Isis the Scientist
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Skepticism
My fears about restarting in the fall…
We are having some landscaping done in our neighborhood this week and, in the process of re-grading a hill, the landscapers cut our internet line. So, for the first time in more than 3 months, I had to come into my office to get some things done. It’s about 80 degrees in the building and I’m only intending to stay…
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Activism
#BlackOutTuesday
I have lots of thoughts about recent current events, but today is not the day to say any of it. My heart is broken. Now is a time to listen. We have a lot of work to do, mi gente. A lot of work, indeed. I get a kickback from the ad revenue for all the shit I post here…
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Activism
Lessons From Amy Cooper and Franklin Templeton
Last night I started seeing posts pop up in my social media feed from a bird watcher who was accosted by a white woman while watching in Central Park. It absolutely broke my heart. Take a look at Amy Cooper’s shameful behavior: The birdwatcher that posted the above video is a nature advocate, science editor, and board member of the…
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Activism
Why Yes, Mayo Clinic. Even the Vice President of the United States Can Transmit COVID-19
Three days after I gave birth to my youngest child TD, I developed the worst fever I’ve ever had in my life. My teeth chattered so badly I thought my jaw would break and I simultaneously sweat through my bedding and shooks with chills. I had developed Puerperal Fever, colloquially known as “Childbed Fever.” When my temperature hit 104F, I…
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Politics
The Next Wave of this Public Health Crisis May Be Scarier Than COVID
There are a couple of things weighing on my mind today, as I continue to write and think about the current COVID-19 pandemic. First, I really need the media to give me a day off from debunking inflammatory headlines like “French researchers to test nicotine patches on coronavirus patients.” There is a lot of pseudoscience out there, even from people…
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Skepticism
Inside Higher Ed Can Fuck Right Off…
I am writing this blog post during my video office hours. This is what I look like. Two students have already popped in with questions. I have not showered and I am wearing a track jacket. I have no makeup on. My nails are a mess. My gray roots are popping through my artificially red hair and I laughed with…
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Skepticism
Diamox for COVID-19?
Being a respiratory physiologist in times of a respiratory pathogen pandemic means getting lots of questions from my colleagues and the public about all sorts of stuff. The beauty of being a physiologist is that, in the absence of sound clinical trials, one can at the very least evaluate whether something is plausible. You may recall not long ago I…
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Meta Stuff
Getting and Giving Bad News Remotely
Today’s post is not particularly journalism-y, but our fearless leader gave me the keys to the kingdom and told me I could write whatever I wanted. So, here’s some deeply personal stuff in the times of COVID. We’ve been socially distanced in our homes in beautiful suburban Iowa for 24 days. Maybe 25 days? I don’t even know what day…
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