Stacey Smith
I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
sa smith
Posts by this author
There was some big news last week, that believe it or not, did not involve delusional, myopic, hypocritical bloggers on the internet.
FOR REALZ!
At the International Papillomavirus Conference, at a symposium sponsored by QIAGEN, QIAGEN announced that their super awesome HPV test was approved for…
Here at SciBlogs, there are apparently very specific rules we have to follow for shillery.
Scientists writing about their presentations and conferences, radio programs, debates, books, etc: GOOD
Science 'journalists' writing about their books, appearances/signings, TV shows, movies: GOOD
Mark CC…
Antibody Discovered for 91% of HIV Strains
*sigh*
For all intents and purposes, Ive talked about this before.
Not *this* antibody, but other SUPER AWESOME ANTIBODIES OMFG BREAKTHROUGH!
Your adaptive immune system operates by, what I would call, picoevolution. It is chance + random mutations +…
One of the scary things about filoviruses (eg Ebola, Marburg)... is that we dont know where they comes from. We know how polio is transmitted. We know how HIV-1 is transmitted. We know how influenza is transmitted. We know how rabies is transmitted.
Even if you dont have good vaccines or good…
All I ask from people...
All I fucking ask from people, is intellectual consistency.
And this seemingly simple request is apparently, impossible.
I dont believe a fucking word, of anyone, who has FREAKED THE FUCK OUT over the fucking Pepsi Blog. And heres why.
JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY/CONFLICTS OF…
I had a really cool post scheduled for today (found more viruses in mammalian genomes that are NOT retroviral. Its EBOLA AND MARBURG. IN GENOMES.) but theres no point in posting it right now because everyone is freaking out about Pepsi.
Im not sacrificing a cool post to a blog drama moment.
So,…
True to my red-neck/gamer nature, I too think that Mountain Dew is the best soda pop ever made. Though I am a fan of Classic Green Mountain Dew, I also love Blue Mountain Dew (IT TASTES LIKE BLUE!!!), and Red Mountain Dew kicks fucking ass.
These are my abs:
If you want to bitch about the new…
This sounds like a science-fiction novel, but the following is totally true:
In 1967, a group of folks in Marburg Germany doing research with African Grivets, all got sick. Apparently they picked up a new virus from the grivets, and 7 of the 31 infected people died of hemorrhagic fever.
This…
The big XMRV news last week was that the NIH had confirmed the original WPI paper regarding XMRV and CFS. Or, as sue so eloquently put it:
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/xmrv-9040.html
HA read it and weep you stupid cunt
Unfortunately for the oh-so-civil sue, I wasnt entirely surprised at someone else…
As Carl Zimmer recently (and rightly) pointed out at the end of an article on epigenetics, while the concept of being able to alter our epigenetic profiles for therapeutic purposes is a really attractive concept, our current epigenetic therapy options are very, very messy.
Like I said last week:…
Rule #9284748 of Science:
Your side projects will work beautifully, garnering you lots of middle-author yet high-end publications, while your main project stagnates in a puddle of its own filth, laughing maniacally as you poke it with a stick trying to get it to move.
YAY SCIENCE!
HA!
Know how Lenny is finally getting his comeuppance for selling all that quack crap?
I got an anon comment this afternoon giving us a little update:
Dear Mr. :
This is to acknowledge receipt of your recent message left in my voice mail mailbox. We have opened a file on this matter and an…
There is not really a good way to get rid of the junk in your genome. Pretty much, once its in there, its in there-- there is no organized biochemical system that says "Oy! This 'eres crap!" and cuts out the useless bits, cleaning up residual transposable elements like a chimney sweep. We just…
As if you all needed one more reason to want Junk DNA to stay JUNK, I just read a couple of neato papers on the impact of wayward ERV and LINE activity in testes/sperm development:
MOV10L1 is necessary for protection of spermatocytes against retrotransposons by Piwi-interacting RNAs
Mouse MOV10L1…
I had to go to Washington DC/Bethesda last week for a short conference.
I spent almost the entire time pooping, thanks to some food poisoning I got from a very expensive, universally recommended restaurant. YAY!!
Luckily I wasnt sick when Francis Collins was supposed to speak. But he had to…
Our partners at NatGeo currently have a special episode of 'The Dog Whisperer' up on Hulu*-- The Most Aggressive Breeds.
45 minutes and 59 seconds of me bawwwing.
There are no bad dogs. Just bad owners. Reminded me of the UFC pitbull vs rottie/germie fight I had in my apartment this time last…
H/T to The Lay Scientist for getting my butt in gear to write this post.
Imagine you arent feeling well. You go to the doctor, they run some tests, and it turns out you have a tumor. Well... your physicians arent sure if you have a tumor or not, but they sent some of your blood to a lab, and a…
Every summer, Bad Horse sends me a summer undergrad or two to brainwash 'mentor during a summer research experience'. They start out as these cherub faced kids, and three months later, they are a step closer to getting their PhDs in Horribleness.
Some labs dont have good luck with their students…
Im glad this reader was persistent in poking me with this Q, its a really good un!
Dear ERV--
I always thought that ERVs were some of the best evidence for evolution, but I always wondered if there was an additional aspect to the story that is not usually told. I imagined that different strains…
Read on my GoogleNews today:
Taliban Reportedly Adding HIV-Infected Needles to Explosive Devices
Hypodermic syringes are reportedly hidden below the surface of explosive devices, pointing upwards to prick bomb squad experts as they hunt for devices.
The needles are feared to be contaminated with…
Pop science journalists are finally getting a bit wary of the XMRV-->CFS story. The first to stick her neck out is Trine Tsouderos. You know Trine. She wrote that great piece calling out Dr. Oz, and the krazies at Age of Autism HATE HER.
Trine is super cool.
So I was a little annoyed she…
The key to my obnoxious cheerfulness are my expectations. They are very low. I expect nothing from anyone. Thus when they fail miserably (say, the BP clean up) Im not disappointed. And, when people accomplish even the most menial tasks, Im happy.
That being said, the Oklahoma City Council…
Sure, its traumatic, but some scientists/MDs could have used a lesson like this when they were younger.
I've never been very good at math or science. I enjoyed the stories embedded in history and literature but lost interest when it came to periodic functions and the table of elements. So in sixth…
Long interspersed repetitive elements (LINEs) make up a HUGE portion of the junk in your genome.
They dont have any mystical, magical, purposeful functions.
They arent ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for anything, and technically, they cause trouble when they happen to plop themselves upstream of a gene and…
I got a giggle from reading Larry (and then John Hawks) talking about time travel. Kinda. I mean, people using science to look back in time, and orient themselves in that different era to such a degree they can gain information about said time.
Scientists arent just guessing when they estimate…
I am a huge fan of video games.
Bro playing Atari is one of my first memories. Mom and Dad got Bro and I a Nintendo right when they came out. We got a Tandy 2000 when they first came out, and I can remember Bro and I teaming up for hours of Kings Quest. This one summer, my friend and I beat…
If you want to stab yourself in your face, AutismOne has a live-stream for their speakers available:
Free live streaming by Ustream
Im watching some presentation now (dial-up, w00t!). This woman (Laurette Janak, qualifications: Mom) is 'teaching' Paul Offit some 'science' with cartoon figures.…
My bestest buddy on planet Earth, HIV Denier and snake-oil peddler Lenny Horowitz, finally caught the attention of the FDA for the crap he is selling on his websites (full warning letter below the fold):
May 11, 2010
OVERNIGHT MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
In reply refer to Warning Letter SEA 10-22…