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Advancing Science through Conversations: Bridging the Gap between Blogs and the Academy
A postdoc by day and a scientific activist by night, Nick Anthis isn't letting his research in protein structure and function get in the way of defending scientific and social progress.
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Category: health policy
I recently had the pleasure of writing an op-ed piece about health care reform for my hometown newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and it ran in the paper today. You can check it out online here. I grew up reading...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:41 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: science policy
The recent cabinet reshuffling does not bode well for science, but at least Paul Drayson is open to discussion.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 5:44 AM • 2 Comments •
Category: elections
Frank Swain and Martin Robbins have an excellent write-up on the European Parliament elections based on a survey they conducted.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:03 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: animal rights
The public face of Oxford's animal rights movement winds up in prison, where he belongs.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:07 PM • 9 Comments •
Category: science policy
Paul Drayson came across as out of touch and blinded by fanatical entrepreneurialism.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 1:46 PM • 7 Comments •
Category: science policy
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), which is responsible for higher education in the UK, is seeking feedback to help it develop its new science strategy. The DIUS has put together a website for this purpose: interactive.dius.gov.uk/scienceandsociety/. There,...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:05 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Life of Nick
I'll be on Sky News at about 11:30 BST this Friday to talk about Barack Obama's visit to the UK and his support among Americans living abroad
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:45 PM • 3 Comments •
Category: academia
A shocking overreaction, marked in its absurdity, heavy-handedness, and counterproductivity
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:15 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: Pro-Test
The pro-animal research organization Pro-Test held its third major march today to support animal research and to oppose animal rights extremism
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:16 PM • 25 Comments •
Category: law
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, promotes legal exceptionalism through the recognition of sharia law
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:54 PM • 8 Comments •
Category: Pro-Test
Stand up against animal rights extremism and join Pro-Test in support of animal research in Oxford on 9 February.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 5:59 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Election 2008
Americans living abroad can vote for their own delegation to the 2008 Democratic Convention.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 4:53 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: academia
Too many bureaucrats and businessmen.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 2:40 PM • 0 Comments •
Category: animal rights
...and then publish a scientific paper!
Posted by Nick Anthis at 6:15 AM • 10 Comments •
Category: Oxford
A couple of current American Rhodes Scholars ruffled a few feathers today after writing an unabashedly critical account of their Oxford experiences for their undergraduate alma mater's paper, The Harvard Crimson. Melissa Dell and Swati Mylavarapu write: Take it from...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:45 PM • 9 Comments •
Category: universal health care
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is a matter of British pride, despite some minor shortcomings. Strong on preventative and routine medical care, the NHS has on the other hand been criticized for its long waiting lists required for more...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:12 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Life of Nick
Lines were drawn in the sand, artillery stood armed and ready, and tensions ran high. Neither side was willing to budge, and despite the seemingly endless conflict having already tested the resolve of both sides, it looked like things were only just beginning to get rough. The whole scenario was regrettable--war always is--but it felt inevitable at the time.... Besides, how else was I going to get internet access in my house?
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:45 AM • 5 Comments •
Category: Fantastical Fridays
It has been known officially since 2002 that the sciences are hard, and, as much as we scientists love it when our friends and family tell us how smart and wonderful we must be since they could never understand what...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 8:10 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: universal health care
I had a great hassle-free trip to the doctor the other day, and it wasn't because I live in some fantasy world. I live in England.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 7:45 AM • 7 Comments •
Category: Pro-Test
I've been following Oxford's pro-research organization Pro-Test since its inception, and a few weeks ago I wrote a post describing its second large march through the streets of Oxford. Pro-Test has received quite a bit of well-deserved press in general,...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 5:33 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: animal rights
Since I've been writing quite a bit lately about Pro-Test and the response of Oxford scientists to animal rights extremism, it's important to understand why the current movement is significant, in light of what scientists in Oxford have been facing over the last few years. This post, which takes the reader into the heart of an animal rights protest, attempts to do just that. I think it's also interesting because it offers a unique explanation of the forces motivating the animal rights activists in Oxford.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:35 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: science education
When an Oxford professor blamed a lack of general knowledge in the graduate community on its makeup of "unexceptional students", I challenged him on whether the real cause was a degree structure that causes the overspecialization of Oxford students.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 9:21 PM • 6 Comments •
Category: events
This is a plug for an event that the Oxford University Biochemical Society is putting together. This Monday, June 12th, at 4:00 pm the Oxford University Biochemical Society will be hosting a talk by Nobel Laureate Robert Huber in the...
Posted by Nick Anthis at 10:04 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: Pro-Test
Supporters of animal research in Oxford have been silenced for years by the intimidation and fear tactics of animal rights extremists. But, that has all changed in a matter of months, as the pro-research organization Pro-Test took its message to the streets for a second time, on June 3rd. Originally sparked by the Pro-Test's first march in February of this year, this movement has since ignited into a wildfire of support, reaching the highest levels of the UK government, including Prime Minister Tony Blair. What really matters, though, is that this is a grassroots movement that draws on the efforts of ordinary students and citizens, both scientists and non-scientists alike, to give a voice to those who have been quiet for so long.
Posted by Nick Anthis at 12:00 PM • 1 Comments •
PZ Myers 11.19.2009
PZ Myers 11.19.2009
Ed Brayton 11.19.2009
Tim Lambert 11.18.2009
James Hrynyshyn 11.20.2009
