Tag Archives: Indigenous Science

Mind Different from Brain?

Consider the mind, rather than the brain. I asked readers in the last blog to think about the mind rather than the brain because Samuel Morton’s skull measurements in the 1860s asserted that American Indians have smaller skulls, hence smaller … Continue reading

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Brain Full of Buckshot

In the Wild West soldiers could earn a dollar for every American Indian skull they collected. Skulls were then shipped back east so scientists could study them. One of the collectors, Samuel G. Morton, used skulls to extrapolate on personality … Continue reading

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Nip and Tuck for Your Brain

You can get a prescription to enhance your libido and lengthen your eyelashes, so why not a pill to help your memory? That’s the discussion around our dinner table: should doctors prescribe drugs that could improve cognitive skills?

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Confined to a Wheelchair

Sometimes messages expand our thoughts and sometimes messages narrow them. A relative pointed out journalists are fond of saying, for example, Lady Gaga is “confined to a wheelchair,” as reported recently in the Huffington Post (UK). But a wheelchair is … Continue reading

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Nibbled to Death by Ducks

One of my colleagues said working in university administration is like being nibbled to death by ducks. And this week a world leader said if you’re popular in your job, you’re probably not doing a good job. Result: some poor … Continue reading

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Going Viral

Interesting how our language has changed. Today going viral is a good thing. But imagine 30 years ago when a strange virus struck gay men in cities like San Francisco. Going viral meant something frightening.

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Making Memories

Exploring how we invent stories—and then stick to them—confounds journalists and scientists alike: how can we separate fictions from fact? I am keenly interested in how we make decisions—especially decisions built on information we gather from media that affect how … Continue reading

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I’m Not a Monkey

There’s a delicate balance between teaching and learning; between giving instruction and taking over the task. And it takes a nimble soul to figure out when to let someone falter or fail. A student sent an email recently to make … Continue reading

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Revenge of the Machine

When I read about machines that can learn, my mind flew from science to science fiction. Can machines really learn? I always thought that’s what they meant by intelligent design–that machines were programmed to respond intelligently to new stimuli.

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Defining Race

The conversation turned to race. My talk Wednesday at the Newberry focussed on Native and scientific perspectives, particularly over Kennewick Man–the 9300-year-old skeleton discovered in the Columbia River. During the question and answer session one guest asked if Kennewick Man … Continue reading

Posted in american indian, authenticity, ethics, Family, framing, human origin, Indian, journalism, Kennewick Man, native american, Native Science, news bias, repatriation, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment