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 27, 2007
Category: Babel Fish
From the time I was a little kid, the idea of writing the thank-you-note was engrained in me by my parents. When you got a birthday or Christmas present from family or a friend, or if someone did something particularly...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:38 AM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 26, 2007
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
It has been suspected for some time that taking fish oil may reduce the risk of developing age-related Alzheimers disease. Fatty fish, like salmon, are rich in oils which contain omega-3 acids. Omega-3's cannot be manufactued by the body and...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:52 PM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 20, 2007
Category: Announcements
Well tomorrow (edit: TODAY!) is my birthday! 28 years ago, tomorrow, I was born in Euliss TX. Man, I'm getting old! Well happy birfhday to me. If you have a favorite birthday LOLcat please leave it in the comments. :D...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:49 PM • 53 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 19, 2007
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
If you could take a pill which enhanced attention and cognition with few or no side effects, would you?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:00 PM • 58 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 18, 2007
Category: Ecology
In the movie The Princess Bride, the hero Wesley is attacked by fearsome Rodents Of Unusual Size (ROUS) in the fire swamp. Turns out, ROUS really exist! Example of a Princess-Bride-era ROUS Confirmed ROUS! A new species of rat, the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:59 AM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 17, 2007
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Can readings taken from rat motor cortex neurons predict the direction of the stock market?
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:22 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 16, 2007
Category: Blogging
Page 3.14 asks, in a poll which you should all go participate in, which language should ScienceBlogs branch into next? I voted that the next ScienceBlogs should be in Chinese, due to their up-and-coming science programs as well as the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:57 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Sound and Fury
People have always lost their hearing with age, but before there were hearing aids and cochlear implants, there were ear trumpets. And ear trumpet is pretty much exactly what it sounds like (a cone whose small end fits in the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:54 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 15, 2007
Category: Inner Ear Biology
Over at Pharyngula, Mark Antimony posted this: A friend of mine, who's name won't be mentioned, blacked out in class the other day. Since then, he's been on a seizure drug. The drug is giving a very weird side effect....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:32 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 12, 2007
Category: Announcements
Sorry for the paucity of posts this week, folks. Its been a crazy week, with school winding down and lots to get done. Things will be getting back to normal very soon, and I'll get back to writing here....
Posted by Shelley Batts at 6:52 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 9, 2007
Category: Movie Reviews
I went to go see the movie the Golden Compass last night with a few friends, and was phenomenally impressed by it at every level. As someone who has not read the books (The Golden Compass was based on the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:16 PM • 39 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 8, 2007
Category: Risky Business
No one could deny that Oktoberfest in Munich would be a roaring good time. However, it seems that a few in attendance occasionally have *too* good of a time and might end up in the emergency room. Now usually, those...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:59 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 7, 2007
Category: Weird Science
As an admitted Sephora junkie, I've come across a lot of caffeine-laced cremes for sale that I thought were a rather ridiculous waste of money. A few examples are: - Bliss Fat Girl Slim and LoveHandler - Lancome High Resolution...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 7:11 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 6, 2007
Category: Marine Bio
Some good news for the Florida manatee: We just learned today that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) deferred the manatee's status change from Endangered to Threatened. They also directed their staff to undertake a review of the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:36 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 5, 2007
Category: Blatant Nerdery
...unless it occurs in Oregon Trail. Then its hilarious. You too can proclaim your malady to the world via Tshirt, here. (Hat tip darkman, who has a raging case of dysentery)...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:16 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Health Care
Some interesting research is being reported in the mainstream media: that buckwheat honey can reduce coughing and soothe sore throats as well as over-the-counter cough syrup (dextromethorphan), in children. ABC News specifically reported that, in comparison to baseline levels,...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:14 AM • 24 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 3, 2007
Category: Stem Cells
We simply cannot invest all our hopes in a single approach.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:51 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
December 1, 2007
Category: Blatant Nerdery
No myelinated yarn, but this is really, really, cool.
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:49 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
