Blogs
People of a delicate nature, look away now. Anna Kushnir is chronicling the progress of her partner’s arm, which was inoculated with the smallpox vaccine last week to enable him to work with smallpox-like virus. The results aren’t pretty. Anna’s using the opportunity to learn more about the history of the now-conquered disease:
The vaccine leaves a mark, a thumbprint-sized scar that identifies you as protected, safe from a virus that in the 20th century alone claimed something like 300-500 million lives. Million! Mortality rate of infection is only (and I say only somewhat in jest) 30%, which means gajillions of people were infected, survived, and lived with the marks of the disease over their faces and body.
Elsewhere, Brian Derby takes a timely look at the chemistry of snow. Richard Grant reports on why there are so few women Fellows at the Royal Society. And Stephen Curry recounts a recent debate in London involving the scientific spokesmen of the three main UK political parties about science policy and funding. It attracted an estimated (and encouraging) 400 people, and prompted comments about the levels of government support science gets around the world.
Forums
The Nature Protocols discussion forum is a convenient place to ask questions about laboratory procedure, or help someone else who’s struggling with an experiment. This week, a number of people have come to the aid of one researcher who is having difficulties making E. coli DH5-alpha cells competent by the CaCl2 method. Can you lend a virtual hand? Or maybe you’ve got a question of your own? Give it a try.
Special Announcement
Nature Networkers living in London, Boston and New York have long enjoyed special areas of the site devoted to their cities, which we call hubs. Here you’ll find a local blog, events and job listings and a local discussion forum. Of course, there are many more centres of science in the world than these three. Discussion forums for other cities and regions are available (see, for example, Berlin, Latin America and India). The Toronto forum is particularly active at the moment, thanks to Jeff Sharom who is taking on an active role in promoting Canadian science through this forum. You can also follow this ‘proto-hub’ via Twitter, on @NatNetToronto.
And finally…
Four Nature Network bloggers will be appearing in print after being selected for inclusion in the 2009 Open Laboratory anthology of science blogging. Jennifer Rohn, Eva Amsen, Stephen Curry and Eric Michael Johnson will all feature in the annual book, which collects together 50 of the best blog entries from across the web. Well done all.