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
March 31, 2009
BEHOLD!
The awesome power of Intelligent Design Creationists explanatory filter!
Or CSI.
Or, like, their irreducibly complex flagella... something science related!
Evilution cannot survive scientific proof of the Christian god like this!!
March 31, 2009
QUESTION: Do you like pie? YES or NO
ANSWER: Well, I like most kinds of pie. I dont really like cherry. Meat-pies are a big disappointment.
QUESTION: YES or NO!
ANSWER: Umm... I guess if you held a gun to my head, yes?
QUESTION: Great! Here is a nice greasy beefy meat pie! I know how much you…
March 30, 2009
One of the most common comments I get from people:
I dont understand why youre going to school in Oklahoma. Srsly. Oklahoma? Why didnt you got to UCSF or Harvard or something? Oklahoma??
Well, there are lots of reasons why I like it here. This is one of those reasons:
In response, OU President…
March 30, 2009
Okay, if any of you ever get the opportunity to see Carl Zimmer speak, GO!
Last night in Tulsa, Carl gave the John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture on the topic of 'What is Life?'
I was geared up and ready for a fight, honestly. Virologists have been getting into fights with people about 'what is…
March 27, 2009
Dangit!
The big OK Separation of Church and State event tomorrow has had to be postponed because we are currently in the middle of a freak snowstorm. By freak snowstorm, I mean it is currently 27 degrees, pouring rain that is going to turn into snow overnight...
... Yet the high on Sunday is going…
March 26, 2009
Hands down, the most memorable phrase spoken by DR. Charles Jackson at our 'debate' tonight.
It was a ton of fun, you guys! Might be a few days before the video is up, but it was fun! Few short comments before I get to sleep (1 hour of presentations, 2.5 of Q&A, Im seepy).
1. Jackson couldnt…
March 23, 2009
Is this is what Creationists mean when they put forth 'Academic Freedom' legislation?
Sure enough, I just received confirmation today in a letter from the Open Records Office at the University of Oklahoma. The letter confirms that on the day of Dawkins' speech, Oklahoma State Representative Rebecca…
March 21, 2009
Today/Tomorrow I am getting presentations ready for two events:
1-- Science outreach to YEC Oklahomans
Time: March 26, 7 pm
Place: Christs Church of Yukon, 620 W. Vandament Ave
Topic: ERV 'debates' a random hobo
2-- Americans United for the Separation of Church and State: Oklahoma
Time: March 28, 8…
March 17, 2009
The worlds most famous living biologist, Casey Luskin, is either an IDiot, or the biggest IDiot in the known universe.
Being an expert in molecular biology, Casey has previously discussed Junk DNA, ie ERVs, at his blog 'Evolution News and Views'. Now hes written a blog post on this paper about…
March 17, 2009
Just in case you all were worried OK legislators were only concerned with how to teach children Creationism, Bill 1326:
B. No person shall:
1. Knowingly conduct nontherapeutic (ERV-- he means any research that intends to 'save the life' of the embryo is okay) research that destroys a human embryo…
March 14, 2009
Vic-- OMG!! Exciting Dawkins/Oklahoma news!!!
Me-- EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Dawkins had so much fun on his visit to OK he decided to buy a ranch here and raise ostriches?!?!?
Vic--.......... nooo........ *blink*
Me-- *sad*
Vic-- Well the locals had been keeping this a secret for a while, but its not a…
March 12, 2009
I love the interwebz.
Youre just playing Google Goonies, searching for treasure in the internetz sewer tubes, and you find the neatest stuff. Like yesterday, I was Googling 'Paul Wesselhoft', cause he was one of the twats behind OKs 'Academic Freedom' bill, and he hates puppies, and I found this…
March 12, 2009
Please watch this clip, and count the number of times the word 'pitbull' is used:
Embedded video from CNN Video
Im sure you will be shocked to hear this, but the anti-science OK legislator Paul Wesselhoft is also violently against these family pets. I guess the ability to interpret scientific data…
March 11, 2009
Say youve got a problem. Maybe you cant figure out how to make a gene therapy vector that cant be detected by pre-existing antibodies that everybody already has. Maybe you are trying to figure out how to make an effective HIV-1 vaccine.
You could figure out which portions of AAV or HIV-1 are…
March 11, 2009
April 7, 1933.
Adolf Hitler signed into law a decree that any non-Aryan 'civil servant' would lose their job. This included every Jewish scientist and professor. Thus most Jewish scientists packed their bags and moved somewhere their intellect would be appreciated, with fate-shifting consequences…
March 9, 2009
If we are made in Gods image, God is made of gag, pol, and env.
And God sent his only son to Earth, ERV9, to perform miracles in His name. Like bringing dead genes back to life.
LOL!
A fun paper in PLOS Genetics describes an absolutely bizarre scenareo-- A gene, IRGM, was 'lost' in the primate…
March 9, 2009
Though the Google Machine has pissed me off in the past, I still loves it. One thing I really like about teh Google is Google News, where I can pop in words Im interested in, and read the latest news on that keyword every day.
No big surprise one of my keywords is 'endogenous retrovirus'.
Well…
March 7, 2009
Chelsea: Hey, Scott just called.
Me: ... Yeah...?
Chelsea: Were on the volunteer list.
Me: $^&#(&!! I never got an email from that chick telling us what to do! I thought they didnt want us?!?!
Chelsea: Me too... But we might as well go get a free T-shirt!
Me: FREE T-SHIRT! Ill be in…
March 6, 2009
Holy mother of God.
That 'We Dont Take Kindly to Yer Types Round Here, Dawkins Resolution' that got posted yesterday?
That was a 'compromise' resolution, HR1015, March 3, 2009.
This is HR1014, March 2, 2009:
1st Session of the 52nd Legislature (2009)
HOUSE
RESOLUTION 1014By:Thomsen
AS INTRODUCED
A…
March 5, 2009
People dont understand why I love Oklahoma so much.
This is why.
Evidently Todd Thomsen, some Oklahoma legislator dude (Republican) has written an 'official' resolution denouncing Richard Dawkins.
THAT the Oklahoma House of Representative strongly opposes the invitation to speak on the campus of…
March 4, 2009
So as a reward for sitting through almost 4 hours of Casey Luskin and John "hard for Hitler" West baaaaaawing about their beating in Dover, PA, Nick Matzke is coming to OU to give his side of the story!
w00t!
He was supposed to be giving a talk this afternoon, so I got into the lab at the buttcrack…
March 4, 2009
Ive decided not to go see Dawkins this Friday.
Do I want to see him? Of course! But Ive decided not to for the following reasons:
There are no tickets for this event. The first ~2500-3000 people in line get in. The line is going to be a nightmare. Nightmare. About 100 people from OKC…
March 2, 2009
(H/T AtBC)
Oooooooookaaaaay. I think its time for nappy-nap time at the Discovery Institute. Casey-baby is all cranky, and now Michael Egnor, who is normally the most adorable cuddliest toddler ever has thrown a mighty temper tantrum.
While their ba-bas are warming up in the microwave, lets…
March 1, 2009
MUUUGH.
Someone tell Behe to shut up about viruses. SOMEONE.
From Lous notes on a recent presentation:
New Dude: HIV, someone in the family died this week. Evolutionary Biology, according to evolutionary biology says that HIV comes from some predecessor. That provided a research program. Let's…
February 26, 2009
So these past couple of weeks Ive been writing my masters paper. The topic is basically 'What you gonna do to get your PhD?'-- Its my game-plan for the next 2-3 years.
So just out of curiosity, since Myth #7 is "Modern medicine would collapse without evolution", I wondered how many times I used '…
February 26, 2009
The IDiots are trying to get us to OD on The Arguments Regarding Design.
Sexy Casey and John 'Fuck me please, Hitler!' West last week.
Dembski thief at OU again this week, for some unknown reason.
And now the IDiots have let Behe out of his cage-- LouFCD is Twittering it right now (starts at about…
February 23, 2009
Im irritated with Rhology. Same comments/questions on multiple threads = rage.
However, in return for standing up for me last Friday, Im making an open thread just for Rho and his crew, and people who would like to 'debate' with them.
However I am asking in return that you all stop posting O/T…
February 21, 2009
So remember how last night Casey Luskin was all for freedom of speech? Academic freedom? This is what ID Creationists do to students that dare to speak out against them.
Casey is allowed to post here to defend himself and his actions, but because he cannot defend his behavior, hes decided to lick…
February 21, 2009
This is a repost from the old ERV. A retrotransposed ERV :P I dont trust them staying up at Blogger, and the SEED overlords are letting me have 4 reposts a week, so Im gonna take advantage of that!
I am going to try to add more comments to these posts for the old readers-- Think of these as '…