Links for 2012-05-04

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way we think about science-- from fluids to fungi, poisons to pirates. Featuring noted authors and journalists as well as the brightest up-and-comers writing today, this collection provides a comprehensive look at the fascinating, innovative, and trailblazing scientific achievements and breakthroughs of 2011, along with elegant and thoughtprovoking new takes on favorite topics. [...] Guest-edited and with an introduction by the renowned science author and blogger Jennifer Ouellette, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 marries cutting-edge science with dynamic writing that will inspire us all.

Should scientific journals publish high-risk scientific research that could in the wrong hands be disastrous for us all? Although it might be sensible to keep certain results secret for a while, I argue that eventually it does not make sense to withhold results in the long-term.

A trend I've been noticing in the past year is what seems to be an uptick in the number of established, profitable independent bookstores being sold by their owners, and especially a lot of articles where the owners talk about how they've loved the store dearly but it's time to retire and think the store will need a new, energetic person to take it to the next level and contend with all the recent changes in the industry.[...] The owner usually announces the sale with a high level of optimism and often has several qualified, interested candidates to choose from. [...]I like reading all these smaller individual stories. I think they're cool. What I want is for someone to delve a little deeper into them. I want to know how and why this happens, and if it means anything.

I realize now how little respect teachers get. Teaching is the toughest job everyone who's never done it thinks they can do. I admit, I was guilty of these delusions myself. When I decided to make the switch from "doing" science to "teaching" science, I found out that I had to go back to school to get a teaching credential. "What the f--?!?," I screamed to any friends willing to put up with my griping. "I have a Ph.D.! Why do I need to go back to get a lousy teaching credential?!?" I was baffled. How could I, with my advanced degree in biology, not be qualified to teach biology?! Well, those school administrators were a stubborn bunch. I simply couldn't get a job without a credential. And so, I begrudgingly enrolled in a secondary teaching credential program. And boy, were my eyes opened. I understand now.