Poster

Today was a great day for trainees in comparative physiology! Here are some of the highlights from their sessions: Poster presentations: Alexis MacDonald et al., (Union College - Mentor Dr. Scott Kirkton) presented research showing that grasshopper skeletal muscles may use lactate for energy! Similarly, Dongying Wang et al., (Saint Louis University - Mentor Dr. Daniel Warren) also showed that skeletal muscle from painted turtles may use lactate. I guess it is not just a waste product of exercise after all...   Oral Presentations:   Image of pupfish by Nevada Fish & Wildlife Office -…

I’ve heard a lot of myths over the years about OSHA. Some people think, for example, that OSHA is motivated to assess penalties because it needs the money to operate. (Truth: OSHA penalties go to the US Treasury and OSHA doesn’t get any share of them.)  There have been times when misinformation or truth-stretching is perpetuated by law firms, probably trying to drum up business from anxious employers. Here’s an example from the law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP. It’s a blog post on the site JDSUPRA Business Advisor. The lead sentences set the tone with phrases such as “a multiple front…

Additional highlights from the Comparative Physiology posters presented at the 2014 Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, CA: TA White, G Evans, GC Verzosa, T Pirtskhalava, T Tchkonia, JD Miller, JL Kirkland, and NK LeBrasseur. "Aging and cellular senescence and disease: The influence of diet and exercise" Not surprisingly, mice consuming a fast food diet for 5 months gain weight, have impaired glucose tolerance, and blood pressure problems. If they are given a running wheel to use voluntarily, the effects on weight and cardiac function can be prevented. In addition, markers of…

"I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending." -Fred Rogers I know it's still the middle of November, but I know that many of you are already thinking about holiday gifts for the lovers of physics, astronomy and the Universe in your life. People send me books and other educational materials throughout the year for review, and although they all have good and bad points about them, I'm…

As always, the opening ceremony for the American Physiological Society at the Experimental Biology meeting was awesome! The food was probably the best I have had at these meetings, which along with the fun band, probably explains why it was jam-packed with Physiologists eager to kick-start this meeting. I am looking forward to the Scholander poster session tomorrow. This poster session is sponsored by the Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology section of The American Physiological Society. It is a competition in which trainees present their research in the hopes of receiving a travel award…

Zea Poster from m f's flickr stream Michael Franklin, Rochester Institute of Technology One of the ways in which I can foresee Web 2.0 applications changing the culture of science is by increasing avenues for mentorship. Web apps allow students from different departments, universities, and nations to connect, collaborate, and exchange advice. This can mean career-changing help for students at small institutions (or for those at large institutions with poor interdepartmental relations or a dearth of experts in a particular field). I'm not just talking about help troubleshooting protocols; far…

tags: Big Sister, election2008, Sarah Palin, humor, satire, politics Image: Orphaned. Please contact me for proper attribution and linkage. Sarah Palin wants to be our Big Sister. At the bottom, the poster says; War is Peace -- Freedom is Slavery -- Ignorance is Strength