It is that time in the semester when midterm pressures start building and the facts we're supposed to be learning for tests start disappearing like lost keys. Sometimes putting the material in a new context can help. Try these:
Are you looking for songs to add to your summer playlist? Try some of my favorite geeky life-science songs. Even bona-fide and popular bands (and apparently Daniel Radcliffe) can’t help getting into the science song scene!
Grad school is not like anything else you will ever experience. But don’t take my word for it:
"I’m a Grad Student" by Adam Ruben:
"Grad School, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down" (LCD Soundsystem Parody) by Nathaniel Krefman at UC-Berkeley:
"The Lab Song" (Bruno Mars Parody) by the Cohenford Lab at Marshall University:
Vote for your favorite in the comments section below. And if you feel so inspired, make a video of your own, upload it on YouTube and send me a link to include in a future post!
We think of song as an artistic expression, a beat to groove to, a melodic story. But to animals that use it (arguably including many birds, whales, and primates), “song” is generally a competitive vocal signal used to attract mates and deter rivals. This leaves us wondering: Do any non-human animals have music? Can they even enjoy human music? Some certainly seem to:
A Cockatoo Shakes His Tailfeather:
A Beluga Whale Listens To A Mariachi Serenade:
A Dog Grooves To His Buddy's Guitar:
What do you think? There is evidence that some animals enjoy singing themselves, but can non-human animals appreciate human music? What is it about rhythms and melodies that we humans appreciate anyway and can the ability to appreciate music improve an animal’s (including our own) chance of survival?
It turns out, some researchers have tackled these questions. But that, my friends, is for another post.
Sometimes science just makes more sense with a beat.
Fish Genetics:
Climate Science:
Sexy Reproduction:
Vote for your favorite in the comments section below. And if you feel so inspired, make a video of your own, upload it on YouTube and send me a link to include in a future battle!
Scientists have a bad rap when it comes to social skills. But I promise you, we’re not all like the guys in The Big Bang Theory (although some of us are). If you thought scientists ain’t got no game, guess again:
The Most Beautiful Girl in the Lab:
Look At Me Now:
Bright Scope / Long Lab Coat:
Hmmm... Now that I look at it, maybe biologists are the exception to the swaggerless-scientist phenomenon. (Biologists also won the Battle of the Grad Programs by the way). Beg to differ? Comment or vote for your favorite in the comments section below. And if you’ve got some science swagger, show it to the world: Make a video of your own, upload it on YouTube and send me a link to include in a future battle!
Graduate school is an intense time peppered with qualifying exams, botched experiments, difficult advisors, and sleepless nights… Sometimes, grad students just need to vent and let loose, sometimes even at the same time. (Singing relieves pain, you know). And when they put their creative minds to it, we are gifted with gems like these:
Engineering Students:
Neuroscience Students:
Medical Students:
Vote for your favorite in the comments section below. If you are in the thick of the academic grind, don’t forget to take a moment to let your hair down once in awhile. And if you feel so inspired, make a video of your own, upload it on YouTube and send me a link to include in a future battle!
