Stacey Smith
I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
sa smith
Posts by this author
July 12, 2009
Sally Kerns list of terrorists is getting long. Gays, evilutionists, and now, apparently, the ACLU:
In recent months, we have witnessed the reign of terror that the ACLU has exacted on Americans--aggressively working to strip away our religious freedom.
From the Pledge of Allegiance to the Ten…
July 10, 2009
RU-486, or mifepristone, was approved for use in 2000 in the US, for medical abortions.
Shortly there after, something weird started happening. A handful of women who used RU-486 were dying from sepsis, caused by a really rare bacteria, Clostridium sordellii. Like, these women didnt have AIDS.…
July 9, 2009
Via The Watchers-- AtBC, also Colloquy
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
July 9, 2009
Hey, you remember how in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the more Frodo wears The Ring, the more he acts like Gollum? In the end, Frodo wants to keep The Ring and almost totally blows it?
Well, congrats, Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris Mooney! Youve been wearing The Ring for so long, youve…
July 8, 2009
Oh, the things researchers get people to do in the name of Science...
When most microbiologists talk about poop, they are talking about bacteria. Salmonella, E. coli, Cholera-- they have all evolved different, wonderfully complex ways of making people poopy.
But if you really want to make a lot of…
July 4, 2009
We get Harry Potter too.
"I'm an atheist, but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. Anything he does on television, I will watch."-- Daniel Radcliffe
Win!
July 4, 2009
Via DAM10N, video from Kerns 'morality proclamation' that is both nauseating and inspiring :)
So, Im starting the betting pool: What is Sally Kern/her psycho hubby going to be outed with?
Oxycontin?
Boinking babies?
Maybe theyre illegal immigrants!
Normal people dont behave like Sally. Normal…
July 1, 2009
Yo!
Tomorrow at noon, OK Capital, some folks are meeting up to protest Silly Sallys 'proclamation of morality'.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
God, she is so weird!
Too bad for her the 2011 Evolution meeting is going to be in Norman. Kern has 2 years to…
June 29, 2009
This is so awesome! Women in New York can now be fairly compensated for donating their eggs for stem-cell research! WHOOOO!
With the exception for near-sightedness, a sweet tooth, and a 'bad attitude', my family doesnt have a history of genetic diseases. It would be SO AWESOME if I could donate…
June 29, 2009
Anne Hart is still on her anti-frankenfishscapade.
Actually, this latest article looks like she plagiarized her last article and added stuff about prions.
She still doesnt understand retroviruses or gene therapy:
Farmed fish start out by having the rous sarcoma virus implanted into a specialized…
June 25, 2009
Can anyone name one anti-GMOer thats not a self-indulgent, arrogant moron?
Google News alerted me to this breathless expose by an Anne Hart: "Why farmed fish are genetically altered for faster growth with a carrier retrovirus"
Now, for some reason I can only get this article via Google cache.…
June 23, 2009
ERV does not have a monopoly on teh crazy.
Pal really reels them in with his chronic lyme disease posts, and now, evidently, chiro-woo.
I could not have made up this post from 'Dr. Howard Boos' if I had tried.
You tell me this asshole doesnt sound EXACTLY like a Creationist or HIV Denier!
1. Hates…
June 22, 2009
Weird science fact of the day:
Girl birds only have a left ovary. The right one kinda develops, and then regresses. Left ovary is the only one that works. All birds.
Wait... what?
What the hell?
What kind of evolutionary weirdness led to this absurdity?
I bet you guessed an ERV is involved :D…
June 20, 2009
No idea what this website is (Routes?), but they have some fun science themed (loosely science based) Flash games, like SNEEZE!
They also have 'DNA Hero'-- Guitar Hero with ACTG sequences, and 'Ginger Dawn'-- increase the frequency of that recessive gene, baby! LOL! And it looks like there are a…
June 19, 2009
There is nothing wrong with not knowing something.
I dont know lots of stuff.
You dont know lots of stuff.
Its okay-- we share knowledge with each other. I dont *have* to be an expert in car repair. I dont *have* to be an expert in particle physics. You dont *have* to be an expert in…
June 18, 2009
Zincs connection to the common cold isnt as wooie as you all might be thinking after this weeks Zicamscepade (cough, sniffle). Though Zicam was marketed as a 'homeopathic' remedy, zinc-->common cold connection wasnt established by some naked sweaty white guy pretending he is a Native American…
June 16, 2009
The latest edition of 'Life Extension' as once again provided me with a bounty of lols. For instance, did you know that "For the past fourteen years, the gerontological establishment has sought to persecute anti-aging physicians, anti-aging health practitioners, and the American Academy of Anti-…
June 14, 2009
Season 2 of True Blood starts tonight.
Excuse me for a moment.
*ahem* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! *giddyclappingandgiggling*
Now before you roll your eyes and ask 'What the hell is up with vampires these days? Is 'True Blood' just a slightly less pathetic version of 'Twilight' shit?', watch this…
June 14, 2009
I know you all read PZs blag, but I really need to take a moment to point out this bit of irony.
Casey Luskin I mean, 'The Discovery Institute' *WINK!*, just filed a false DMCA claim against a YouTube user for criticizing Luskins appearance on some random FOX News show.
Now, Im fairly certain that…
June 11, 2009
FUUUUUN!
TimeTree is a public knowledge-base for information on the evolutionary timescale of life. A search utility allows exploration of the thousands of divergence times among organisms in the published literature. A tree-based (hierarchical) system is used to identify all published molecular…
June 9, 2009
Hey, you all want me to nom this? If you all are interested I will, but if yall are bored with HIV Denier claims Ill ignore him.
Or do you all want to nom him? *shrug* I dont mind.
June 8, 2009
On Colbert Report the other night, I saw Eric Schlosser made a new movie bitching about GMOs and food production in the US, 'Food Inc'.
Im not saying anything until I see it.
*zips-lips*
However I will use this flurry of 'OMFG LIEK GMO FOOD IS GEIVING MAH CANKER AND MAEKING MAH FAAAAAT!' news…
June 5, 2009
As much as I make fun of IDiots, I have to say that they really do create great science education outreach opportunities. Stupid shit they say is a perfect place to start talking to your friends about weird shit you do everyday.
For instance, we all know about Casey Luskins (aka 'Captain Nipple-…
June 5, 2009
I have to admit, even as a research scientist, used to reading dozens of scientific papers a day, I have a really hard time keeping up with the huge volume of research coming out of the Intelligent Design laboratory, Biologic Institute.
With one PR release every other month, ID will be For Realsies…
June 4, 2009
Its been years ago, now, that I nomie-nomed up Behes stupid arguments about TEH EDGE UV EVILUTION and HIV-1. Geeze, what, two years ago? And to this day there are still things about Behe that make me literally *LOL*
For instance, Ive always loved Behes IDiotic perspective on viruses. You see,…
June 4, 2009
Before I write this post, Im writing this major for realsies 'notice', because people have an amazing capacity to do stupid things:
The following study demonstrates how a component of green tea, EGCG, can help negate some factors involved in certain kinds of HIV-1 transmission.
This does not mean…
June 3, 2009
Wherever there is tragedy, you will find PETA picking at carcasses.
Literally.
With the debate between pro-choice and pro-life adherents rekindled following the shocking murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller at a Wichita church on Sunday, PETA plans to place two billboards in the city. One…
June 2, 2009
1. The new Sookie Stackhouse book came out a few weeks ago, 'Dead and Gone'. I didnt blag about it because it sucked donkey balls. The general consensus is that it reads like someone other than Charlaine Harris wrote it. Someone who hadnt read the first eight books very well... if at all. Im…
June 2, 2009
If you are HIV-1 positive, you cant have unprotected sex without telling your partner your HIV-1 status.
You cant get drunk with your new boy/girlfriend, go back to their place, and have a night of unprotected passion. You cant do that. Even if you are an HIV-1 Denier, you cant do that.
After you…
May 30, 2009
Continuing this weeks theme of spewing--
Drove home to visit the parents for a few days (dial-up country w00t!-- expect spammed comments to stay spammed for a while, sry). While Im sure you all are under the impression Im high-society and enjoy luxury, there are few things that make me happier…