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Mike the Mad Biologist

Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology

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ntm4-30-7 Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology. Comment policy: say what you want, but back it up with an email address. I don't like anonymous trolls.

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November 30, 2007

Viral Lazaruses?

Category:

Or is it Lazarai? Either way, The New Yorker has an interesting article about recreating extinct retroviruses.

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November 29, 2007

Maybe All That Blogging Has an Effect After All?

Category:

The traditional media might not like blogs, but they're starting to have to listen to them--because they're potential customers.

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November 28, 2007

What Makes U.S. Graduate Education Very Good?

Category:

Is competition what makes U.S. doctoral programs excel? Or buckets of money?

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November 27, 2007

Should I Cancel My Times Subscription?

Category:

I've considering canceling my New York Times subscription. Here are the pros and cons.

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November 26, 2007

Marriage Versus Servitude

Category: Feminism

A new divorce policy in Japan highlights the different outcomes when women are not dependent on men but interdependent with them. It's scaring the hell out of Japanese men.

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The True Face of Creationism: The Real Controversy

Category:

I've written about creationist and convicted felon Kent Hovind's idiocy. But I had forgotten another aspect of Hovind--his ties to white supremacist groups.

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November 25, 2007

Our Turkey Overlords Are on the March!

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A while back, I posted about the full out assault by demonic flocks of turkeys on the good city of Boston. Now, I have personally witnessed the horror up close.

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November 24, 2007

The Politics of Water Consumption

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Tom Engelhardt asks the question I've wondered about Atlanta's drought: what happens if there literally is no water?

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November 23, 2007

This Is No Way to Choose a President...

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While I'm not a believer in the idea that a different political voting process would yield dramatically better governance, the Iowa caucus procedure is so stupid that I'm willing to make an exception.

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November 22, 2007

I'm Thankful for All of the Donors Choose Participants

Category: Basic Human Decency

I thought today would be a good to thank of you who were able to donate to my Donors Choose challenge.

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November 21, 2007

Social Security and Compromise: Kevin Drum Doesn't Get It

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All Drum's proposal would establish a commission that, guess what, would be used to support the false idea that there is a Social Security crisis. It's the sucker's play.

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November 20, 2007

Tasmanian Devils Need Your Help

Category: Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian Devil, already teetering on extinction, is being hard hit by a transmissible cancer.

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Creationists Just Don't Understand Antibiotic Resistance and Compensatory Mutations

Category:

Let's deal with the claim that mutation leads to "a loss of functional systems." The short version: that claim is utter bullshit.

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November 19, 2007

The Dollar: Never Mind OPEC...

Category: Economics

Jay-Z has ditched the dollar in favor of the euro.

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One Reason Why Saletan and Sullivan Are Wilfully Ignorant About IQ

Category: IQ

Genetic predetermination fits nicely with conservatism--it's 21st century Social Darwinism.

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Let the Presidential Election Be About Being President...

Category:

...and not a surrogate for gender issues. Yes, Chris Matthews is a sexist asshole with severe gender hangups. But what does that have to do with 'Hillary's' hawkish position on Iraq?

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November 18, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Here are some links for you.

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The War on Climate Science: The Smithsonian Front?

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More from the dog bites man files: political interference in a Smithsonian exhibit--about climate change. Having viewed this exhibit, I'm not sure what to make of these claims.

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November 17, 2007

CNN Scripts 'Audience' Questions at Debate

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How can a CNN debate be considered news when questions supposedly asked by the audience are actually scripted? This is why commercial news organizations should not be sponsoring debates.

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November 16, 2007

What the Hell Is NARAL Thinking (Again)?

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NARAL just doesn't get it: when NARAL supports Republicans or Democrats who, by undermining Democratic initiatives, weaken the Democratic Party, NARAL is strengthening those who oppose legal and safe abortion.

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November 15, 2007

Bush Vetoes Increase for NIH Funding

Category:

Here's what you can do about it.

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The Reality of Social Security Has a Well-Known Liberal Bias

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When you're told for fourteen years running that Social Security will collapse in thirty four years, maybe it's time to reconsider the validity of that estimate. Or you could just keep chugging the Konservative Kool-Aid.

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November 14, 2007

Why Is Bobby Jindal Devaluing My College Education?

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There is no conceivable way that Bobby Jindal received his Brown degree without knowing that there is overwhelming evidence from the fossil record for evolution, unless he wasn't paying attention in class.

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November 13, 2007

COBRA and Health Insurance Versus Healthcare

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There is a difference between health insurance and healthcare.

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November 12, 2007

Obama Has Lost My Vote

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When you use Republican talking points to falsely undermine one of the greatest Democratic policy successes, why should a Democrat support you?

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November 11, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Bloggity Blog

Here are some links for you.

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Remember This Veteran's Day...

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...the 202,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have sought disability assistance.

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November 10, 2007

William Steig Exhibit in Boston

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If you're in Boston, the Boston Public Library at Copley Square is having a free exhibition of The New Yorker cartoonist William "King of Cartoons" Steig's work.

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What David Horowitz's Academic Freedom Might Look Like

Category:

A professor was fired because a student was listening to voices in her head. Which explains everything you need to know about David Horowtiz.

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November 9, 2007

Doing Everything Right...

Category: Healthcare

...and you still get hosed by the U.S. healthcare system.

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November 8, 2007

GHB in Kids' Toys?

Category: We're Really Fucked

It's not like there's a quality control problem with Chinese manufacturing or anything

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More About Pigs and MRSA

Category:

Another study suggests a link between pigs and MRSA.

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November 7, 2007

Five Truths About Taxes (in the U.S.)

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And why this matters to scientists.

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November 6, 2007

Should We Let Creationists Dictate Our Time: A Response to Tristero

Category:

Life is far too short to provide Behe the anterior-posterior extraction procedure he so desperately needs.

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November 5, 2007

Chloramphenicol, Frogs...and Bacterial Endosymbionts?

Category: Froggies

A possible way to cure the devastating fungal infections that are wiping out frog populations--and also a hint at a possible mechanism of how the fungus kills frogs.

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November 4, 2007

Some Sunday Links

Category: Lotsa Links

Merry Daylight Saving Time! Here are some links for you.

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The Deal Democrats Should Be Making with Any Attorney General Nominee

Category:

Instead of focusing on partial drowning interrogation, John Dean tells us what Congress should be doing.

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A New and Improved Automobile Engine?

Category:

Yes, we can build a cleaner and more powerful car engine.

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November 3, 2007

Giuliani Is Creepy

Category: A Message to You, Rudy

Bernard Kerik's 'initiation ceremony' is truly creepy.

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Reframing 'Waterboarding'

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I am in utter awe of the brilliant reframing of 'waterboarding' by the Kenosha Kid.

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November 2, 2007

Experimentation, IQ, and "Jewgenics"

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The argument that higher IQ in Ashkenaz Jews has a genetic basis is a testable hypothesis. So, is anyone going to do the tests?

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November 1, 2007

Is the U.S. Falling Behind the Technology Curve?

Category:

The Guardian's Tim Watkin thinks so.

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