In their 2014 article, Hanage confronts an issue that has plagued most scientific fields: misinterpretation of scientific literature and the allowance of excitement and novelty to supersede data and its context. As technology becomes more pervasive and media platforms become more accessible, news travels quickly and with it the potential for misinterpretation to the extent… Continue reading The Power of Misinterpretation
In Awe of Microbial Genomics
Despite our discussions about genome assembly and annotation in class as well as our own command line work in this area, the 1995 article by Fleischmann et al was difficult to read and fully comprehend. While many of the details remain misunderstood for me, it was interesting to see all the ways that the researchers… Continue reading In Awe of Microbial Genomics
Rhetorical Precis II
In their primary research article entitled “How to Deal with PCR Contamination in Molecular Microbial Ecology” (2013), Adele Mennerat and Ben C. Sheldon of the University of Bergen, argue that decontamination methods should be standardized in molecular microbial ecology due to the potential impact of contaminant microbial DNA present in PCR reagents on microbial community… Continue reading Rhetorical Precis II
It’s mostly greek to me.
Our in-class tutorials for DNA sequence analysis and chimera detection were my very first exposures to command line and this type of analysis. Despite relying on technology on a daily basis, I have no knowledge about how these devices work and I am not technologically inclined. My ignorance is humbling to say the least. This… Continue reading It’s mostly greek to me.
Post Panel Insights
Although we were unable to do the larger paneled discussion, it was very interesting to do a smaller panel of three papers with two of my peers. In my group, I felt that the primary and secondary reviewers for each paper were in agreement over most of the questions we answered with respect to the… Continue reading Post Panel Insights
Precision is key, rhetorically speaking.
Jessica A. Bryant, a Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at MIT, explores the taxonomic and metabolic diversity of microbial communities associated with marine plastic debris in her primary research article entitled “Diversity and Activity of Communities Inhabiting Plastic Debris in the North Pacific Gyre” (1). Through metagenomic sequencing, Bryant found that… Continue reading Precision is key, rhetorically speaking.
Potential pitfalls in the peer review process.
In order for an author to get their work published in a scientific journal, they must go through the peer review process. The first step to begin this process is submitting an article or paper to their chosen journal. These journals range in specificity of subject matter and access to the materials published in certain… Continue reading Potential pitfalls in the peer review process.
From one peer to another
At first I was nervous about having to peer-review work from my peers in this class. I was excited to read the ideas of my classmates because despite being on similar pathways and grouped together by the prerequisites of our degree, we all have very different ideas, backgrounds and motivations with respect to our academic… Continue reading From one peer to another
Population vs. Community
When I initially think of a microbial population, I would start by defining the parameters of a population unit by a single species or even a strain of a species given the type of microbial organism. Morphological characteristics of a population could be seen in colony formation or the physical dispersal of a population. This… Continue reading Population vs. Community
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