Barbara McClintock (1902 – 1992)
While studying botany at Cornell University in the 1920s, Barbara McClintock got her first taste of genetics and was hooked. As she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees and moved into postdoctoral work, she pioneered the study of genetics of maize (corn) cells. She pursued her research at universities in California, Missouri and Germany before finding a permanent home at Cold Spring Harbor in New York. It was there that, after observing the patterns of coloration of maize kernels over generations of plants, she determined that genes could move within and between chromosomes. The finding didn’t fit in with conventional thinking on genetics, however, and was largely ignored; McClintock began studying the origins of maize in South America. But after improved molecular techniques that became available in the 1970s and early 1980s confirmed her theory and these “jumping genes” were found in microorganisms, insects and even humans, McClintock was awarded a Lasker Prize in 1981 and Nobel Prize in 1983.
Vera Rubin (July 23, 1928- ) is an American astronomer responsible for pioneering work on galaxy rotation rates. Famous for uncovering the differences between the predicted angular motion of galaxies and the observed motion using galactic rotation curves, she noted that, according to calculations of the data gathered from visible matter, galaxies should have been moving at much slower of a pace. This discrepancy became the evidence for a hypothetical invisible matter, better known by its alternate name of “dark matter.” (via)
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In honor of John Glenn’s February 2nd, 1962 flight in Friendship 7, which made him the first American to orbit Earth. He ended up circling the plant three times during his 4 hours and 55 minutes in orbit, thus seeing three sunsets and sunrises from an altitude of 162 miles. Now, at the age of 90, when described as a “hero” for his legendary and amazingly successful journey, Glenn remains humble, saying
I don’t think of myself that way. I get up each day and have the same problems others have at my age. As far as trying to analyze all the attention I received, I will leave that to others.
Read more about his journey and a personal interview at the New York Times.
Self Portraits of a Declining Brain
William Utermohlen is latest artist to be honored at the GV Art Gallery in London, with an event that has an emotional purpose that is near and dear to the hearts of many. Utermohlen spent the last twelve years of his life battling Alzheimer’s, a degenerative neurological disease that slowly took away his ability to do what he was most passionate about: his art.
At the event, his widow spoke to the many supporters, saying “He died in 2007, but really he was dead long before that. Bill died in 2000, when the disease meant he was no longer able to draw.”
This exhibit is known as William Utermohlen: Artistic decline through Alzheimer’s, as it explores the relationship between Utermohlen’s artwork and the progression and struggle with the disease.
Looking at his pieces as his disease progressed, a clear change is visible. As he slowly lost control over his movements, his composition and techniques changed as he was forced to abandon oils for easier-to-use watercolours and pencils. One thing that did not change throughout time, however, was the sheer mastery and vision displayed by has passion for the content of his pieces.
His paintings display a rarely seen insight into a mind effected by Alzheimer’s, as his struggle and frustration are imminent. Also changed by the progression of time and the disease were his subjects. He began to focus on self portraits and looming dark doorways in the backgrounds
His widow commented that, “it was as if he knew he was going to a very dark place and he knew he couldn’t do anything about it. By the end he couldn’t even recognise his own paintings… that was the saddest thing”.
Prompted by Michael B. Berkman and Eric Plutzer’s recent column in Science deploring “a pervasive reluctance of teachers to forthrightly explain evolutionary biology,” Popular Mechanics asked Bill Nye for his reaction. “It’s horrible,” Nye replied.
Nye was particularly concerned with the characterization of evolution as “just a theory,” arguing, “People make flu vaccinations that stop people from getting sick. Farmers raise crops with science; they hybridize them and make them better with every generation. That’s all evolution. Evolution is a theory, and it’s a theory that you can test. We’ve tested evolution in many ways. You can’t present good evidence that says evolution is not a fact.”
