There’s one way in which the world of science strongly resembles the Roman Empire – its dynasties and pedigrees are formed not through blood, but through adoption. Continue reading
Thicker than blood
Uncategorized
Friendly Fire
Adversarial interactions in the sciences can be grouped into two categories: competition between models*, and competition between labs. One is a stimulant and a spur to good science; the other a recipe for rancour and often a handicap to scientific progress. Continue reading
Worth thousands of words
Regular readers of TIR may have noticed that there’s been a change in the visuals of late. Besides my own rather staid photography, there’s been an increasing number of contributions from the marvellous Oliver Hoeller, a scientist and freelance illustrator. I’m now delighted to announce that Oliver is officially joining TIR as its “artist in residence”. A short bio and links to some of his other work can now be found in the “Artwork” tab at the top of the page.
Cooking and Gleaning
In conversation, it’s not unusual for people to baulk when you tell them you’re a scientist. “Oh, I wouldn’t understand any of that” is a line you’ll hear over and over again. “Rubbish!” is a good response: “It’s just like cooking – but with tiny volumes!” Continue reading
The Patron Saint of Science Writing
It’s an unacknowledged truth that scientific English is a distinct dialect. But who should be regarded as its architect? Continue reading
Doubtful confidence
The most important equilibrium in research isn’t chemical, it’s psychological. It’s the one that governs the oscillation between confidence and doubt. Continue reading
TIR – in the flesh
Attention all postdocs in Austria!
TIR will be giving the keynote presentation at the very first Postdoc Forum on October 15th, 2016. Full details, as well as the link for registration, can be found HERE (also on the Facebook page HERE).
The forum is being organised by the Vienna Postdoc Think Tank, a new collective aimed at discussing and improving postdoc career options. So if you’re based in Austria and interested in being part of the dialogue about how science should be structured, come along! (it’s free)
Carrot or stick?
If you’re running a lab, will you get more from people if you praise their successes or criticise their failures? Continue reading
Holiday reading
TIR will be away for the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime here’s a selection of books to keep you occupied on your summer getaways – a mixture of recent reads and old favourites.
Sharing the load, part 2 (science and parenting)
Last month’s posting (“Sharing the load“) with stories of parents in science was one of TIR‘s most popular yet. Here are three four (updated September 1st) more accounts of parents juggling commitments.
Illustration created by Oliver Hoeller. Like it? Check out more of his work here: www.oliverhoeller.com
Total Internal Reflection 