Science isn’t just data — it’s a human story. Explore personal essays, reflections, and poetic moments from life in and out of the lab.
We are used to thinking of evolution as the saga of life—the slow, churning tide of natural selection, adaptation, survival, and change that shapes every tree, fish, mammal, and microbe. We imagine Darwin’s finches, Mendel’s peas, the twisting elegance of…
🐟 When “Fish” Don’t Exist — A Personal Starting Point When I first heard the phrase, I laughed. “Fish don’t exist.” It sounded like a late-night philosophical joke—something you’d say while drinking tea with overly serious friends. But it wasn’t…
In a time when artificial intelligence can classify faster than any human taxonomist, we face a fundamental question: What is the role of taxonomy with AI? As machines begin to participate in the great act of naming life, the stakes…
Evolution Behind Your Smile – Part 4 Rodent teeth growth is one of the most remarkable examples of evolutionary adaptation in mammals. Unlike human teeth, which erupt once and remain static, rodent incisors never stop growing. This continuous eruption isn’t…
Evolution Behind Your Smile – Part 3 Why humans lost regenerative teeth, and what we can learn from animals that didn’t Introduction: The Envy of shark teeth regeneration As a practicing dentist, I often encounter a recurring daydream—not the clichéd…
Evolution Behind Your Smile – Part 2 What Does the Red Queen Have to Do with Your Mouth? There’s a curious principle in evolutionary biology that explains why bacteria in your mouth never seem to go away—no matter how well…
Evolution Behind Your Smile – Part 1 This post is the beginning of a twenty-part series titled “Evolution Behind Your Smile.” Across these essays, I explore how our teeth, jaws, and oral biology tell the deeper story of human evolution—one…
The irony of building a blog around truths ChatGPT can explain in five minutes. Why write what everyone knows?That’s the question — and also the answer. 📍 Introduction: The Red Queen and the Blogger In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass,…
— A Graduate Lab Reflection, March 16, 2015 “Please amplify the adenovirus containing Prox1.” My professor’s instructions were always short, but they left my mind tangled for days. Why don’t professors ever tell you why they want something done? Looking…
Ever since conversational ChatGPT first appeared in the world, I felt as if I had gained an intelligent friend. Observing the speed at which ChatGPT evolves feels like watching the movie Speed—so rapid that it’s difficult to keep up, yet…
