News

To reduce gender biases, acknowledge them

August 22, 2017

I was asked by the journal Nature to write an editorial on how gender bias shapes the way we see the world, often unknowingly, and what we can do about it.

But there is a third argument that I make for people with scientific and technical backgrounds: if you value rationality and objectivity, you need to engage with gender bias. That’s because bias is part of us: we live in a world steeped in conventional gender roles. To borrow a metaphor from computing, biases have root privileges in our brains.

#gender #science #writing

Zombie bone-eating harem-keeping worms

February 1, 2015

When whales die, they fall to the bottom of sea, nourishing a wide variety of life: they’re the dark inverse of coral reefs. One of these species, Osedax, is a favorite of mine—it’s a treelike worm that settles on whale skeletons, and dissolves the bone to get at proteins and fats for nourishment. I wrote about them, how hagfish dissuade sharks, and the mystery of the missing males for the brilliant folk at Primer Stories, who created this gorgeous illustrated essay.

Zombie bone-eating harem-keeping worms

photo credit

#creatures #writing #science