The Bacon Gene
According to a recent study, pork appreciation could be genetic. Though the finding remains speculative, the correlation of such a high-level subjective character trait with a particular gene is...
View ArticleStop saying “biologically programmed,” goddamit!
Here’s your quick daily dose of biological determinism. This is nice because it combines deterministic thinking about both genes and brains. If this article were a bird it would be a Great Blue...
View Article23andMe, myself, and I
Here is the new ad from 23andMe that will begin airing shortly on cable TV*: Genomics is going mainstream and the best news is first that it’s real simple and second that it’s all about me. Let’s take...
View ArticleTweeting the life of the mind
Academic colleagues of mine who are only slightly or not at all involved with social media often ask me why I do it, while those of us who are involved often seem to find ourselves defending or...
View Article“Fascist Park” Recreates Thrills of Tyranny’s Golden Age
Imagine going “on safari” across Europe in 1939. Out of a nearby bunker steps none other than Adolf Hitler. He goose-steps in your direction, glowering. His little mustache twitches. Now you must...
View ArticleProfessor of Astro-what?
Today, the Library of Congress and NASA announced my new gig for next year, as the Baruch Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology at the LC. From October 2015 through September 2016, I’ll be resident at the...
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DNA as Commodity
Here’s a riddle: In the morning I was in the soup. At noon I was in a dish. In the afternoon I was in your gas tank. And at night I am in the bank. What am I? The answer is DNA. From a natural object...
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The history of designer babies
I have a new article up over at Aeon magazine. It’s called “Better Babies: The long and peculiar history of the designer human, from Plato’s citizen breeders to Nobel sperm banks and beyond.” After...
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