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me%20and%20pep.jpg 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.
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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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Highlights from Retrospectacle

Cochlear Hair Cell Regeneration

Interview With Dr. Irene Pepperberg

My Travels

Chemistry of Red Bull

On Religion and Taking the 'Red Pill'

Fibonacci Poems

Neuroscience of Cocaine Addiction

Basic Concepts: Hearing

Basic Concepts: Prions

Parrots Have Object Permanance

Video Game Addiction

Nicotine Makes You Sober

Buzz on Honeybee Cognition

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I love constructive comments! However, I reserve the right to delete comments that abuse this forum. Voicing your opinions is great, just be respectful. :D

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April 30, 2007

The Volokh Conspiracy on WileyGate

Category: Blogging

Several people have emailed to let me know that some commenting is going on at the Volokh Conspiracy over what qualifies as "fair use." Its cool that some experts in law might chime in. Check it out....

Read on »

Dinner With Irene Pepperberg, and Prof. Steve Steve Kidnapped!

Category: Academia

So, as I mentioned before, Dr. Irene Pepperberg is in Ann Arbor to deliver a lecture at the annual Neuroscience Spring Symposia today. Also giving talks is Dr. Steven Finkbeiner from UCSF (on neurodegeneration in Huntington's) and Dr. Clifford Saper...

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April 29, 2007

Irene Pepperberg at UM NOW!

Category: Birds

Irene is in the building. Be still my heart!

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Univ. of Michigan To My Rescue!

Category: Blogging

Got this from UM's publishing license negotiation team. I asked for permission to publish the email, and they said sure. I removed names just in case anybody decided to be over-zealous again. :) ---------------- Hi Shelley, I'm the Electronic Resources...

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April 27, 2007

Scientific American Blog Weighs In on WileyGate

Category: Blogging

Looks like the big dogs are coming out to play: Science Journal (Almost) Polices the Blogosphere...

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Friday Grey Matters: Vocal Labeling in Parrots Redux

Category: Friday Grey Matters

Last week I came across an interesting press release on a strange phenomenon: vocal 'naming' of parrot chicks by their mothers. At the time of that posting I hadn't come across the primary journal article, but a few commenters...

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Friday Grey Matters (Teaser): Parrots Destroy the Indestructible

Category: Friday Grey Matters

Gang-gang parrots love to tear into tough stuffs.

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SEED Editors to Discuss Fair Use Blogging

Category: Blogging

SEED and Page 3.14 to host discussions of fair-use blogging,

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April 26, 2007

A Big Misunderstanding, In Retrospect(acle)

Category: Blogging

Earlier today I noticed this blog post on a Nature Blog, (cross posted here) specifically on FnL - Euan Adie's blog, who was overly critical of the science blogosphere's response to the 'Fair Use' kerfuffle (WileyGate?). He opined that it...

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Am I A Coward For Not Going to Court?

Category: Blogging

Thats what some bloggers have suggested. Well, am I? Some may call it cowardly, but here was my response: Sorry, guess I'm not as brave as you. Perhaps its is all well and good for people to try to take...

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VICTORY! A Happy Resolution

Category: Blogging

Looks like our efforts paid off. :D Dear Dr Batts I'd like to introduce myself as the Director of Publications at the SCI. There has been a general misunderstanding with this issue. Our official response is below, which we are...

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What I Want Out of This Is.....

Category: Blogging

.....discussion. I'm not out for blood, and I'm really kinda hoping that I'll get an email in my inbox today that says "Yes, feel free to use and discuss the mentioned graphs." So far I haven't, and I think that's...

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April 25, 2007

'Fair Use' Piling on Tomorrow: Take Part!

Category: Blogging

Tomorrow the hammer's coming down hard over the 'Fair Use' issue, at ScienceBlogs and hopefully around the blogosphere. Quite a few of my fellow SciBlings have pledged to post about this issue, as it affects us all (not only all...

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When Fair Use Isn't Fair

Category: Blogging

I was threatened with legal action if I didn't take it down immediately.

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April 24, 2007

Caffeine Soap Update: Product Testing!

Category: Chemistry

Yes, someone tested out the caffeine soap and blogged the results! Seems like he felt a bit of a buzz, however whether its caffeine or a bit of the placebo effect, well who can say. I jumped into the...

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Antioxidants in Berries Increased by Ethanol (but Are Daiquiris Healthy?)

Category: Chemistry

As a student, no one takes this study more seriously than I.

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April 23, 2007

Video Game Addiction Study and Survey

Category: Behavior

Video game addiction study seeks participants.

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Caffeine Soap and What Caffeine Does to Spiders

Category: Weird Science

Lots of people don't like coffee (not me, I love love love it), but still want that delectably artificial pick-me-up in the morning. What are they to do??

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April 20, 2007

Ted Nugent Weighs In On Gun Control (The Sound of One Neuron Firing)

Category: Stupidity

According to nutty gun-lover Ted Nugent, school shootings like Virginia Tech could be avoided if we all toted guns, and has the anecdotes to prove it! There are so many gems in this piece. For example: Already spineless gun control...

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Friday Grey Matters: Parrots Have Individualized Calls For Offspring

Category: Friday Grey Matters

German researchers at the University of Hamburg claim to have documented that some parrots seem to give their offspring (but not their mates) individual "names," in the form of a distinctive call which is different for each of their...

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Modified Human Blood Protein Deactivates HIV Virus

Category: AIDS

VIRIP was isolated from 10,000 liters of blood, and when slightly modified, prevents the HIV virus from binding to host cells to replicate.

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April 19, 2007

Oops, I Did It Again

Category: Blogging

Sorry, I accidentally published a post-in-progress which wasn't finished yet (on HIV, for those that were mystified about where the rest of it was). Got a couple confused comments, so sorry bout that. Oops! You'll just have to wait until...

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Get Your Neurotransmitters in Candy Form

Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience

GABA + Japanese candy = FUN

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Americans Hate Their Jobs More Than Ever

Category: Behavior

Ok, no nobody really *likes* to work. Even if you like your job, there are some days that you'd rather just sleep in or not have to jump through hoops or deal with your boss' same old TPS-report complaints....

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April 17, 2007

Brain Tumor Vaccine May Work, Prolong Life

Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience

Anti-cancer vaccines seem to be a burgeoning field in immunology (for example, the HPV vaccine) and what's more, they seem to hold much promise. A recent clinical trial at UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center has tested a vaccine (vitespan, trademark...

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April 16, 2007

School Shootings As Social Meme?

Category: Risky Business

In response to the horrific school shooting in Virginia Tech, a commenter in this post left a link to a fascinating story from the latter part of 2006. Its a Boing Boing article, which quotes Loren Coleman, entitled School shootings:...

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VA Tech Worst School Shooting Ever?

Category: Risky Business

I was pretty shocked to see the headline on CNN.com right now: Gunman kills 21 on Virginia Tech campus. As someone who spends the majority of my day on a college campus, this really rattled me. Should I start worrying...

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New Treatment for Scuba Divers' Middle Ear "Squeeze"

Category: Inner Ear Biology

I got an email from the head of this study, David F. Colvard, MD, of Raleigh, North Carolina. His team has shown that nasal irrigation can help solve a common problem for scuba divers: middle ear squeeze. This refers to...

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April 13, 2007

Public Input Requested on Manatee Issue

Category: Ecology

Good news! Florida is opening a public comment period from May 1-June 14, and the decision about whether to downgrade their status from endangered will be postponed until after that period. The final plan will be presented to commissioners...

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The Parrot That Laid the Chocolate Egg, And More

Category: Birds

She climbed on the creme eggs and that was it. She thinks they're her eggs

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Parrots Gone Wild: Feral Parrot Blog

Category: Birds

Just came across this interesting blog, CityParrots, which catalogs and reports on feral parrot populations in cities. Quite a lot of breadth, from parrot conservation, to stories on illegal trade, to Kakapos, to wild parakeets in Connecticut! Check it out!...

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April 12, 2007

Sour Milk Chemical May Be New Brain Fuel

Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience

What happens after a person receives a traumatic brain injury? Tissue damage and swelling often results in neural tissue being unable to receiving adequate levels of glucose which are required to "feed" the brain. This deprivation of energy can cause...

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RIP Kurt Vonnegut

Category: Demagogues

Kurt Vonnegut, long-time smoker author of "Slaughterhouse Five" and "Cats Cradle," died last night of brain injuries he suffered weeks ago during a fall. He was 84. "I will say anything to be funny, often in the most horrible situations,"...

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April 11, 2007

Ear Plugs, Ear Plugs, and, Yes, MORE Ear Plugs

Category: Inner Ear Biology

Well ear plugs seem to be the answer to all our hearing-loss woes, according to this short new piece I came across on CNN. The author suggests wearing earplugs during incredibly noisy tasks as well as everyday ones, which is...

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Can Manatees and Humans Coexist, And Why Do I Care?

Category: Ecology

I grew up in Florida, in central Florida to be exact. As a kid we went to Blue Springs and other manatee havens on field trips, to observe these gentle and curious animals. They are huge, and as they tend...

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April 10, 2007

Anything An Octopus Can Do, A Parrot Can Do Better

Category: Pepper

I was just chuckling at PZ's lament about the sub-par potential of octopi to open a beer for you: I was thinking it would be so cool to have an octopus on your shoulder, and you hold up your beer...

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ComputerWorld Quotes Me Re: Emotiv Headset

Category: Technology

Not a huge deal, but hey, its exciting to me to get a facade of legitimacy. ;)...

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Podcast by Ed Brayton Discusses the Dover Trial

Category: Podcasts

Wanna know the deep dark history of creationism, the intelligent design movement, and the Dover trial? Well Ed Brayton who blogs at Dispatches From the Culture Wars gave a talk a few weeks back at the Freethought Association in Grand...

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This Blue Whale Wants You To Relaaaaaaax

Category: Fun

Wow, why is this so relaxing? I think this slow-moving up-close-and-personal whale thingamajig could supplant bubble baths and candles as most relaxing thing ever. If they had added whale-song in the background I think we'd have the cure for...

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April 9, 2007

Don't Touch Those Manatee Laws!

Category: Ecology

I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.

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Matrixism: Religion Based on the Matrix Movies?

Category: Blatant Nerdery

The Matrix movies have a lot of religious undertones, from 'Neo' as a Christ-figure, the Nebuchadnezzar as their ship, Trinity as his side-kick, the name of the rebel city (Zion), and much more. Then, I suppose it was only...

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The Easter Bunny Brought Pot This Year

Category: America's Dance With Mary Jane

Some guy was arrested this past Wednesday for trying to smuggle pot in an Easter Bunny. The stuffed bunny wabbit was stuffed with more than plush, it was also packing 16.6 grams of weed. The owner of said bunny...

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April 7, 2007

More Cooking For Engineers: My Fav Dishes

Category: Cooking

I've become a bit more interested in cooking lately, I suppose because of its similarity to performing an experiment. You have reagents (ingredients), follow a protocol (recipe), and have have both positive and negative outcomes (hopefully delicious!). The recent discovery...

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April 6, 2007

Research on Marshmallow Peeps Reveal......

Category: Fun

.....that they are delicious as well as interesting! Experiments performed: Reaction to cold and heat. Soluability testing. Low pressure environments. Effects of smoking on Peeps' health. Seperation of conjoined Peep quintuplets. Peep fear response....

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Friday Grey Matters: Alex in Action

Category: Friday Grey Matters

Amazing video of Alex the grey parrot in action!

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April 5, 2007

Your Playstation3 Does Research Too

Category: Weird Science

SETI used to do it, too. That is, have a volunteer program to chip in your CPU's processing power to help solve some problem (in SETI's case, look for ET). Now your idle Sony PS3 can be put to a...

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Parasite Makes Rats Crave Cat Pee

Category: Creepy Crawlies

A parasite called Toxoplasma gondii has a unique mechanism to help it spread: "tricking" rats into delighting in the smell of its predator, cats. This is an important adaptation since this parasite can only sexually reproduce in the gut of...

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April 4, 2007

How NOT To Talk About Religion and Science

Category: Religion

Courtesy of CNN, an empty-headed opinion piece that adds no real dimension to the topic. As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human...

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Recent Discussion on Hair Cell Regeneration

Category: Inner Ear Biology

Current state of hair cell regeneration research summarized.

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Fuzzy Dice Just Got Nerdier

Category: Fun

My oh my. Browsing through ThinkGeek never ceases to astonish and delight. Just take a gander at the nerdelicious D20 Fuzzy Dice. Yes, thats right, big honkin' plushy nerd-dice. Now, back in the day (Shelley circa 1996), I had some...

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April 3, 2007

An Accidental Ear Infection Vaccine

Category: Inner Ear Biology

This vaccine wasn't meant to prevent ear infections per se, but has had the welcome side effect of doing just that (for more on ear infections, go here). Pharmaceutical company Wyeth developed the vaccine PCV7 (marketed in the US under...

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$10 Million Prizes For Scientists

Category: Disease

Who ever said there's no fortune and glory in science? I just got wind of several multi-million dollar prizes for scientists who tackle some tough questions: called X-Prizes. What is an X PRIZE? An X PRIZE is a multi-million dollar...

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April 2, 2007

Robotic Micro-Drill Used For Inner Ear Surgery

Category: Inner Ear Biology

The first "smart" robotic micro-drill has been used on a handful of patients in the UK, with very positive outcomes. It was developed by Dr. Peter Brett from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston Univ. and first...

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