Ryan Somma's Blog, page 4
July 29, 2012
Welcome to Life, A Guide for New Members of Species Homo Sapiens
Welcome to Life Science Children's Book from ideonexus
Download a PDF Version Here (9MB)
Download a PPTX Version Here (14MB)
I was walking through the local forest trail a few months ago, and it was getting dark. As the sky shifted from blue to black, the full moon rose up through the trees creating a stunning scene. I realized my ancient ancestors were just as awe-inspired by that glowing orb in the sky, but my present-day awe was much deeper for knowing the moon as an object in space seve...
June 30, 2012
Top 10 Books Exploring Otherness
Top 10 Books Exploring Otherness
I hate doing top 10 lists because I am going to make some huge embarrassing oversite and I really don’t have any objective way to order what makes the list. That being said, this list consist of my own personal favorites from the world of literature as someone who grew up in a western society with all the cultural baggage that comes with it. These are books where the aliens are alien, and their otherness gives us a new perspective on our own identity and cultur...
May 27, 2012
Naming is Not Understanding
Evil Eye Galaxy, Messier 64 (M64)
Credit: NASA
Before becoming a parent, I was well-acquainted with the word “colic.” According to my mother, I suffered from severe colic as a baby, keeping her up all night for weeks with my crying. I’ve also heard parents toss the term about when talking about their baby-raising trials and tribulations. After having our son Sagan, I got to hear the term from one of our pediatricians concerning him having a crying episode one night as a possible explanation for...
April 15, 2012
Adventures in Personal Genomics
Jump To:
Introduction
Closed-Source Genetics
Open-Source Genetics
Going Public With My Genome
Better Living Through Personal Genomics
DIY Genomic Sequencing for Programmers
My Personal Genomic Results
Further Reading
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)
Introduction
It’s been over a year since I signed up with 23andMe and several months now since I downloaded my raw genomic data from them and started seeing what I could learn from it on my own. Although very few services out there will fully sequence yo...
March 25, 2012
Being Labeled for What I Don’t Believe Versus What I Do Believe
The Reason Rally
I remember unexpectedly having that conversation with my mother in law while riding in the car recently:
“What do you mean Sagan isn’t going to be raised Christian?” she asked when we accidentally let slip that he wouldn’t be going to a Christian church.
“There’s lots of possible belief systems out there,” Vicky answered, “and we’re going to let him decide for himself.”
“When he’s old enough, he can read the Bible if he wants,” I said.
“Old enough?” Grandma asked.
“Ummm,” I hesitat...
March 18, 2012
The Scientific Joy and Freedom of Being Wrong
Esther Dyson Patch
Always Make New Mistakes
Credit: Gisela Giardino
From time to time I find myself deeply fascinated with the Golden Ratio and its relation to the Fibbonacci set. I even bought a cross-section of a nautilus shell to proudly display in my cabinet of curiosities because they grow along the golden ratio. Then this article clearly illustrated that nautilus shells grow in a logarithmic spiral. Now I’m even prouder of my nautilus cross-section because it tells a story of just how wron...
February 26, 2012
Star Trek Online and Avoiding the Grind
“Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted.” ~ John Lennon
“Time is the fire in which we burn.” ~ Tolian Soran, Star Trek Generations
The Dilemma
We have a finite amount of time in this life, and we should be mindful of how we spend it. I’ve recently become highly cognizant of the fact that the majority of games are simply Skinner Boxes, tricking players into pushing buttons in return for meaningless rewards. Truly challenging games like Portal and SpaceChem keep you playing because the gameplay i...
February 11, 2012
101 Reasons Why Evolution is True
Jump To:
Age of the Earth and Its Fossils
Genetics
Comparative Anatomy
Transitional Fossils
Convergent Evolution
Adaptations
Vestigial Traits
Artificial Selection
Evolution in Action
Sexual Selection
And The List Goes On…
These reasons will work from the general to the specific. I’ve used links to articles in Wikipedia as much as possible because Wiki articles are refined over time with our understanding of the subjectmatter and are less subject to link-rot. This post is licensed Creative Commons and all...
January 15, 2012
Evolve Culturally or Die
Cavefish and Zebrafish Embryos
Credit: wellcome images
An important rule of evolution is that species lose adaptations they aren’t using. Cave fish have eyes that do not work because they live in an environment without light. Crocodile icefish blood has lost its hemogloblin because they live in oxygen-rich water where they don’t need the protein to transport oxygen throughout their bodies. Kiwis, chickens, and ostriches have wings but can’t fly. Humans lack the gene to make Vitamin C, forcing u...
