Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
David Dobbs on science, nature, and culture.
I write articles on science, medicine, nature, culture and other matters for the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Slate, National Geographic, Scientific American Mind, and other publications, and am working on my fourth book, The Orchid and the Dandelion, which expands on my recent December 2009 Atlantic article. In August 2010, I'll be moving to London for a year to work on the book. I'll also serve as a senior fellow at City University London's MA science journalism program.
You're encouraged to check out my third book Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz, and the Meaning of Coral, which traces the strangest but most forgotten controversy in Darwin's career; subscribe to Neuron Culture by email; see more of my work at my main website; or track Twitter feed, my Google Reader shared items, or my Tumblr log, which gets it all.
Category: Nota Bene
I'm 'posed to be writing, really writing (insert argument over what's really writing in comments), but hit so many juicy bits in my morning read today I wanted to share. Here's my eclectic mix for the day:
Posted by David Dobbs at 7:27 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Art
A press release about Snails on methamphetamines works for me. The story is about memory. The jokes are about snails.
Posted by David Dobbs at 4:48 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Environment/nature
"An eastern towhee belted out a plucky reeEEP! I kept spishing. A northern cardinal emerged and uttered its short, bright peek note. Two hermit thrushes popped onto a white oak branch, flicked their wings and repeated a couple of soft chuck calls.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:59 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Never thought I'd run an ad on my blog. But this is just so ... satisfying. And pretty.
Posted by David Dobbs at 10:50 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Journalism & media
was thrilled this morning to learn that this humble, erratic blog was named one of Top 30 Science Blogs by Eureka, the new monthly science magazine recently launched by the Times of London.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:15 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Genetics & genomics (incl behav genetics)
I can finally broadcast the news with which I've been bursting for two weeks now: Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt, publisher of many a fine book over the decades, will be publishing "The Orchid and the Dandelion" (working title), in which I'll explore further the emerging "orchid-dandelion hypothesis" I wrote about in my recent Atlantic story.
Posted by David Dobbs at 9:33 AM • 23 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Culture of science
He walked away from it cold, and went on to live a rich, fulfilling life. He and Moyers talk about something else for a bit. And then Moyers returns to the climb, "I know you did so much else, but I want want to return to that K2 climb again...," says Moyer. And Houston says, "The best thing I ever did."
Posted by David Dobbs at 7:20 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Maybe best argument yet for expanding the US rail system.
Posted by David Dobbs at 10:06 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Nota Bene
Hubbard Park, Montpelier, Vermont, Sept 21, 2009. via Neil Young
Posted by David Dobbs at 3:06 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Journalism & media
I think it helps to have a sense of the history of science, which embeds in a writer or observer a sense of critical distance and an eye for large forces at work beneath the surface. Machinations in government surprise no one who has studied the history of government and politics. Likewise with science.
Posted by David Dobbs at 11:16 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
