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
December 31, 2006
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Most people who have known a drug addict, or have watched Trainspotting or ER, know that one of the more insidious parts of addiction is the need for more and more drug to achieve a "high." This leads the addict...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:32 AM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 30, 2006
Category: Global Politics
Well, that was certainly quick. Convicted last month, handed over to the Iraq authorities yesterday, and hung (hanged, whatever) this morning. Guess no one can complain that justice wasn't swift. His last words? 'God is great. The nation will be...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 7:57 AM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 28, 2006
Category: Travel
My Chinese Christmas, and how the excessive 'Christmas-ification' of China is pissing off some Chinese PhD students
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:37 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 16, 2006
Category: Announcements
Due to some rather obnoxious putrid trolls, went back to commenter moderation. No big deal, I'll let all comments through as long as they aren't abusive nor spam. Also, while I'll be checking in, I'm taking the week off blogging...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:43 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 14, 2006
Category: Ecology
Almost all of the water in China is horribly contaminated, the only thing thats surprising to me is that anything could live in the Yangtze at all with the amounts of pollutants dumped in there by industry. And yes, the LAWS are in place to reduce pollution. There is just zero enforcement, which is a common thread throughout Chinese law.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:45 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 13, 2006
Category: Blather
......yet men somehow stay the same. Or worse, regress. Not sure whether to be more irked that Razib suggests that smart women aren't hot (and vice versa), that hot women don't like sci fi, or than sci fi somehow denotes...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:20 AM • 31 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 12, 2006
Category: Travel
Arrived in China last night (although night is subjective when you have a 12 hour time differential), and after a bit of a drive to Suzhou we had dinner at a fantastic little Malaysian place which served something called 'Roti'....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:14 PM • 23 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 11, 2006
Category: Stupidity
I have perhaps found the most annoying device ever You know how irritating it is when your smoke detector needs new batteries and just beeps every now and then? Like the telltale heart, it drives you slowly bonkers. Now, imagine...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:41 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Academia
Scientists love good gossip as much as any 'Us'-magazine reader, and we take the same car-wreck interest in seeing our lofty demagogues topple in disgrace. The 'Huang stem cell scandal's' shame infected not only the fraudulent scientists involved, but also...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:56 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Disease
Poor gorillas. At least they have an excuse not to believe in evolution, however crappily it might impact their lives. Recent outbreaks of Ebola among people in Africa also killed thousands of gorillas, animals already threatened by hunting, a new...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 7:41 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 10, 2006
Category: Red Herrings
One cubic meter of sperm, two important options. Which will you choose?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:00 AM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 9, 2006
Category: Announcements
From December 11th to the 26th I'll be in Shanghai visiting my parents there, for my birthday and the holidays. Fear not, I'll still be blogging and probably posting interesting pictures from China. I always have a blast when I...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:52 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 8, 2006
Category: Friday Grey Matters
Well, its been a long time coming, and further delayed by grants, labwork, and Irene's hand injury. But, Irene and I finally got on the phone last weekend and chatted a bit about her work, her birds, and her...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:57 AM • 13 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 7, 2006
Category: Risky Business
Riddle me this: Is the tumor scarier, or the mustache? Either way, nightmares are in my near future.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:29 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Ok this one literally "tastes like neuroscience." (Oh ho ho, I kill me.) Seriously though, this discovery that it may be possible to diagnose depression through altered taste may one day result in a clinically useful (if unconventional) 'depression...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:23 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: History of Science
To be filed under "How Did This Ever Survive?" is a box containing 23 glass light bulbs used by Thomas Edison in a 1890 court battle to defend his patent on them. They will be auctioned this month, with...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:56 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 6, 2006
Category: Global Politics
At the urging of others in the science blogging community (and rightly so!), we've been asked to highlight the situation of the tragic Tripoli 6 (or Benghazi 6) and the new developments going on. A bit of a recap though,...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:39 PM • 25 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Beating 'Round the Bushes
Now I'm not a fan of Jeb Bush by any means. But compared to Georgie Porgie, he's gotta look like the golden son to George Bush, Sr. And thats saying something. Evidenced by a recent emotional speech given by the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:32 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blather
MySpace is under an "amazingly virulent" attack caused by a worm that steals log-in credentials and spreads spam that promotes adware sites.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:59 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 5, 2006
Category: Memes
Not the greatest litmus test, but kinda fun and interesting. I'm more conservative than I thought. I was sure I'd get "Raving Atheist Baby-Eating Level Liberal"........ Your Political Profile:Overall: 25% Conservative, 75% LiberalSocial Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% LiberalPersonal Responsibility: 0%...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:00 PM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Risky Business
Dog eats parrot. Man robs bank. Hilarity ensues.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:53 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Stem Cells
Remember that scene in 'Karate Kid' when Daniel-San walked in on Mr. Miyagi trying to catch a fly with a pair of chopsticks? In response to Daniel-San asking what the heck he was doing, Mr. Miyagi replied cryptically, "He...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:20 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 4, 2006
Category: Academia
This generation of students will graduate with more student loans and debt than any previous to it (adjusted for inflation, of course). Rising school costs, living costs in college towns, and credit card debt may all be to blame. I...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:06 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 3, 2006
Category: Weird Science
First, watch this: I saw that on Yahoo last night and thought it would be kinda fun to try to figure out how it was done. Here's my guess. So, first of all, it seems that there are 5 toothpicks,...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:59 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 2, 2006
Category: Global Politics
This sounds eerily similar to another kind of 'forced identification'.......... When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:42 PM • 6 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
December 1, 2006
Category: Health Care
So, some Dutch psychologists have released the results of a study that indicates living in urban areas raises the risk of suffering from bulimia, but not anorexia. They found women in cities were five times more likely to have the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:04 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Friday Grey Matters
Move over Judas Priest! Make way for HateBeak! HateBeak is a ParrotMetal band with, you guessed it!, a African Grey as the lead "vocalist." From HATEBEAK's site: Face-crushing guitars, head-pounding drums, bass so low you'll vacate your bowels, and...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:03 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
