Tag: Blogging

The Kitchen Is Closing

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My very first blog post was September 2008. A lot has changed since then—I started and completed a PhD program at the University of Hawaii (where I met my partner and now baby-daddy), did a post-doc, wrote one book (that you should really read—just ask Amazon or Smithsonian) and edited another (on science blogging!), and started a new full-time editing job with the YouTube science channel SciShow. And over those ten years, I have written more than 800 blog posts, my blog has gone from being called Observations of a Nerd to Science Sushi, and it’s moved from Blogspot to Science Blogs to Scientific American to Discover—and now, it’s making one last move.

I started blogging because I wanted to share my passion for science with the world. And my posts have done that—they’ve also opened up new avenues for sharing my passions. I owe a lot to this online platform I started on a decade ago. If I hadn’t started blogging, I wouldn’t have the writing career I have now. Even my partner and I bonded over our mutual love of writing online (and I still think his blog is so much cooler than mine), so it’s impossible for me to imagine what my life would have been like had my friend Allie never suggested I try my hand at it. But now, I get to nerd out over awesome science every day in the scripts I work on for SciShow and through my freelance writing for places like National Geographic. So the time has come to close the book… or, the laptop, I guess.

It’s been a decade, and it’s time to move on. Since I’ll no longer be blogging regularly, Science Sushi is moving again—this time, to a permanent home, ScienceSushi.com. The archives will still be hosted here at Discover, as well as at my blog’s new home, but I won’t be updating the blog with any regularity. If I feel particularly moved to comment on the world of science, I reserve the right to post a new post every now and then at the new site, but this is my last post here at Discover.

Thank you to all of my regular readers—you have made the past decade truly wonderful. And to those of you who might just now be stumbling across this blog, don’t worry: I’m not going away. If you subscribe to SciShow and SciShow Psych, you’ll hear my words and the words I edit frequently, and you can keep up to date with any other freelance writing I do by following my Facebook page, Twitter, or periodically checking out my website. I’ll be somewhere on the interwebs, just not here—and I hope to see you around.

— Christie

On The Danger Posed By Non-Expert Critiques Published To Large Audiences

Geoffrey North, the editor of Current Biology, has written a critical editorial that questions the role of social media in science (which I strongly suggest you read before continuing). In it, he refers to blogs as “”vanity publications”,” written by those “prone to self-indulgence”. He warns that blogs can be dangerous, that their speed and virality pose a serious risk to the foundations of peer-review and the scientific process. While many were taken aback by his bold claims, I think he makes a lot of very astute arguments.

First, of course, he’s correct in saying not all blogs are bad. The case of arsenic life and Rosie Redfield may go down in history as the first great example of blogging truly blending with and supporting research, changing the way we view peer review and the overall system of science publication and communication. It validated the beliefs of many that social media was not the enemy of science but instead its under-utilized ally. Shortly after, even major journals began to see the merits of these new media platforms for research and outreach.

Continue reading “On The Danger Posed By Non-Expert Critiques Published To Large Audiences”

Science Seeker Award Winners Announced!

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The winners of the inaugural Science Seeker Awards have been announced! My posts got nods as finalists in two categories: Best Biology Post and Best Life-in-Science Post. Thank you so much to the judges for these honors, and a huge congrats to all of the winners and other finalists. I strongly suggest reading through the list of winners and finalists, and checking out all of the fabulous posts!

Science Sushi – A Year In Review

It’s almost 2012, and as we all know the world will be ending. I figure it’s as good a time as any to look back. So far this year…

…I have posted 33 posts

…which have gotten 269 comments

…with visitors from more than 15 countries across the globe

…and have been syndicated at BlogHer, Ecology.com and more

The three most popular posts of the year:

3. Instant Zombie: Just Add Salt

2. Time – And Brain Chemistry – Heal All Wounds

1. Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture

…and last, but certainly not least, my post Why Do Women Cry? Obviously, It’s So They Don’t Get Laid was chosen to be published in Open Lab 2012

Overall, I’d say it’s been a pretty good year – especially since it’s only been six months here at SciAm. Here’s to next year being even better!