All the Stem Cell News that Fits the Golden State
“The Stem Cellar” is the official blog of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a state-funded, stem cell research funding agency created in 2004 through a ballot measure. So know at the outset that the Stem Cellar has its official axe (very pro stem cell research, very pro California) to grind but it is also one of an increasing number of “direct to consumer” science information sources from research institutions. (The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is the champ at this.) That said, Stem Cellar covers the latest in stem cell science or its implications in a concise and lively way. The blog also has a regular feature on “stem cell stories that caught our eye,” which picks up good work outside CIRM-funded labs. Even if stem cells are peripheral to your research, the Stem Cellar is a model of how the semi-official news in a specific field could be covered for insiders and also presented clearly to the public.
Unpacking Dr. Flexner’s Suitcase
On a smaller scale, we like “Dr. Flexner’s Suitcase,” an occasional blog by Thiago Carvalho, one of the scientific editors at the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The suitcase in question belonged to Simon Flexner who agreed to be JEM’s second editor in 1902 after the first, William Welch at Johns Hopkins, reported being overwhelmed by piles of manuscripts. Flexner is said to have personally ferried the unread papers from Baltimore to New York City in a suitcase, a practice that many ASCB members still believe persists in the wider world of scientific publishing, especially when they hear nothing back from journal editors about their latest submissions. Carvalho likes to unpack the history of experimental biology with interviews and links to intriguing books. He can also be wonderfully sly. When discussing the early DNA work of Alfred Hershey and Martha Case, Carvalho noted that these are often remembered as the “Waring blender” experiments after the bartender’s mixer they used to create lysate. He then noted that writer Matthew Cobb had punctured that wonderful story in his book, Life’s Greatest Secret. Noted Carvalho, “Dr. Cobb may or may not be available to come to your kid’s party and tell him there is no Santa.” Dr. Flexner’s Suitcase has not been out much recently and we’re hoping that it’s not become too heavy to carry on.