Shelley Batts is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. She studies hair cell regeneration in the cochlea, and is just embarking on that quixotic quest called 'thesis.' She lies awake at night pondering how science intersects with politics, culture, policy, money, medicine, and religion in an attempt to be more than just a niche scientist sitting in the oh-so-lovely ivory tower. Follow me and my parrot on the quest to get funded, get a PhD, and stay sane.
Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth, are never alone or weary of life. ~Rachel Carson
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Cochlear Hair Cell Regeneration
Interview With Dr. Irene Pepperberg
On Religion and Taking the 'Red Pill'
Neuroscience of Cocaine Addiction
Parrots Have Object Permanance
September 29, 2006
Category: Travel
I spent the night in Schipol Airport last night, and just got home (to Ann Arbor) today. I'm exhausted! Long stories, regarding Amsterdam. Brussels, a mistake that took me to Paris, trains, coffeeshops and hostels galore on Monday. I'm taking...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:34 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 21, 2006
Category: Travel
Posting will be slow for a couple days, as I hop on the Eurail tomorrow and travel to Brussels. Yesterday I decided to go to the beach, which is a few miles to the south of Montpellier. It was a...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:35 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 20, 2006
Category: Carnivals
Just a reminder to submit some neuroscience-related blog posts to the carnival Encephalon! Its a round-up of recent brain-blogging and is usually very high-quality stuff. It is currently being hosted over at OmniBrain, and submission guidelines can be found here....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:58 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Panda Fluff
What happens when a Chinese man drinks 4 jugs of grog and decides to jump into a panda pen at the Beijng Zoo? Well, a tussle of course, and I'll let you read who got the worst of it....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:49 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 19, 2006
Category: YouTube Obsessions
Where was Ken Wantanabe when Air France lost my bags?? Don't touch my gnome!...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 7:57 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Travel
I visit Montpellier's Arc du Triomphe, the ancient Aquaducts, and get chatty with a "voyeur."
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:13 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 18, 2006
Category: Travel
I present my research at the Inner Ear Bio Conference, summarize some current research on hearing and tinnitus I hear about, and vamp for the camera for no real reason at all.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:52 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 17, 2006
Category: Travel
I party the night before the conference starts with some random American kids I find. I become a croissant on the dance floor and 2 euro drink red wine until 3am.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:55 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 16, 2006
Category: Travel
I bum around Montpellier, eat crepes, shop, and get accosted by a horny French biker.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:36 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Creepy Crawlies
Ever find a bug, hideously ugly and strange, that you wanted to identify? Is it poisonous? Should you kill it, watch it, keep it as a pet? Well, next time, snap a picture of that bug and send it to...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:08 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Travel
What a journey! Three flights, four airports, a 2 hour bus ride through London, my luggage lost (not my poster though!), but at midnight Sept 16th I have finally made it to Montpellier, France. First, my flight out of Detroit...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:10 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 15, 2006
Category: Electronics
Ever wonder how plasma TV's work? Well, I did, and decided to figure it out! "Traditional" televisions use cathode ray tubes, in which a gun fires a beam of electrons inside a large glass tube at phosphor atoms at the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:15 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Red Herrings
This looks suspiciously like the pint of Sam Adams I had in the sleezy Detroit Airport lounge (waiting for my plane, delayed 2.5 hours.) But in fact, its a advertising campaign used by a British church! "The message is...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:38 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Friday Grey Matters
If you buy a parrot from a breeder in America, chances are it has a small metal ring around its leg. My African Grey, Pepper, also has one of these (I call it his "bling.") I'd never really given...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:35 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 14, 2006
Category: Travel
So, as I've mentioned previously, I'm leaving for Europe tonight (coming back Sept 29th!). Don't worry, blogging will not cease (although may be a little slower), and I'm going to try to photo-blog my travels through France, Belgium, and Amsterdam....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:53 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 13, 2006
Category: Birds
Not for 50 years has a new species of bird been identified! But, a new and very colorful species was recently found in India, Yahoo news reports (pictured below.) The new species, called Bugun Liocichla, was first seen this past...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:59 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Inner Ear Biology
Mark Chu-Caroll related a story in the comments to this post, about how his son benefited greatly from having tubes put in his ears after recurring ear infections became a serious issue. For children who get frequent ear infections, tympanostomy...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:17 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Health Care
A recent Yahoo news story reports that life expectancy is tied to race, income, and where you live. Although not unexpected, it makes for quite interesting food for thought on the disparities that exist in the current health care...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:22 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 12, 2006
Category: Inner Ear Biology
A little more on the topic of ear infections, from Forbes: A new study found that almost two-thirds of children given a prescription for antibiotics -- just in case -- didn't need to have the prescription filled to get better....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:03 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Inner Ear Biology
Yeah, I have an ear infection (otitis media). So, why not take this opportunity to describe what an ear infection is, why it hurts, and what you can do about it. Otitis media literally means "middle ear inflammation," but it...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:27 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 11, 2006
Category: Carnivals
Welcome to the sixth edition of the neuroscience carnival, Encephelon! From the Neurophilosopher's Blog comes a fascinating video lecture by Dr. Martin Sereno, a cognitive scientist at UCSD, on why humans possess so much more cognitive power than other animals...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:35 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 8, 2006
Category: Carnivals
Remember to submit your neuroscience-related blog posts to me by 9pm Sept 10th for the next edition of The Encephalon. More info on guidelines and how to submit, here....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:41 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blatant Nerdery
Toby! None of us could ever aspire to his level of nerd-dom. (Although he makes it more of an ethos.)...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:36 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: People I'd Like to See Fight William Shatner
Shatner and Nimoy get all teary-eyed over Star Trek 40 years after the fact.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:00 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Friday Grey Matters
According to Carol, the reasons for surrendering birds can range from allergy problems to the birds being too loud. "People will buy the bird because they think it's cool or cute and don't realize how long it can live or the noise it makes," she said. "We try to help them keep their bird, but if they can't, we find a place for them."
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:41 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 7, 2006
Category: Blatant Nerdery
A re-cap of ScienceBlogger nerdiness and my judgement on who's the nerdliest geek to grace space.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:00 PM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Stem Cells
Darling of Nature and current researcher at UM, Dr. Sean Morrison, has recently authored a paper implicating a protein called 'inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4A' in the decline of a stem cell's lifespan. A single molecular switch plays a central...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:25 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 6, 2006
Category: Blatant Nerdery
More blatant nerdery!
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:12 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blatant Nerdery
I never thought I would have to prove my nerdy roots, but well, here it is.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:20 PM • 26 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
A hypothetical mechanism for the action of lithium on the serotoninergic system is discussed.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:08 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 5, 2006
Category: Announcements
I rule. The end.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:26 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Announcements
I'm on vacation, so excuse the lack of posts. Blogging will resume tomorrow! Even if I wasn't on vacation, I'm WAY too traumatized by the death of Steve Irwin to post anything. Most of you may not know this, but...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:21 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 2, 2006
Category: Health Care
Severely overweight women may be denied access to free fertility treatment in the UK andmust lose weight before being offered the chance to try IVF. Is it discrimination?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:45 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
September 1, 2006
Category: Friday Grey Matters
Is a 104 year old Macaw with a dirty mouth Winston Churchill's?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:15 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
