BPS 2014: The good, the bad, and more
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I spent most of last week in San Francisco for the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, and I'd like to take a moment to recap the event
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Thoughts on chemistry, general science, and whatever else is banging around in my mind.
An important read about quitting vs staying in STEM
/Choosing to end any phase of your life is never easy. As a woman, choosing to leave science is harder still. Although there are support groups and professional associations for women in science, there is little day-to-day support for staying. There is even less support for leaving.
This article by Frances Hocutt spoke to me. I know many people (especially women) who have stood at that same threshold and thought "Do I dare quit?" I'm glad she had the courage to choose self-respect.
When a pipeline leaks, we don't blame the water.
Go read it.
via @shanley
Fluorescent fish
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A paper out in PLoS ONE last month announces the discovery that a lot more fish fluoresce than we thought. 180 species of fish biofluoresce, with emission colors ranging from greens to reds: eels and rays are in the greens while scorpionfish and gobys are fairly red and others are in between.
The authors consider several evolutionary advantages that biofluorescence might bestow on these species. Some fish may use it to blend in with fluorescent corals, others may use it to communicate. Certain deep sea fishes are thought to use fluorescence to lure prey.
What really gets me excited about this paper isn't the fish, though. It's the fluorophores.
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