I'm back

... from my long extended vacation. And it's been over 3 weeks since I last posted anything original. (Hope you didn't mind all those reposts). So, what has happened since then?

The Nobels came out, and although I hadn't predicted any winners, the author of a certain comment did call the Medicine winners (3 out of 3!) Kudos to you kobeboy.

In other news, my manuscript got accepted at PLoS Biology. As soon as I can figure out what is happening with their server I'll sending them the final figures.

And of course I have tons of pictures and stories from Europe ... including many sciency things such as a trip to the museum of "the History of Science" in Florence, and my talk at the Pierre and Marie Curie University. I'll attempt to post entries on these topics in the near future.

Other highlights from my trip include eating chianina in Florence (and being in Italy during porcini season), driving an Alfa Romeo around Rome, experiencing all the culinary delights of my mother's hometown (where not a single computer was to be seen), seeing Pompeii (counter to expectations, it was incredible - even more so than the Roman Forum), sleeping on the floor of the Piazza del Campo in Sienna, walking along the beach in Positano, viewing Damon Albarn's rock opera "The Monkey Goes West", and watching the France-England Rugby World Cup semi-final at the Champs de Mars.

And also I would like to congratulate Bil the Man and his wife, Jana, who recently became the proud parents of a baby boy.