The New Radish is the touching first-hand account of a new scientist trying to find his way in a cruel world.
No, really!
If you think about it, the world is kind of a rough place. Disease, war, pain, and bureaucracy–the kind that isn’t also one of the first three, if it exists–are constantly wearing away at the fragile human spirit. Most human endeavors strive to eliminate one or more of the first three. (Unfortunately, most human endeavors create the fourth, bureaucracy.)
We should be especially proud of biomedical research, which has much to do with each of these four areas (if you know much about the NIH, you’ll understand this statement).
People are only motivated by a few basic things. At the most fundamental level, we need sleep, food, water, social interaction, and sex. Maslow does this much better than I, and actually goes into much more detail (poop, for example). But you get the idea.
I need your approval and validation, and occasionally some sweet kisses. Maybe a publication or two, hopefully in Nature. In exchange, I offer a cynically idealistic view of the world through the eyes of a hacker-turned-biologist.
Articles in this blag will focus on issues that interest me, about which I also know stuff. Among these interests are politics and policy, education, and, of course, science (with an emphasis on systems biology). Occasionally, there may be guest columns. Expect hearty criticism of the status quo, and also pirates!
I’ll also talk a bit about my research, and do what I can to show you why I love science.
–JW
