‘Tis a small world in biology


Today I was browsing through recent articles in Nature, looking for a potential genetics paper to present for my department’s Journal Club. ” “Somatic coding mutations in human induced pluripotent stem cells” catches my eye – I mean, come on, doesn’t that sound absolutely fascinating? I happen to glance at the name of the first author.

“Wait…Athurva Gore? …Who’s studying biomedical engineering? Hmmmm… Is that just a more common name than I think?”

After a couple seconds of Googling, I find a photo of him and some other scientists in their native habitat (awkwardly posed in front of expensive equipment) and confirm that yes, that is my ex-boyfriend’s friend that I spent a good part of undergrad hanging out with. Who I am now rediscovering while browsing genetics literature. Odd.

Congrats on the Nature paper, Athurva!

Well, if you even read this. I have no idea what the protocol is about reading friends’ ex-girlfriends’ blogs. Blogs before bros?

Comments

  1. says

    1. No, it doesn’t sound all that fascinating, but I’m more of a long-view, population genetics kind of guy.2. The world of evolutionary biology especially is incredibly small and intertwined; I doubt that anyone in the field has more than six degrees of separation from either Haldane, Sewall, Fisher or Wright. It can be weird sometimes.

  2. says

    A few days ago we just got around to watching an episode of Harry’s Law we PVRed February 21st, “Bangers in the House” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt17…In that case, it was gang member dates ex-girlfriend of member of rival gang, rival gang-member torches first gang-member’s car. Harry and her assistant get to negotiate and avert all-out gang war—in the neighbourhood where she has her office.I trust things are more … umm … nuanced in academe.

  3. Hans says

    First author on a nature paper in his 20s (I presume)? That is a phenomenal accomplishment.

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