The Scientific Activist
Archives for October, 2008
Seed Announces Matching Funds for 2008 ScienceBlogs/DonorsChoose Challenge
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 23, 2008 Seed just announced that it will be matching up to $15,000 in donations to this year’s ScienceBlogs/DonorsChoose Challenge. This is great news, and if you haven’t donated already this is a great reason to do it now. There’s only one week left! You can donate to my challenge here.
Another Reason to Consider Open Access
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 22, 2008 Jim Hu gives us another reason for scientists to consider publishing in open access journals: Sometimes I’d like to view your papers while I’m off campus and at a study section. Of course, if you’re one of my grants, I have already accessed your paper from home. But if I can’t access the paper from…
You Can Put $150,000 Worth of Clothes and Makeup on a Horribly Unqualified VP Candidate, but….
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 22, 2008 Today we learned that the Republican Party spent an almost unfathomable $150,000 in the month of September alone on clothes and makeup for Sarah “Joe Sixpack” Palin. This is a breathtaking figure, and the irony is certainly delicious. However, I can’t escape the feeling that something here is still missing. Now, if only I could…
DonorsChoose Update: Let’s Step it Up!
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 14, 2008 We’re now two weeks into our 2008 ScienceBlogs/DonorsChoose Challenge, which means that the challenge is almost halfway over. So, if you haven’t donated yet, please do! Either click on my widget to the left or on this link. The pace of donations has been a little slow this year, which is a shame considering that…
Obama and McCain Highlight Health Care Plans in NEJM
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 9, 2008 I was excited when I saw that The New England Journal of Medicine had today published summaries by Obama and McCain of their health care plans, expecting something quite detailed to appeal to a highly critical expert audience. However, their summaries were still as general and vague as ever. Regardless, these new write-ups are still…
Barack Obama: Health Care Is a Right
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 8, 2008 When I think back to the presidential debate last night, one moment stands out in my mind more than any other. And, no, it wasn’t McCain calling Obama “that one“. It was the discussion following Tom Brokaw’s question “Is health care in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?” Health care came up several…
2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: GFP
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 8, 2008 Earlier today, the Nobel committee announced that the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Roger Y. Tsien “for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP.” There’s much to be said for how useful a tool GFP has been in cellular biology, but Alex Palazzo…
2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: HIV and HPV
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 6, 2008 The winners of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine have been announced, and the prize has been awarded for early discoveries that have subsequently led to vaccines or treatments of two widespread virus-caused diseases. Half of the prize was awarded to Harald zur Hausen “for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical…
Economists Overwhelmingly Agree that Obama Is Stronger on the Economy
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 5, 2008 Recent polls have shown that voters trust Obama over McCain in addressing the economy by a margin of about 10-15%. But, what do the experts think? The Economist conducted its own poll of economists (appropriately), and found that they agreed that Obama is the stronger candidate when it comes to the economy–but by a much…
The Doctors Aren’t the Only Ones at Fault
Posted by Nick Anthis on October 5, 2008 Yesterday, The New York Times reported on the latest prominent medical doctor to be outed for not reporting the vast sums of money he was receiving from drug companies: One of the nation’s most influential psychiatrists earned more than $2.8 million in consulting arrangements with drug makers from 2000 to 2007, failed to report at…