime in. What basic concepts...
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Posted on January 12, 2007 5:12 PM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The most recent Ask A ScienceBlogger question is: What's the funniest lab accident you've ever had? Those who know me can tell you I like to laugh, but I'm having trouble coming up with a lab accident that I'd call...
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Posted on December 1, 2006 3:38 PM • 30 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Ben thinks it's time to start auditioning for a ScienceBlogs house band. Under the guidance of the Adventures in Ethics and Science Musical Advisory Panel (i.e., the sprogs), I've come up with a few suggestions:...
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Posted on October 16, 2006 4:22 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
It's true that I live in California (in the San Francisco Bay Area, no less), but even if I didn't, I would still opt for organic produce wherever possible. And, my reasons for this preference have almost nothing to do with the nutritional profile of organically grown foods compared to conventionally grown foods.
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Posted on September 9, 2006 6:34 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
David at The World's Fair has posed another, "Ask a ScienceBlogger, Sort Of" question: Essentially, as scientific types who tend to analyse, over-analyse, supra-analyse things, and who like to categorize and follow empirical trends, I'm interesting in hearing what you...
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Posted on August 16, 2006 9:26 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
When you've grown up alongside the AIDS epidemic, how much worry can you sustain?
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Posted on August 11, 2006 9:52 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Sometimes it's OK to hang back on the "Ask a ScienceBlogger" questions to let others snap up the obvious answers. (Yeah, I meant to do that!) I love Real Genius and Buckeroo Banzai as much as the next geek, but...
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Posted on August 7, 2006 3:47 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Sure, there are ethical questions raised by the possibility of cloning humans. But most of these are ethical questions that were already with us.
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Posted on July 10, 2006 3:09 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Janet D. Stemwedel (whose nom de blog is Dr. Free-Ride) is an assistant professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. Before becoming a philosopher, she earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Email her at dr.freeride@gmail.com.
