Science And Society

Don’t Know Much About Biology

In discussing AIDS drug prices, Derek Lowe notes that:

I’ve known some pretty good Brazilian scientists, but the country isn’t up to being able to discover and develop its own new ones. (Very few countries are; you can count them on your fingers.)

I’d never thought about this, but I imagine it’s true. There’s a reason that so many countries send students to the US (and the UK, and few other places) for their education. I recall a chapter in one of Feynman’s autobiographies, in which he described the state of physics education in Brazilian universities. It was basically rote memorization, with no apparent comprehension of the actual meaning or applicability of the formulas. It would be interesting (and sad) if that remains the case.

Science And Society

Don’t Know Much About Biology

In discussing AIDS drug prices, Derek Lowe notes that:

I’ve known some pretty good Brazilian scientists, but the country isn’t up to being able to discover and develop its own new ones. (Very few countries are; you can count them on your fingers.)

I’d never thought about this, but I imagine it’s true. There’s a reason that so many countries send students to the US (and the UK, and few other places) for their education. I recall a chapter in one of Feynman’s autobiographies, in which he described the state of physics education in Brazilian universities. It was basically rote memorization, with no apparent comprehension of the actual meaning or applicability of the formulas. It would be interesting (and sad) if that remains the case.

Science And Society

Don’t Know Much About Biology

In discussing AIDS drug prices, Derek Lowe notes that:

I’ve known some pretty good Brazilian scientists, but the country isn’t up to being able to discover and develop its own new ones. (Very few countries are; you can count them on your fingers.)

I’d never thought about this, but I imagine it’s true. There’s a reason that so many countries send students to the US (and the UK, and few other places) for their education. I recall a chapter in one of Feynman’s autobiographies, in which he described the state of physics education in Brazilian universities. It was basically rote memorization, with no apparent comprehension of the actual meaning or applicability of the formulas. It would be interesting (and sad) if that remains the case.

Social Commentary

Who Woulda Thought?

You’ll all be shocked to learn, as I was, that men aren’t totally averse to seeing women naked:

Women were more frequently bothered by nude sunbathing than men. Just over 40 percent of women said they did not like seeing other naked females on the beach, while just 5 percent of men shared their opinion about nude women.

What would we do without opinion polls?

Satire

Corporate Memory Loss

Andy Borowitz has a scoop on the latest NASA screwup:

At the Johnson Space Center, spokesperson Harrison Froling said that NASA scientists were “working overtime” to try to remember why the space agency launched the Explorer 17b on May 17, 1995.

“We are confident that the Explorer 17b will expand our understanding of the solar system and the universe,” Mr. Froling said. “We’re just not sure how.”

Space

Myths Of The Space Age

Over at The Space Review today, Jeff Foust has a more detailed critique of the “Abbey-Lane” Report, a document that I didn’t have a very high opinion of. Also, Craig Carberry has a rundown of the political prospects for NASA and the Vision for Space Exploration in the context of the 2008 elections. He repeats a popular myth, though–a common one:

…it was a Republican president who initiated the new vision, and back in 2000, the Republican platform called for

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!