The emergence of some featureThrough selection of mutationsDoesn’t happen in one creature,But across the populations! Permutations, combinations,Both additions and omissions,Lead to phenotype creationsAnd their rapid acquisitions Sometimes networks are redundantAnd the extras act to buffer—When mutations are abundantWe don’t always have to suffer! And environmental factorsMay give rise to phenocopyWhere the genes are not the …
Monthly Archive: July 2010
Jul 24 2010
Evolution
The emergence of some featureThrough selection of mutationsDoesn’t happen in one creature,But across the populations! Permutations, combinations,Both additions and omissions,Lead to phenotype creationsAnd their rapid acquisitions Sometimes networks are redundantAnd the extras act to buffer—When mutations are abundantWe don’t always have to suffer! And environmental factorsMay give rise to phenocopyWhere the genes are not the …
Jul 23 2010
Caterpillars?
Oh, HATE!!! Distilled to element—oh, hate; oh, hate; oh, hate-oh!An idealized form of hatred scarcely dreamt about by PlatoI despise the caterpillars that descend on my tomatoesAnd I wish that every one of them would die. Though I hate them with a passion, and I kill them with devotionThere are others who feel differently—one group …
Jul 22 2010
Galileo, again
A re-posting, of sorts–I blogged about this last year, but now the exhibit has started. Florence’s History of Science Museum (now named, appropriately enough, the Galileo Museum) is giving us the finger. Several, in fact. And a tooth. When overseas 2 years ago, one thing that fascinated me was the varied reactions to the icons …
Jul 22 2010
Jellyfish!
With surf and sunIt’s lots of funTo swim at Wallis SandsWield plastic tools,Dig sandy poolsIn which to wash your hands Where you can shareYour picnic fareWith seagulls, if you wishAnd now, the placeWhere you may faceA giant jellyfish! A sunny dayThe children playWith sunscreen on their facesWith playful dunksAnd sand in trunksAnd other gritty places …
Jul 21 2010
Omphaloskepsis
The recent farewell post by Bora, and some of the other explanations for departures, have got me thinking. It’s not something I do often, or terribly well. But I found a couple spare neurons to rub together, and I am mulling things over. I’m not seriously considering stopping writing–although it is entirely possible that the …
Jul 20 2010
Open Thread For Displaced Pharyngulites
While Pharyngula’s going on strikeYou can hang around here, if you like.Look around, take your time–No, you don’t have to rhyme;(And DM? You can go take a hike!) No, I don’t expect you to migrate here en masse, but I saw Laden invite people, and thought I’d put out the welcome mat as well.
Jul 20 2010
Open Thread For Displaced Pharyngulites
While Pharyngula’s going on strikeYou can hang around here, if you like.Look around, take your time–No, you don’t have to rhyme;(And DM? You can go take a hike!) No, I don’t expect you to migrate here en masse, but I saw Laden invite people, and thought I’d put out the welcome mat as well.
Jul 19 2010
On Social Engineering
I wrote this yesterday, I think, on a comment thread that turned into a tone-fight, so I doubt that more than the half-dozen or so participants bothered to read far enough down to see it. So here it is. A previous commenter had written that he had hoped that people would donate out of the …
Jul 19 2010
On Social Engineering
I wrote this yesterday, I think, on a comment thread that turned into a tone-fight, so I doubt that more than the half-dozen or so participants bothered to read far enough down to see it. So here it is. A previous commenter had written that he had hoped that people would donate out of the …
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