Articles by Guest Author (138 results)

Guest author Amir Teicher discusses how the concept of “genetic load” traces its roots back to eugenic thinking, as described in his recent Perspectives article in GENETICS. The possibilities opened up by advances in genome sequencing have recently spurred discussions on the burden, or cost, that mutations pose to organisms and populations. Does the relaxation…

Guest authors Sanjai Patel and Andreas Prokop explain why school biology lessons are important places to advocate fundamental biomedical research, and they present strategies developed by the Manchester Fly Facility to bring Drosophila research into primary and secondary classrooms. The need for fundamental biology research has perhaps never been greater than today, yet the conditions…

Guest post by Irini Topalidou. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine honored the discovery of a major breakthrough in cancer treatment: immunotherapy. At a news conference after the announcement, one of the recipients, James P. Allison, stated: “The reason I’m really thrilled about this is I’m a basic scientist.” And he continued: “I…

Guest post by Andreas Prokop. This blog post was originally published as an article in Open Access Government (Prokop, 2018b) to advocate for the importance of Drosophila research. It follows up on a previous piece in the same journal advocating for developmental biology (Prokop, 2018a). These articles aim to showcase how policy and decision makers…

Bruce Stewart Baker—the geneticist whose work uncovered molecular mechanisms of Drosophila sex determination and dosage compensation—died unexpectedly on July 1, 2018. He was 72. Bruce Baker was born on Dec 20, 1945 to William K. (Bill) Baker—also a renowned Drosophila geneticist —and Margaret I. Stewart in Swananoa, NC, the site of the closest army hospital…

Guest post by Nina Wolff pays tribute to long-standing GSA member Margaret Lieb. Margaret (Peggy) Lieb died on March 8, 2018 in South Pasadena, California at the age of 94. After attending schools in New Rochelle, NY, she graduated magna cum laude from Smith College, and subsequently studied with  H.J. Muller at Indiana University and…

Guest post by Thomas Kaufman in memory of Kathy Matthews. The original Drosophila Stock Center was housed at Cal Tech in Pasadena and was established by Calvin Bridges and Alfred Sturtevant—students of Thomas Hunt Morgan. On Morgan’s and Bridges’ deaths, the responsibility for the collection fell to Sturtevant, who subsequently passed it to his student…

Guest post by Irini Topalidou. In the last decade or so, biological research has moved to a new level of complexity and competitiveness. Principal Investigators (PIs) are now primarily tasked with grant writing and managing, while also executing the numerous additional responsibilities the position demands. But to be successful, labs require experienced scientists to help…

Guest post by Faten Taki.  Leaving work late the other night, I crossed paths with a tearful postdoc colleague. The encounter left a scar in me. I was tired after what was for me a long day. But for her, it was after yet another mandatory four-hour meeting that ended at 10 pm. As she…

Guest post by the GSA Early Career Scientist Policy Subcommittee Scientific progress is at risk from proposed changes to the US tax code. These changes, proposed by both the House and Senate, threaten to constrict the supply of research labor and funding, the impact of which will be felt for generations. The scientific community has…

Guest post by Pinar Gurel. GSA is currently accepting proposals from students and postdocs for the next round of Career Development Symposia. Gain leadership experience and serve the early career scientist community! Among the many roles that scientists play, mentoring younger scientists is one that researchers are rarely trained for. In the current STEM research environment,…