by Janice Nigro As scientists, we are in the business of solving puzzles. We think of the puzzle and then work sometimes over a life time to find a solution. Most puzzles we simply do not have the time to answer. Then there are those puzzles that intrigue us, but the technology to answer them simply does not exist.... Continue Reading →
A train with a view
by Janice Nigro I went to a work interview by metro rail this week. In most big cities around the world, even in the USA, no one would bother to make such a statement. Maybe you wouldn’t want anyone to know! More likely, everyone, or most everyone, uses public transportation there. In Los Angeles, not so... Continue Reading →
Science, I can’t leave home without it
by Janice Nigro We travel to escape. To escape our work, to escape our lives, and maybe to escape who we are. I would be the first to admit to trying things on holidays that I would never attempt back home. There is ample opportunity; real gelato can only be eaten in Italy. But also no one is there... Continue Reading →
Octopuses: A case of suspended evolution?
by Janice Nigro Scientists just gave us yet another reason to love octopuses: RNA editing. Normally we are stuck with genes the way they are delivered to us when sperm and egg unite. RNA editing is a cellular tool enabling genetic diversity but without changing the DNA. Scientists have recently discovered that octopuses, along with other cephalopods, the cuttlefish and... Continue Reading →
Scientists are human too!
Scientists are human too! by Janice Nigro Critical review serves as an important regulator of the quality of our science. We are supposed to man up and take it, but do we really know how to give it effectively? Based on the myriad reviews I now have the pleasure of reading as an editor, I... Continue Reading →
Ode to the marine layer
We picture Los Angeles as a place where summer never ends. Sunshine is what we come west for. The truth is that gray days are as characteristic of the coast as sunny days. If you didn't know, we often wake up to a marine layer in Southern California, especially in summer. June gloom it's called.... Continue Reading →
Nostalgic on Anna Maria Island, just another beach in Florida…
by Janice Nigro We can probably all agree that there are different types of vacations. For me, there are dive vacations, work related vacations, weekend vacations, European vacations, and family reunion types of vacations. Some require a lot of planning and suitcases filled with ridiculous amounts of stuff to get me there (or sometimes to get me back). But if... Continue Reading →
Literary exercises for writing scientific manuscripts
by Janice Nigro I was shocked once when my PhD advisor ran into the lab to read out loud the first sentence of my first draft of a manuscript. A nightmare moment-hearing your own words read in front of a group of extraordinarily talented and accomplished people. He read it and then said why he read it. "It is... Continue Reading →
Underwater photography: what it takes
Underwater photography: what it takes by Janice Nigro All in all, my recent participation in a local artists’ exhibition was a success. At least from my perspective. My name is officially listed under “artists” somewhere on the Internet. There my photographs were. Three small prints hanging on a wall. They were unique in this venue.... Continue Reading →
Closing night: Water & Wood 2017
Closing night: Water & Wood 2017 by Janice Nigro The evening started off right, even though I was going solo. When asked at the entrance, I announced like a kid that I was an artist and pointed enthusiastically to my work on the wall. If I was reluctant before, I no longer was at calling... Continue Reading →