Blog Posts
DNA evidence for alien Nazca mummies lacking - Genome sequencing analyses of “alien” Nazca mummies do not support an extraterrestrial origin Context On September 12, researchers presented 2 Nazca mummies to the General Congress of the United Mexican States. They report that these mummies are definitively non-human (but humanoid) biological entities and showcased evidence from genomic studies and anatomical analyses. If their conclusions […]
States Ranked by Age-Adjusted COVID Deaths - States Ranked by Age-Adjusted COVID Deaths Data updated on December 7, 2022 We’re inundated with statistics on how US states have fared relative to one another throughout the pandemic. Sometimes these can appear contradictory because the data can be cut to support a variety of narratives. We wanted an updated source of cumulative age-adjusted COVID-19 […]
Why do COVID Deaths Vary by State? - Why do COVID Deaths Vary by State? Cumulative COVID deaths are an endpoint to compare the effectiveness of states’ pandemic-related health policies. As the major risk factor for death from COVID is age, and some states have younger populations than others, it’s important to adjust for age when trying to understand factors that contribute to variable […]
Is Biology Still a Wet Lab Science? - Is Biology Still a Wet Lab Science? One of my friends recently published a research paper in one of the world’s most influential science journals, Science. [1] The paper is a significant milestone in our understanding of the neural crest, a strange group of cells in the vertebrate embryo with an unusual ability to mature […]
H-index Distributions in Biology by University and Academic Rank - H-Index Distributions in Biology The h-index is a widely accepted metric of research productivity and scientific impact, developed by Jorge E Hirsch in 2005. It is commonly referenced in hiring and promotion decisions, taking into account the number of publications that an author has and the number of citations each paper received. The controversies surrounding […]