The former nature genetics editor has been recently here in Munich giving a talk on Open Access. Chatting after her talk, she told us that on another occasion a guy was yelling at her “you are my nemesis” because she once declined to publish his paper. We laughed but there is some serious background – journals editors often decide on careers of young people.
From my recent experience Continue reading Barbara you are my nemesis
Category Archives: Philosophy
My first scientific meeting
was in 1986 at the German Society of Endocrinology in Lübeck. I just scanned these old B&W films but can’t renember so many details. My results were only published under pseudonym as my clinical advisor (#3 from left) did not renember my name correctly when publishing it in Acta endocrinologica.
The most beautiful libraries in the world
Only recently I came across the curiousexpeditions website with wonderful pictures. I have seen only a few of these libraries but the most remarkable was in Strahov, Prague – my picture is more than 20 years old.
Precisez, mon cher, precisez
I am currently reading Geert Mak’s “In Europa”, an excellent history of European history (in particular important for me as my high school education ended with the Weimar republic! I always wanted to ask my former teacher R. Grundel for the reasons but he died recently). This book finds and connects all the lost threads while being excellently written and easy to read. I am citing here from the notes of Harold Nicolson (p 137), a young British diplomat, who served as an advisor to Lloyd George, Clémenceau and Wilson: Continue reading Precisez, mon cher, precisez
Who’s the boss?
A news focus in Science Magazine asks “Who’s the queen? Ask the genes” and shows new research that in some social insects nature, not nurture, determines whether offspring becomes worker or royalty.
I am not aware of any genetic studies of bosses but there might be also inherited personality traits in humans that favor a certain behavior.
Given my interest in a German gene-test law and the corresponding passivity of the German government, I am now proposing a “Biobank German Bundestag” that will allow me to go for gene variants that make our representatives different from us, the commonalty. I am sure that we will have a gene test law within 12 months …
Of guests and ghosts
Here is a rare occasion where you can identify “guests” and “ghosts” in a paper – a common practice. Continue reading Of guests and ghosts
Look here
From an email that I received today:
while open access has provided the scientific community with broader accessibility, little seems to have been done to make better use of the on-line content. We are trying to address this shortcoming through pubcasts. Pubcasts are 5-10 minute video clips which are integrated with the contents of the open access paper.
I agree with the observation that Open Access hasn´t been very innovative so far in technical terms. On the other hand I feel that my job is less about marketing than development. Are you climbing on this bandwagon? Continue reading Look here
I am thrilled to announce
Getting the right expression is not always easy if you are thinking in a different language. “Borrowing good English” as confessed now by a Turkish scientist is therefore understandable. Best regards to Mark Twain from an awful German language speaker.
Science skills
Theodor Fontane is characterizing Adolf Menzel:
Gaben, wer hätte sie nicht.
Talent, Spielzeug für Kinder.
Erst der Ernst macht den Mann,
Erst der Fleiß das Genie.Skills, everyone has quids.
Talents, toys of the kids.
Seriousness makes a man,
dilligence the genius span.
sorry for my translation ;-)
Want to work with you
Over and over I am flooded with emails like
Let me introduce myself to you. I am xxxxxxxxxx, completed M. Sc Micro Biology. At present I am working as a research Fellow in Centre for xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxxxxx, India. How are you sir? I am your student. How can I mean, in January 2005 you come to India. At that time your engaged some class to us in xxxxxxxxx College, Axxxxxxxx. Presently I am working on Genetics of “xxxxxxxxxxxx†under the esteemed guidance of Dr. xxxxxxxxxxx and Dr. xxxxxxxxxx. I am very much interested to do PhD. Herewith, I am sending my curriculum Vitae as attachment to your kind perusal. I assure you, I shall work with at most devotion and sincerity to give you satisfaction and also I am confident that I can lead PhD successfully with the experience I gained during my research work at xxxxxxxxx. Given a chance I will prove my caliber.
Unwillingness to face reality
The most recent Edge issue cites
… Kahneman’s view that “the administration’s unwillingness to face reality in Iraq reflects a basic human aversion to cutting one’s losses—the same instinct that makes gamblers stay at the table, hoping to break even.”
as well as another one of Kahneman’s ideas Continue reading Unwillingness to face reality
First journal that allows trackbacks
There are great news – PLOS ONE now allows trackbacks that will show up close to the original article. Hopefully, this new feature will be extensively used. As Jim Giles speculated last year only the most successful researchers are confident enough to criticize others in this public way…
Transrapid
We have a heated debate here in Munich about the Transrapid, a magnetic monorail system that could connect Munich central station & Munich airport. It is being announced as a technical innvation reducing travel time form ~30 min down to ~5 min, however, as I would have to change trains, it wouldn´t save me anything. Instead of using it as a technical showcase – the estimated budget is ~1.8 billion € – I would certainly vote for our tax money go directly into science. German science funding agency DFG has an annual budget of € 1.3 billion only, yea, yea.
How to predict good research
It is difficult if not impossible to foresee future research results. I am sharing the belief with many other colleagues that grant applications are largely a waste of time (in particular if most applications fail). A recent correspondence letter in Nature applauds Continue reading How to predict good research
German science
The German portal academics has a rather long narrative about the failure of German science – and an excerpt from “Richard Münch, Die akademische Elite. Zur sozialen Konstruktion wissenschaftlicher Exzellenz, Frankfurt a.M.: Edition Suhrkamp, 2007”. Continue reading German science