Yes, I’m on Twitter- alandove: Should've redacted sequence of ancient girl's DNA. http://t.co/aomVOqla Now terrorists can synthesize cave-girl from scratch.
- alandove: National Academy of Sciences report (http://t.co/No8xHa5C ) - no second gunshot from grassy knoll. Must be part of conspiracy.
- alandove: Whenever I'm feeling negative, I just press ctrl-alt-cmd-8.
- alandove: Turdivirus is to virology as Uranus is to astronomy.
- alandove: RT @profvrr: This Week in Virology (TWiV) episode 169 is up: Epidemiology causes conclusions (p<0.05) http://t.co/2Hk5mwxr
- alandove: I gather there's some sort of sports event today. I mean besides the indoor triathlon I did this morning.
- alandove: Wondering if anyone's compared @Norovirus incidence at land resorts vs. cruise ships.
- alandove: Must remember to relax sphincter. RT @marynmck @lizditz launching bottle rockets from one's anus http://t.co/0j46Rc6n
- alandove: Blog post: A chat with Mike Osterholm (http://t.co/eKFzdFQ4 ) #H5N1 #NSABB
- alandove: @newprof1 Certainly much easier to type.
Tag Archives: hype
The Day the Science Died
This afternoon, a coalition of influenza virologists released a statement saying that they are voluntarily suspending research on H5N1 “bird flu” for 60 days. This was in response to the Category 5 hype storm that has accompanied the publication of … Continue reading
TWiV Beats Placebo!
This is a screenshot from the iTunes store today (in Podcasts > Science and Medicine > Medicine): So our year-in-review episode is five places better than placebo. Be sure to take it weekly from now on.
The Biodefense-Industrial Complex vs. Science
I was revving up to post a long rant about the censorship of a new paper on H5N1 influenza, but my friend and TWiV co-host Vincent Racaniello beat me to it. I do, however, have a couple of things to … Continue reading
The “Growing” Ham Radio Hobby – Or Is It?
The American Radio Relay League, the main organization representing the US Amateur Radio community, likes to put out predictable press releases trumpeting the hobby’s growth. Back in October, they did it again: As the third quarter of 2011 came to … Continue reading
RNAi: Yep, Antisense All Over Again
Yesterday, New York Times reporter Andrew Pollack covered the pharmaceutical industry’s recent rush to the lifeboats of the siRNA/RNAi ship: When RNA interference first electrified biologists several years ago, pharmaceutical companies rushed to harness what looked like a swift and … Continue reading
The Press Release Revision Cycle
First, let’s read the paper, see how much we can understand, and quote the authors from their peer-reviewed text. That will ensure we have the facts right, but it will give us a caveat-filled press release with this rather uninspiring … Continue reading
Vaccines and Autism: The Bullshit Continues
A news item a few days ago has fired up a new round of the old “vaccines cause autism” nonsense. The story correctly states that the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has awarded a substantial amount of money to the … Continue reading
Weight Loss Reminder: There Are No Shortcuts
A paper in the latest issue of Cell Metabolism seems to promise a new generation of fat-loss drugs. The researchers knocked out sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in mice, causing the animals’ muscles to burn more energy. As a result, … Continue reading
Stick to The Data, Dammit!
The media coverage of H1N1 flu, and many physicians’ approach to the outbreak, are really starting to annoy me. A story in today’s Boston Globe typifies the problem: Emergency doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston began seeing an increase in what … Continue reading
Warning: Maximum Hype Density Exceeded
A story picked up by all of the wire services today has led to a bout of extreme hype throughout the media universe. Quickly surveying the coverage, I think the worst offender may be Xinhua, but it’s a close contest. … Continue reading