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
January 10, 2011
There is some percentage of the population who have a better prognosis if infected with HIV-1 than the rest of us. Remember those pirate flags and sombreros I talk about sometimes? Major histocompatibility complexes, type I. Some people put up HIV-1 flags that are easily recognizable as 'NOT…
January 9, 2011
I have nothing against media whores, per se.
Kathy Griffin do what she gotta do to pay the bills.
Snookie is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame. The Situation actually appears to be making the most of the situation.
But then you have the kinds of media whores like Chris Mooney. The whores who deny…
January 6, 2011
A Midwesterner on the Drake Passage, some of the most notoriously rough waters on the planet. Yeah. I was pretty much planning on barfing all the way there and all the way back, only daring to hope that I would have a few days of non-barfing while we were at Antarctica. So I slapped on a patch…
January 4, 2011
For some reason, our local FOX affiliate decided to cover a blog post by Sanjay Gupta:Anger at God common, even among atheists
Technically they were covering some study by Julie Exline, but considering the fact no one has linked to it, and I cant find it anywhere online, lets be honest. It was…
January 3, 2011
Long time readers of ERV know that I do not believe a 'new' retrovirus, XMRV, is the causative agent of any human disease. It does not make sense as a real human pathogen, unless you disregard field basics (or make up new 'rules').
New cell transformation/cancer rules.
New transmission/…
January 2, 2011
Hi guys!
I am officially back from Antarctica.
I do not want to be.
I didnt want to leave.
Normally I am very much an 'Oklahoma' girl-- mountains are pretty, but they make me claustrophobic. Oceans do too. I like plains. Horizon going to forever in every direction.
But I never got sick of the…
December 31, 2010
Hey, Im hanging out in Lima, Peru for some reason right now, and I want to ask you all a weird question:
Okay, you know how we are all pretty loyal to our SciFi actors. Yeah, 'Firefly' got canceled, but we will watch/support any new shows that cast Summer ('Sarah Connor Chronicles') or Nathan ('…
December 28, 2010
The outfit I ordered for Antarctica was supposed to replicate Vinces 'Human Coke Can' perfectly, but apparently to Columbia, 'cherry'=hot pink. 'Cherry' is RED, Columbia, not PINK. 'Strawberry' is PINK.
So now Im more like a human fanta can.
STRAWBERRY fanta.
December 25, 2010
Mom to Friends: Abbie is going to Antarctica!
Friends: OMFG! When???
Mom: The end of December!
Friends: **GASP!** SHELL BE GONE OVER CHRISTMAS!!
Mom: *blink*
We dont really do Christmas in my house. I mean, we would put up a tree when us kids were little, and we would get some gifts, but thats…
December 23, 2010
Yes, Antarctica is known for its penguins and seals and whales and such.
But I know thats just sunny PR BS from the fascist Antarctic government.
You bet your ass Im going to be on the lookout for the Cookie Monsters:
December 21, 2010
When I first found out I was going to Antarctica, I was super excited because I was a MAJOR ASTRONOMY NERD when I was little, and Ive never been to the Southern Hemisphere before, so I was like "OMFG THERE ARE SO MANY STARS IVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE WARBLEGARBLE!!!"
But there was something wrong.
There…
December 20, 2010
You know why all those fancy 'scientists' cant find the Yetis? Cause those Abominable Snowmen arent hanging out in the clubs in NYC or LA or Tibet. I bet theyre hanging out here in Antarctica.
But dont you worry about me. Im a shaman. My minds like a fortress.
December 20, 2010
Hey, you all know earlier this year, this summer, shit kinda hit the fan here at SciBlogs?
I didnt care about the idiots leaving. I was more annoyed at the lack of communication from The Overlords.
They will be watching my blog while Im gone.
This is my revenge for that.
XMRV and the MLV-Related…
December 19, 2010
Ushuaia!
This place is ridiculously beautiful too:
Not a double-rainbow:
10:30 at night, really cloudy, and it was still light out.
This was not so much fun when it was light out at 4 am. Me: "OMG THE SUN IS COMING UP I DIDNT WANT TO SLEEP TOO LATE!!!... wait... wait a minute... somethings not…
December 17, 2010
Dr. Oz.
Rockstar of Science.
Major, massive, epic moron.
Homeboy invites our Dr. Pam Ronald on his show to talk about GMOs. Great public science outreach opportunity. I was excited for her and for the field and for the public.
But you know 'crank magnetism'? Its never surprising when an anti-…
December 16, 2010
Buenos Aires!
1-- I have no idea what anyone is saying. The last time I took Spanish was like 10 years ago. So even if people say something I know, it takes me 5 minutes to translate. And then, I have this 'ear popping issue' when I fly on planes. Fine going up, severe pain coming down, ears…
December 15, 2010
You still need to file this under "Whoa thats cool! But its not really a realistic solution for the AIDS pandemic".
The HIV+ fellow they treated for cancer with bone marrow from a deltaCCR5 donor is still alive and kicking 3.5 years later, and for all intents and purposes, 'cured' of HIV/AIDS.…
December 14, 2010
Goin to Antarctica to scope out future Karnak locations.
Might stay to oversee construction. *shrug* Actually, if I can figure out a way to get high-speed internet, I might just hang out down there for a while. Have some peace and quiet... 'alone time'...
Nothing to do with the blogging contest…
December 13, 2010
I dont know about you all, but if you ask me to picture an anti-vaxer, I picture a white, middle-to-upper-class woman who lives on one of the Coasts.
Its 'liberal' anti-science, along with anti-food-technology and animal liberation, a counterpart to 'conservative' anti-science like Creationism and…
December 10, 2010
Orac recently had a post up on Terminator Cranks. Which Cranks are the most persistent?
NEW QUESTION.
Which Cranks are the biggest assholes?
My vote goes to the alt-med crew, as a whole.
The anti-vaxers are infamous for their ability to be complete and utter assholes. Like, above and beyond…
December 8, 2010
Trine Tsouderos has done it again!
She is a one woman, woo-fighting machine!
She has taken on anti-vaxers.
She has taken on Dr. Oz.
She has taken on XMRV-->CFS.
And now shes goin after a rare wooity-- Chronic Lyme Disease:Lyme disease is real. The bacterial infection, chiefly transmitted by deer…
December 7, 2010
HAI GUYS!
Im currently packing to go on a trip.
A semi-long trip (few weeks) where my internet access will be sparse (*TWITCH*... **TWIIIIIIIITCH**), so, funny enough, the blag is a little quiet now so its not totally quiet while Im gone. Also, just a heads up,The Management is going to be keeping…
December 3, 2010
Glance back at this post for a refresher on what Im going to write about here.
Quick recap:HIV-1 usually evolves around this to 'hide' from CTLs. Maybe it puts a sombrero on the skull so the CTLs think its a party boat. But while HIV-1 evolves ways to hide from cytotoxic T-cells, this escape comes…
December 3, 2010
The Plan for Arnie, since Day 1, was for him to be a therapy dog. I love volunteering for hospitals/hospice/retirement homes, I live right next to a VA/childrens/regular hospitals, and Arnie is an incredibly happy, social dog. Its a natural fit.
But when Arnie was a puppy, it became clear that he…
December 1, 2010
So, Dinesh D'Souza is speaking at OU tonight. Or this afternoon. Or whatever.
I couldnt help but notice not only how D'Souza is defined by his 'enemies', but that D'Souza defines himself by his 'enemies':The God Decision: Delusion, Confusion or Truth?
The "New Atheism" is an increasingly popular…
November 29, 2010
Looooooooook what Ive gooooooooooot!
'Songs From the Science Frontier', a pro-science CD you readers helped happen, is finally out!
Its SUPER CUTE!
The OKGazette is astonished that Monty Harper & Cos music 'doesnt induce nausea' like most kids music, LOL!!!
You can hear more from Monty in…
November 26, 2010
Id like to take a minute to expand upon my post from yesterday--
What I find odd about 'Science Rock Stars' is the way scientists and rock stars were awkwardly mashed together. Like mixing peanut butter and Twizzlers. They are both good independently, but unless youve got a real, obvious reason…
November 25, 2010
It was 75 degrees yesterday.
It got down to 24 today.
And pretty much everyone else in the country is under a layer of ice/snow.
But Im not gonna write about cold scientists. Im talkin about cool scientists.
Chris Mooney, the expert on facades, appearances, and stabbing people in the back with a…
November 23, 2010
Its no secret I love Craig Venter. He is inspiring. He is mother fucking inspiring. Never met him, probably wont ever, but I have a feeling his "CRAIG VENTER IS AN ASS!" reputation is similar to Dawkins "RICKARD DAWKINS IS MEAN!!!!" reputation. And even if he is a complete ass, I am inspired by…
November 22, 2010
A lot of in the the blagodome are having a great time perusing the 'Encyclopedia of American Loons'. Its been up since May, but I guess we all just simultaneously found it or something :)
Its super fun to read-- ALL my favorite loons are there! Even some that I think are kinda obscure, like…