The eagle and the snake are a symbol on Mexico’s flag, whose origins are unclear (reminding me the origins of “gringo”). They are also the title of a revolutionary novel, written by Martín Luis Guzmán, published in 1928. The Mexican Academy of the Spanish Language asked Susana Quintanilla to compile a critical edition of El áquila y la serpiente. Today, she presented a moving account of the effort involved. During her talk, she showed what looked like a published book, although I couldn’t find evidence of its existence online. I can only recommend, instead, her article in Letras Libres (in Spanish).
Author: fanismis
I was born in Canada, grew up in Greece, where I studied Biology. My Ph.D. was at the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, in conjuction with the University of Guelph; I worked on reactive oxygen species within cells of the little Drosophila fly. I then moved to its handling of iron at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland; added copper, zinc, manganese and molybdenum during my first independent position at Queen Mary University of London; Presently my metal biology lab at the CINVESTAV del IPN in Mexico City is extending to the study of phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, sodium & potasium thanks to the generosity of the Conacyt that enabled us with an inductive coupled plasma optic emmission spectrometer :)
These are lies, Dicky, not misrepresentations
This is how Dicky Clymo, emeritus professor at Queen Mary University of London, came into my life. First, he taught me about iron pans in peatlands. Second, he taught me that calling someone who is conveying a false statement a liar has implications (difficult to know and/or prove) over a) the person’s knowledge of the truth, and b) the person’s intention to confuse, manipulate or cheat her audience. A polite gentleman, he advised me to use instead the phrase that X manager was misrepresenting Y or Z fact or opinion. (more…)
Are we failing to scientifically educate the next generations?
Merope Tsimilli-Michael, after giving a talk at a conference in honor of George Papageorgiou, where John Allen also participated, asked his opinion on her presentation. In turn, John introduced me to Merope a few months later, while in Mexico (through Skype). I read with interest what she and Pierre Haldimann had to say.
For more than twenty years we have witnessed worrying changes in science… The first symptom was that a number of publications contained serious flaws… the frequency of low quality publications has steadily increased.
Δειλινό δίλημμα
Ήταν πολύ όμορφη. Πράσινα μάτια, πλούσια κατσαρά μαλλιά, καλλίγραμμη. Κάπως ασυνήθιστο για τέτοια παρουσία, λιγομίλητη και μαζεμένη. Μίλαγε περισσότερο ο άντρας της, κι εκείνος ωραίος, με μάτια που καρφώνανε, αλλά και σε κοιτάζανε σε βάθος, έτσι που σε κέρδιζαν πολύ γρήγορα. Μίλαγε, φαίνεται, και για τους δυο. Ειδικά όταν πήγαινε η κουβέντα στην αγάπη του για τις μοτοσικλέτες – του άρεσε να διηγείται πώς όταν την πρωτογνώρισε εκείνη δίσταζε να ανέβει, αλλά σύντομα οι βόλτες τους καβάλα ήταν η καλύτερή της! Όταν γεννήθηκε η κόρη της, αποφάσισε να τις κόψει. Το μητρικό ένστικτο μαζί με όσα μαθαίνανε από τον κύκλο του συζύγου (η μηχανή έχει κινδύνους κι είχε χάσει φίλο γκαρδιακό). Αλλά εκείνον τον άφηνε, “ευτυχώς!”, έλεγε και χαμογελούσε. Οι στροφές στα δάση έξω από την πόλη υπάρχουν για να τις κατεβαίνουμε η παρέα, έλεγε. Τα μάτια του και το χαμόγελο. Αυτά ερωτεύτηκε το δίχως άλλο, καθρέφτες μιας ψυχής έξω καρδιά.
Origin of the genetic code
Wolfgang Nitschke and Michael J. Russell have proposed a race to beat the acetyl coenzyme A-pathway to the origin of life. I see no alternative stance to the one they hold assuming a continuity of biology from its begginings to the present day. Their considerations of how a primordial metabolism could arise on the Hadean planet are the best treatment of the subject known to me. No mystery how to “hydrogenate carbon” – Michael’s reduction of life’s primary activity on the planet – and arrive from carbon dioxide and hydrogen (with the help of metals of course!) to acetate or formamide. (more…)
Turning the ship around
The Times Higher Education has published an article by Carolina Guzmán-Valenzuela, the ship in this case being higher education institutions in Latin America. My comment: (more…)
Αποχαιρετισμός στον Φιδέλ
Στάσου.
Ο Καταράχτης από μακριά μοιάζει πιο ήσυχος.
Δυο νέοι ξεσηκωμένοι.
Η αδικία τους κίνησε.
Ελευθερία κι αδελφοσύνη αναζητούν.
. (more…)
a comment on university mismanagement
My commentary below was prompted by this letter published earlier today by Liz Morrish in the Times Higher Education. Since yesterday there has been a concerted effort by UCU and the Guardian to expose the crude exploitation of half of the academic staff in Universities in the UK. Adding to the insult, managers ‘disappear’ through restructuring permanent positions. The issue is whether Professors should be fired when they do not produce the outputs requested by their ‘bosses’ (sic). (more…)
LA TUMBA DE UN GENIO
I post (with permission) the following text written by Bogdan Mielnik –
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¿Somos o no somos capaces de cultivar talentos?… El problema tiene algunos antecedentes poco agradables.
Recycling of bad managers is disastrous
I noticed visits to this blog from DailyNous “Serious Cuts and Stark Choices at Aberdeen“. I asked whether the former Science & Engineering Vice Principal at Queen Mary, Jeremy Kilburn, was repeating one of his destructive assaults against colleagues? At Queen Mary he convinced academics to strike; an act he repeated at the University of Aberdeen. Unfortunately, according to the BBC, it looks like Kilburn continues to call for academic sackings. I wish he fails and faces instead the sack himself. (more…)
fanismissirlis 