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
January 31, 2007
Category: Pepper
In the comments of the Gene Jeans post, Robster from Wonkabout made me this cool picture, which I think deserved a post. Thanks Robster!...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:09 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Two brain regions are involved in processing how tickling feels. The somatosensory cortex processes touch and the anterior cingulate cortex processes pleasant information........
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:19 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 30, 2007
Category: Things I Wish I Could Afford
Small price to pay for a double-helix on your butt, I say
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:46 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Weird Science
Long nights, sitting at the microscope, slide after slide.......don't you just wish you had a beer? Slurp slurp. Ahhhh, thats better. Wait, I wonder what *beer* would look like under the microscope! Let's try it! I think thats what someone...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:37 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: US Politics
Nancy Pelosi apparently had a Q&A session with a few dozen bloggers after being sworn in as House Speaker, and has hired a full-time staff member who's job is blogger outreach!! This is big--the Speaker of the House is conferring...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:32 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 29, 2007
Category: Behavior
A law and economics professor at Vanderbilt, Dr. Joni Hersch, has recently published an interesting paper comparing the incomes of 2,084 legal immigants to the USA to their skin tone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, persons with lighter skintones were found to make...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:23 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Other
A firework, fiery pieces streaming away from the place where they had been part of a whole, a thing with a mission. Smoke set the backdrop, an ominous cloud, a dark nasty spot in the blue and white sky. No longer pointed skyward, but made suddenly heavy like a popped balloon deprived of helium's buoyancy.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:35 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
If you won a million dollars, what would you do? While being wealthy reduces feelings of dependence on others, participants in their tests developed selfish attitudes when presented with wealth that carried over into other aspects of their lives. The authors attribute this to a "self-sufficiency hypothesis," and designed their experiments to prime people to think about money and then observe changes in their behavior.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:51 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 26, 2007
Category: Blather
This weekend at UM Neuro, we're getting our first group of interviewees to the PhD program. I usually volunteer to host a "recruit" because, not only do you get to meet interesting people, you get a slew of fancy dinners...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:45 AM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Weird Science
"Will it have 'Come to New York' written on it?"
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:15 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 25, 2007
Category: Risky Business
An investigation of suspected brain harvesting within Maine's medical examiner's office has ended without any criminal charges, state and federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:09 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 24, 2007
Category: Flora and Fauna
They usually live around 2000-3000 feet deep, and this is the first time a live one has been caught on tape since being discovered in the 19th century.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:12 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
The first time I went to SFN (Society for Neuroscience meeting), I was in awe of the "rep section" in the enormous conference center. An area the size of a football field was filled with over-educated salespeople trying to...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:48 AM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Beating 'Round the Bushes
Bush is matched with his worst enemy: words.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:21 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 23, 2007
Category: Ann Arbor
In case you haven't heard, the north and midwest has been hit by a frigid ice storm which has covered the entire city with thick layers of ice. A bit dangerous, but really beautiful to look at if you have...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:00 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Birds
Kazakh border guards arrested a man trying to smuggle 500 parrots in his car from neighbouring Uzbekistan, media reported on Tuesday.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:26 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 22, 2007
Category: Global Warming
Its a bit overdue, but I wanted to address the second point in regards to "An Inconvenient Truth"---whether or not carbon off-sets do any good and whether Al Gore is hypocritical for using jets (which pollute) to attend meetings, etc....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:00 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Red Herrings
I once had a friend who's dog, Cuddles, *loved* beer. Cuddles would beg and whine if anyone had a cold tasty brew in the room. You can imagine how that scernio usually ended up: "Hey guys, watch what Cuddles can...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:06 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: 2008 Presidental Election
Can Hillary overcome in 2008? Polls overwhelmingly say yes.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:52 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 21, 2007
Category: Health Care
.....those who took two per cent of their energy intake from trans fats, instead of carbohydrates or polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower oil, had a 70 per cent greater risk of infertility through lack of ovulation.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:59 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 19, 2007
Category: Friday Grey Matters
While reading a cute (but poorly-written) human interest piece on an African Grey named Valentine, something caught my eye. The author touched upon a particular behavior that Valentine was exhibiting: babbling. Valentine is the color of an overcast day. His...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:00 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blather
...the stars soon faded from my eyes as, instead of noticing the cars, I was noticing the conspicuously- placed attractive people that were posing as talking heads for the cars.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:49 PM • 22 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 18, 2007
Category: Birds
What's a kakariki? Other than an incredibly cool-sounding name, its a kind of parrot that lives in New Zealand and thereabouts. Apparently, the red-crowned kakariki is an extremely rare subspecies, one of which has recently been spotted on the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:00 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Economics
I came across a fascinating post over at Econobrowser about the striking correlations between a) and area's wealth and its proximity to oceans and rivers and b) an islands wealth and the time it spent as a European colony. Needless...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:36 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 17, 2007
Category: Risky Business
Earlier this week, a woman who was a contestant (for a Nintendo Wii) in a water-drinking contest died, ostensibly of water intoxication. There has been a lot of debate in the comments as to whether the radio station was culpuable...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:08 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Weird Science
Some things, like Hollywood plotlines and political speeches, come in tidy little packages. But what's more tidy than nature's own package--the egg? The same researchers who brought you Dolly the Sheep (TM) bring you genetically-modified chickens whose eggs (specifically, the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:54 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 16, 2007
Category: Global Warming
There are two discussions which are going on in the ScienceBlog-osphere about Al Gore, brought to the table by my esteemed co-bloggers Framing Science and Stoat. The first is whether or not Gore's opus "An Inconvenient Truth" belongs in a...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:07 PM • 17 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Announcements
A Blog Around the Clock's Bora (aka Coturnix) has slaved away assembling and editing the best science blog writing of 2006, with an excellent compendium to show for it. I was not able to submit (due to traveling in...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:05 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Drugs and the Brain
A recent study published in J.Neuroscience by Stanwood et al. may help explain the long-term neurological effects associated with cocaine use while pregnant, the so-called "crack baby syndrome" which was of great concern in the 1980s. Prenatal exposure to cocaine...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:16 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 15, 2007
Category: Birds
Previously on this blog, I've criticized the European Union for continuing to allow the import of wild-caught parrots (including African Greys) which has devastated many species of rare birds. I was never sure why the EU, which his usually a...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:30 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 14, 2007
Category: Risky Business
A stupid radio stunt, where contestants had to keep drinking water and were not allowed to urinate, has resulted in the water intoxification death of one of the participants. A woman who competed in a radio station's contest to see...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:14 PM • 44 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 13, 2007
Category: Useful Crap
If you live in the Detroit area, likely this info will just serve to depress you more than you likely already are. Why might that be? Well the housing market in the big D had been notoriously crappy lately...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:39 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 12, 2007
Category: Ask A ScienceBlogger
She took me outside the lab, and just let me have it. The end was of the "You better re-think a career in science altogether" ilk, and she said she wanted to terminate my fellowship. I listened, and then it was like I just broke in half.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:54 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 11, 2007
Category: Memes
Fun! Make a library card for your blog with this card generator. I tag Razib, Abel, and OmniBrain....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:10 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
There's a kerfuffle in our midst. Fellow ScienceBlogger Dr.Charles posted a piece about John Edwards (calling him a "piss-poor presidential candidate"), which a DailyKos diarist took high offense to (now removed by the author). The diarist called Dr. Charles a...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:34 PM • 23 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science Cartoons
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:43 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 10, 2007
Category: Red Herrings
Dozens of assailants assaulted the Yale barber shop quartet at a party in San Francisco. That must have been some really bad singing. Very strange.........
Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:47 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
When the cash cow dies, replacements must be found.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:26 AM • 20 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 9, 2007
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Lets just assume for a moment that there existed some potion that extracted the truth from people, rendered them unable to lie when questioned. Wouldn't that negate free will?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:05 AM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 8, 2007
Category: Movie Reviews
Me and my friends went to see "The Good Shepard" Saturday night, a movie about the inception (and deception) of the CIA surrounding the Bay of Pigs invasion and Cold War. It was directed by/produced by Francis Ford Coppola and...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:36 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
As research into stem cells broadens, it seems like we're finding them in more and more places. Most recently, stem cells have been isolated from amniotic fluid. Interestingly, they possess qualities which pose as a kind of intermediary between adult...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:26 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 7, 2007
Category: Blather
Yes, I am a big fat nerd. I've been playing Final Fantasy 12 nearly since I woke up this morning, trying to finish all those blasted side-quests. This is pathetic! On the other hand, has anyone done any studies on...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:39 PM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Red Herrings
Soup, there it is. Soup, there it is. Now drink it like its HOTT, drink it like its HOTT.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:55 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 5, 2007
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
The parents of a severly brain-damaged 9-year-old has opted to surgically stunt their child's physical development to prevent puberty (hormones, menstruation, growth, etc) and to keep her weight at a level that they can manage. Is it ethical?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:48 PM • 28 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Friday Grey Matters
Alex, could I have "Birds That Speak" for 1000?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:55 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 4, 2007
Category: Law and Ethics
The issue here is that the restaurant industry is bitching, not because they give a damn about your personal freedom (You really think tipping is option? What about those forced gratuities on parties more than 6?) but because trans fat is CHEAP.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:59 PM • 22 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 3, 2007
Category: Inner Ear Biology
Hey Wall Street Journal! I say boooooo to you and this worthless article on the "impending hearing health crisis." The title of the article ("Resolve to Turn Your Ipod Down") itself is rather silly, now that Ipods come with volume...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:46 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
January 2, 2007
Category: Travel
So, I've been in the North Country for the weekend, and have mixed feelings about Toronto. On the one hand, its the metropolitan city that Detroit could only dream of being (I live in Ann Arbor, MI). Cool underground mall,...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:22 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
