Freethinker’s is packing up and moving out. It’s been a great 5 years, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is time to shift gears a little. The migration is complete. The archives will remain here, but new content can be found at Ge·knit·ics. See you there!

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Image credit: ibm4381′s flickr stream

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Remarkable Creatures is a collection of short biographies of “adventurers,” starting with Alexander von Humbolt, the Dutch naturalist whose Personal Narrative describing his explorations of South America inspired Charles Darwin.  Darwin’s chapter was mostly a rehash of material I’ve read elsewhere, which I would expect given my field. But the remainder of the book, even the chapters on Eugène Dubois (who discovered Homo erectus) and the Leakey family (who combined discovered the majority of hominin fossils in Africa) – whose discoveries I teach in my intro physical anthropology classes – presented richly detailed portraits of some of the pivotal figures in the field of evolutionary biology.

One of the more interesting chapters for me was “The Day the Mesozoic Died,” the story of the discovery of the K-T boundary in the fossil record. Disclaimer: I am an anthropological geneticist, but one of my undergrad degrees is in zoology. I was one of those kids who went through the dinosaur fascination phase, and later considered being an astronaut. So this chapter, with the mystery of the “end of the dinosaurs,” and the radical notion that it had come from outer space, was right up my alley. The formidable accumulation of evidence of an extraterrestrial source of the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, and rejection of other hypotheses (volcanic eruption), is an elegant account of both the transdisciplinary and skeptical nature of science.

The final two chapters discuss the tension between paleoanthropologists and molecular anthropologists in the quest to understand human origins, and are now dated, due the recent work on the Neandertal genome.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Despite that, the book is a great introduction to breadth of research subsumed in evolutionary biology. The life stories of these remarkable scientists will hopefully inspire a new generation of researchers.

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There are also children’s biographies of some of these explorers (and others), for those who might want to encourage their little scientists.

• Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution
• Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews
• Dinosaurs Of Waterhouse Hawkins
• Mary Leakey: Archaeologist Who Really Dug Her Work (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Inventors and Scientists) (Their series on artists and musicians is fantastic, I can’t wait to get these for my younger kids.)

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July’s picks for the 2010 Freethinker’s Book Club are

Happy reading!

For those still trying to familiarize themselves with the seemingly Byzantine workings of the nation’s top funding agency, here are two videos from the NIH Center for Scientific Review on what happens at a review panel and advice for new applicants.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Also, check the NIH Office of Extramural Research for current funding opportunities, grant application basics, and information on forms and deadlines.

The answer to all of these questions is, not surprisingly, it depends.  On what the rest of your work schedule looks like, other commitments on your time, how much sleep you would like to get in the next two years. But, having said that, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, is a nice guide/pep talk for budding writers.

I’ll admit, I skipped the sections devoted to fiction writing (chapters on plot, dialogue, and character), since my writing is primarily technical non-fiction. But most of the book applies to any kind of writing. In fact, the title comes from advice that the author’s father, who was also a writer, passed on to his procrastinating son, who had an elementary school report on our feathered friends due at the end of a long weekend. Having put the assignment off for several weeks, he was overwhelmed by the amount of material he was expected to cover and didn’t know where to start. Those who have written dissertations understand that feeling completely.  His father’s advice? “Bird by bird.” One piece at a time.

With chapters on short assignments (blog posts fit nicely here), shitty first drafts (everyone, no matter how good a writer they are, has them), how to know when you’re done, writer’s block, and publication, there’s a lot of advice for technical writers. For me, it’s still a luxury to have time to write. I end up squeezing it in around other deadlines, meetings, commuting, dishes, and taking care of the baby.  I’m taking the summer off from classes just to get the articles from my dissertation written. One down, two to go!  From my experience:

• Keep writing, even short pieces like blog posts put you in the writing frame of mind.
• Set deadlines, or work from ones that have been set for you, nothing like incentive to get the creative juices flowing.
• Have others read your work, except those shitty first drafts.

News today from the Great Ape Trust is that Kanzi is now the father of an infant male named Teco. After many years of showing my students the episode of Nova, Can Chimps Talk? I feel like a proud aunt.  Felicitations!

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That's me on the right, with another PhD (left) and master's candidate (center) from my grad lab.

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The last few weeks of the Spring semester leading up to graduation were rough, trying to meet deadlines for coursework and other projects.  This semester I finished:

• Intro to Epidemiology (two exams, four quizzes, a final presentation and a paper)
• Grant Writing (a draft potential R03 grant)
• Biostats II (a final project)

and submitted:

• one project to IRB
• one grant proposal to a local foundation
• one application for a summer workshop
• one poster for an international conference
• one poster for the national meetings
• one poster for the departmental program annual symposium

My semester, especially towards the end, felt a bit like this

Except without the tutu.

For the last several weeks, I was jumping from one deadline to another, having just a few days between to work on the next project on the list.  Not surprisingly, I’ve felt the need to have a way to keep more on top of things: projects, due dates, meetings. While I was writing my dissertation, I had used LifeBalance, but decided against upgrading because their iPhone app apparently has issues, and I had stopped using the desktop version over a year ago because it just wasn’t working for me and I didn’t want to pay for the update.  I downloaded the trial version of Things, but decided it didn’t fit my current (lack of) workflow, and required adaptations that didn’t really work for me.  Same for Midnight Inbox. I settled on OmniFocus instead, personal task management software based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done.  ProfHacker has a nice series of posts on applying the concept as an academic, including an Introduction, Contexts and Academic Work, Mind-sweeping, and Managing Project Files.

I’ve slowly been adding projects, setting contexts and due dates. I’ve been using OmniFocus for about three weeks, but I haven’t completed a mind-sweep yet, partly due to lack of time (cleaning up from the end of semester crazy), partly because I’m still in the process of learning the system (reviewing podcasts, screencasts, and blogs about implementation), and partly because I’m a little afraid to have all of my commitments down on paper. I’m still figuring out exactly what should go on the list. Everything? Or just those out of the ordinary things that I might forget if I don’t write them down? Most of what I have set up so far are work projects, and I feel already like I have a better idea of where things are and what needs to be done next.

That’s good, because my summer is shaping up to be very busy, even without taking classes.  Right now, the project list looks like this:

• resubmit proposal to IRB
• write three articles from dissertation
• write/contribute to other articles as assigned
• write book chapter
• help with PI R01 submission
• present research idea to local partner organization
• meet with biostatistics re. R03 proposal
• develop syllabus/course description for potential class
• plan analysis of samples from PI’s current R01
• create a career development plan

It feels really good to be finishing up the first year of my postdoc, despite feeling like I’m eating an apple while juggling knives balanced on a rickety table sometimes.  I’m hoping GTD and OmniFocus can alleviate some of that end of semester panic in the future.

For the other postdocs out there, what strategies/tips do you have for task management?

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Image credit: Graduation photo courtesy of lab buddies. Knife juggler photo Creative Commons licensed by peter.bryant via Flickr.

Greetings from Albuquerque

Now that we’re home and reasonably rested, it seems like a good time to share a few tips for having a successful conference experience with little ones along (noting that all of these depend on your personal circumstances/budget).

• For getting on and off the plane, a baby sling is wonderful.  We have an Ergo, so Charlie rode strapped to my chest while boarding, disembarking, through baggage claim, and on shuttles. And I still had my hands free to carry stuff.
• If possible, have your spouse come along.  Having a dedicated caregiver makes those poster sessions a little less stressful (the sling comes in handy here, too, since he could walk around with her while she napped), and made it possible for me to attend some podium sessions uninterrupted.
• Rent a car.  And a car seat.  Waiting for a shuttle is tedious enough without a fussy baby. And by renting the car seat you don’t have to worry about yours being damaged in transit.
• Since we’re still breastfeeding, I tried to take breaks from conference activities every 3-4 hours to feed her. The conference hotel had a nice sitting room off the ladies restroom, which was frequented by several breastfeeding moms, but many of us also breastfed during podium sessions if necessary (and if our babies we’re being disruptive).  I just sat near the door in case she got cranky.
• Take naps. On most days, we’d all be strung out by around 3 pm, so we’d head back to our room and rest for a while before dinner.
• Baby proof your hotel room – unplug unnecessary items (lamps, phones, clocks) so baby can’t chew on the cords, put trashcans out of reach,  close the bathroom door, block the dresser drawers with a chair or suitcase to prevent pinched fingers, and give your baby a safe place to explore while you catch up on work or have a little siesta.  One thing I wish we had done, bring some outlet covers for the wall sockets.
• Get a cheap umbrella stroller – you can gate check it, and it’s lightweight and small enough to get around in restaurants or while playing tourist.
• Make friends with the other moms.  We gravitate towards each other, anyway, but the conference moms know exactly the level of crazy you’re dealing with, and may have some useful strategies for handling it while still being professional.

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Image credit: K. Beaty

• First, from the National Human Genome Research Institute GenomicsCareers: Find Your Future, a website detailing the myriad career choices in the emerging field of genomics. With interactive videos and career profiles, a nice resource for the budding scientist. This one is on my list to share with my oldest, who has expressed an interest in forensics and neuroscience.
• Next, HuGE Navigator, “An integrated, searchable knowledge base of genetic associations and human genome epidemiology.”  BiteSizeBio has a nice review of the high points here and here. I realize these posts are from over a year ago, but I was trapped in dissertation purgatory at the time.
• Finally, Genomicus, a genome browser that lets users compare genomes across species.

Here’s the Genomicus output from the FOXP2 gene,with the human gene at the bottom of the figure, and a handy demo video.

[T]wo subjects which moved my Father perhaps more deeply than any others were cruelty to animals & slavery – his detestation of both was intense, and his indignation was overwhelming in case of any levity or want of feeling on these matters.  – William Darwin

The trick to finishing books this year is getting up early, apparently.  I managed to get through the last four chapters of Darwin’s Sacred Cause this weekend while the baby slept. In the process, I’ve had to come to terms with  the disquieting beginnings of my own discipline and the bloody and violent antecedents of the town I’ve called home for the past dozen years.

Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln share a birthday, but they also share a tumultuous period in history. I’ve always been struck by the realization that Origin of Species was published just a few short years before the Civil War. After reading Darwin’s Sacred Cause, I get the idea that it was not coincidental.  Yes, Darwin sat on his big idea for 20 years, publishing travel journals, works on geology, and a four-volume monograph on barnacles. Why barnacles?  First, to document the amount of variation present in species, which natural selection requires to operate; and second, to establish himself as a knowledgeable naturalist in the eyes of the Royal Society, and provide the credentials needed to discuss his theory. In addition, describing the complete lineage of these marine arthropods provided an example of common descent. Barnacles were a proxy for a much more controversial topic – human variation.

Not science

Human variation is what I study as a biological (or physical) anthropologist. Physical anthropology has its roots, at least in part according to the authors, in phrenology. That’s the pseudo-science of determining temperament from the shape of the skull.  Not surprisingly, given that phrenology developed in Europe, Europeans were said to have the most refined skulls, and phrenological findings were used to justify slavery, something Darwin’s entire family was against.  Darwin would not have been impressed with the physical anthropologists of his day, especially in America, where differences in skull morphology were seen as “proof” of a polygenic origin of humans. According to the polygenists, each human “race” had its own pair of progenitors and were separately created, an idea used to justify all sorts of atrocities, since non-Europeans were seen as less than human. Darwin held the monogenist view, and saw all peoples as descended from a common ancestor, meaning they were all worthy of being treated with dignity and respect, and slavery was unjustified.  Actually, he took it farther than that, and saw a common ancestor for all living things.

It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another.–We consider those, where the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest.–A bee doubtless would when the instincts were. – Charles Darwin

He spent a number of years studying pigeons, just to demonstrate that all the fancy breeds (“races”) descended from a common ancestor. Another proxy for human variation.

Darwin’s Pigeons – from Variation in Animals and Plants under Domestication (1868), with the common ancestor, the rock dove, in the center.

The tension between these two worldviews played out in my hometown, before the Civil War even started. In 1856, Sheriff Samuel Jones led a pro-slavery posse into Lawrence, Kansas, which had been established by abolitionist settlers two years before, sacked the town, burned the Free State Hotel, smashed the presses, and killed an antislavery supporter.

The ruins of the Free State Hotel

Darwin’s mentor and friend, geologist Charles Lyell, who encouraged him to publish his ideas on natural selection, was a Southern sympathizer. The Anthropological Society of London was founded in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, with three Confederate agents on the council, whose sole purpose was to push a pro-slavery agenda.

Plaque marking the site of the Free State Hotel, downtown Lawrence.

That’s what Darwin was up against.  Not just other naturalists, but Victorian society. No wonder he waited two decades to publish.

My discipline has come a long way since Darwin’s day.  The American Anthropological Association’s “Statement on Race and Intelligence” states in part:

WHEREAS all human beings are members of one species, Homo sapiens, and

WHEREAS, differentiating species into biologically defined “races” has proven meaningless and unscientific as a way of explaining variation (whether in intelligence or other traits),

THEREFORE, the American Anthropological Association urges the academy, our political leaders and our communities to affirm, without distraction by mistaken claims of racially determined intelligence, the common stake in assuring equal opportunity, in respecting diversity and in securing a harmonious quality of life for all people.

And the American Association of Physical Anthropologists has their own “Statement on Biological Aspects of Race,” which says:

Physical, cultural and social environments influence the behavioral differences among individuals in society. Although heredity influences the behavioral variability of individuals within a given population, it does not affect the ability of any such population to function in a given social setting. The genetic capacity for intellectual development is one of the biological traits of our species essential for its survival. This genetic capacity is known to differ among individuals. The peoples of the world today appear to possess equal biological potential for assimilating any human culture. Racist political doctrines find no foundation in scientific knowledge concerning modern or past human populations.

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Image Credits:

Ryan Somma’s flickr stream

Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Steven M. Carr’s website