- All
- Aging
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Autism
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Clinical Trials
- Diabetes
- Drug Development Process
- Drug Safety and Efficacy
- Genomics
- Infectious Disease
- Pain Prevention
- Precision Medicine
- Science Careers
- Science Education
- Science History
- Science Policy
- Supply Chain and Manufacturing
- Women’s Health
- Medical Ethics
- Health Information Technology
- Healthcare Delivery
-
Science and Serendipity Part 3: High-Density Polyethylene and Teflon
OK, one final blog post on serendipity (read part one here and part two here). I love the quote from Isaac Asimov: “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka’ but ‘That’s funny…’” Two stories today. The first is about high-density polyethylene. In the early 1950’s, ... -
Science and Serendipity Part 2: Nitrous Oxide, Pluto’s Moon and Toxicant Activation in the Testes
In my previous bog post, I introduced the idea of serendipity and my desire to seed this into the organization around me. We saw that innovation has a greater chance with someone whose knowledge is broad and deep, and who is in a position to DO stuff. This time, I want to share my newfound ... -
Science and Serendipity Part 1: The Smallpox Vaccine
Our industry depends on innovation… of coming up with new things. It is also the most intensely self-analytical enterprise I’ve ever met. So it’s perhaps not surprising that I’ve been wondering lately about how I can engineer the environment around me to be more accommodating of serendipity, those surprises which can turn a regular afternoon ... -
Guided Missiles and Fertility
I guess I really should title my science posts something like “Science is Sexy” or “The Sex of Science,” either of which would be massively more compelling than the overused “Science of Sex.” And if I throw in some high-explosives, well… the interest has got to ratchet upwards! First, a new piece of information: it ... -
Job Sharing in the Epididymis
Alternative title: The Excited Puppy and The Epididymis Let me warn you: I work on reproduction in animals, so I get to say things like “testicular toxicity” and “epididymis” in polite company. Which brings me to this month’s musings. There’s a program here which has been bedeviled by epididymal inflammation. Every compound they would put ... -
Biology and Replicating Findings: “It’s a mystery all the way down”
Jonah Lehrer has a great article in the January 2012 Wired magazine about the complexities of modern science. In the hype that is so characteristic of the mass media headline writers, the article is sub-titled: “Why science is failing us.” He leads off with the very public failure of the clinical trials for a compound ... -
Pfizer Singers Raise Spirits Post-Irene
OK, THIS is worth sharing. I’m part of the Pfizer Singers, a (now) small but enthusiastic group of folks who get together every Monday evening for an hour after work in Groton to practice. Why? Our main raison d’être is to sing at nursing homes and retirement communities. We go once a month to one ... -
The Risks and Rewards of Innovation
Whew… I go for months without a blog post, and then fill up a week with ‘em. I guess the theme this week is gratitude. It has been in short supply this …well, this whole year, really, as the company works hard to find its way, and takes a chance on a new and very ... -
What Really Matters: Part Two
SInce I posted the thoughts about writing my now-stroke-immobilized college roommate, I’ve been troubled by something, and it was only over the weekend that I finally put my finger on it. The critical part that I left out is that he writes back. Well, perhaps I should say “they,” because although it is clearly his ... -
Another reminder of why we do this…
I do developmental and reproductive toxicology for a living. That is, I try to understand the principles and specifics of how the male and female reproductive systems work, and try to know what drives embryofetal development. We work on our drug candidates to understand the margin between the therapeutic doses and those doses which impact ...