On BioScience and Life and Such

Posts Tagged ‘quotes’

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Quote of the Month – Climate change vs. Genetically Modified Crops

In Uncategorized on June 1, 2017 at 8:20 am

This months quote is provided by Cornell Prof. Sarah Davidson Evanega, a mother of three children, an environmentalist and a plant scientist:

“You cannot at the same time uphold the scientific consensus around climate change and deny the scientific consensus around the safety of GM crops.”

You can of course argue that this is not entirely true since politics to fight climate change and politics to stop GM-agriculture are both driven by fear over worst case scenarios.

She nevertheless, has a really good point. The quote perfectly exemplifies how we choose our scientific facts to suit whatever political means we want to support.

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Tidbits from the www that makes you think

In Uncategorized on January 24, 2013 at 9:25 am

From a comment on a post on my friendfeed (I hope its ok that I quote this from you Kamilah Reed):

This makes me think of the mantis oothecae that I saw the mother lay on the edge of our deck. I saw her stand guard there until the cold killed her. The egg cases still out there, toughing it out through all this nasty cold weather. I can’t wait to see if we’ll actually have dozens of baby mantises next year. We’ve had them before, but I didn’t see where the case was last time.

I recently finished The Social Conquest of Earth (recommended), and found myself buying into Edward O. Wilsons arguments on social evolution vs. kin selection. We have become social beings based on traits like compassion of and empathy with, other individuals of our kind.

Based on th quote above though, you might want to expand the reach of those human traits to include other species as well. This quote encompasses empathy, compassion and sympathy towards a species far removed from our own. Importantly, a species I do not particularly care much about myself. Without the particular context of the story, I would gladly have gotten rid of those eggs, but since I find myself intrigued by the sacrifice of the mother-Mantis, I probably wouldn’t.

So, to all of you out there dooming the human race, despair not, – there may be hope. There are individuals out there that will share stories and facts that saves us – be thankful for diversity and keep listening.

Mantis religiosa trademark

Mantis religiosa trademark (Photo credit: macropoulos)

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Quote of the month August 10

In Uncategorized on August 6, 2010 at 9:38 am

Bosco Ho in this friendfeed discussion:

democracy is great, not because it helps you choose great leaders, but because it helps you get rid of shitty ones.

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BIOpinionated monthly quote-fest 0309

In Uncategorized on March 16, 2009 at 9:14 pm

1. From this post at cotch dot net:

For eight years, the United States was the brawling village idiot of the developed world, so far as Europe seemed to be concerned.

2. Daniel MacArthur of Genetic Future comments on the claim that scientist shouldn’t study race and intelligence:

Poisoning the well in this fashion is a highly effective strategy for shutting down debate on a particular topic – but this is a terrible strategy for a scientist to adopt.

3. From this post at The Bird’s Brain:

I don’t think science is about skepticism. It is about critical thinking, which is necessary for proper support of skepticism. Yes, be a skeptic, but look at as many sides of an issue as you can, and remember that there are probably others that you have not considered. An opinion is just that, an opinion, not a statement of fact. We all have them, but that doesn’t make us experts.

4. On studying religious faith from this post on Cotch dot net:

What a fascinating way to approach the issue. Not whether an idea is right or wrong; what it has to offer.

5. From this post on Sandwalk:

There are so many crazy people out there that the average skeptic simply doesn’t have time to fight them all.

6. From this news piece on how working women are to blame for the global financial crisis:

Women are twice as likely as men to work in the public sector. They account for two-thirds of the Civil Service and three- quarters of all public employees.

Yet they are barely represented in the useful public services of firefighting and arresting people. Encouraging women to leave the workforce would go a long way towards addressing the budget deficit without any downside whatsoever.

7. From this post on Sandwalk:

We had a really fun time discussing the topic, aided, perhaps, by the excellent wine list at the restaurant. I wish I could remember all the points I made. I think some of them were brilliant.

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BIOpinionated quote-fest 0109

In Uncategorized on January 14, 2009 at 3:17 pm

post to news.thinkgene.com

The costume of the science fiction character D...
Image via Wikipedia

1. From “Darth Vader’s “Management” Secrets“:

Darth Vader is a Dark Lord of the Sith and second-in-command in the Galactic Empire, where he is the pupil of Emperor Palpatine. He studied the Jedi arts under Obi-Wan Kenobi and serves a Sith apprenticeship with Darth Sidious. Darth’s brother, Chad, is the Day-Shift Manager at Empire Market.

2. From ERV in response to George Johnson critizing science blogging:

Do you realize what this means to people, George? How much a preventative HIV vaccine or cheaper/better/easier medications for HIV/AIDS means to people? How fucking scary HIV is to people? What these kinds of messages (WE CURE AIDZ NAU! LOL NOT REALLY!) do to the general public? What it does to their trust of scientific research in this country?

3. From an Effect Measure post on research into effects of the the virginity pledge:

82% of pledgers denied ever having taken the pledge

4. A comment on this YouTube video:

not so far in the future, humans are taken over by the elite using this so called helpful science.

5. From this friendfeed discussion:

In order to die someday, you have to be alive. Everything is dangerous, I suggest not leaving your home, not using any type of equipment, electricity, gas, etc inside, and not eating any food from unknown sources. Also filter the inbound air, water and any other fluid. And don’t read the interwebs, there are crazy people out there. – Paulo Nuin

6. From another friendfeed discussion:

There are many scary things about today’s world. But one that is truly thrilling is that the means of spreading both knowledge and inspiration have never been greater. Five years ago, an amazing teacher or professor with the ability to truly catalyze the lives of his or her students could realistically hope to impact maybe 100 people each year. Today that same teacher can have their words spread on video to millions of eager students. There are already numerous examples of powerful talks that have spread virally to massive Internet audiences. – Will Richardson

7. From this post on Eye On DNA:

But sometimes, what’s in your genes isn’t in your heart. I’d rather my children followed their heart.

8. A tweet from Neil Saunders:

“not sure how a ceasefire is “unworkable”; surely you just stop firing?”

9. A comment on this post on A Blog Around The Clock:

This plays right into the hand of the sick-fuck right-wing, as all they have to do is trot out some phony propaganda shill, and the dumbfuck “journalists” go all “while it has been asserted that X, some critics say that not X”, without doing even the slightest bit of investigation that would reveal to them that the OVERFUCKINGWHELMING CONSENSUS among people who know what the fuck they are talking about, and are not either deranged wackaloon fuckwits or intentional propagandists, is “not X”. – Comrade PhysioProf

10. A tweet from Walter Jessen:

“@Berci What would be the alternative to evidence-based medicine? Hearsay medicine? Best-guess medicine?”

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