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Quintessence of Dust

Quintessence of Dust explores science, society, and human nature, focusing on genetics, development, evolution, neuroscience, systems biology, and topics related to scientific literacy. I occasionally discuss intelligent design, creationism, science denial, and other political/social influences on scientific literacy. Additional topics: philosophy, baseball, scientific culture, and Shakespeare. My main theme is scientific explanation.
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AdaptationBook ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

Warning: this post includes spoilers for Black Widow , Avengers: Endgame , and Spider-Man: No Way Home . Seems a small price to pay to understand the biophysical limits of the biosphere, but it's your call. So, are you sure you want that superpower? Have you noticed that superheroes usually have difficult lives and crushing responsibilities?

Book ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

Which superpower would you choose and why? This seems a somewhat common "get to know you" question. Sometimes you're forced to choose between two (invisibility or teleportation?), perhaps to reveal particular features of your psyche. My choice is teleportation — I want to see my kids and grandkids but I want to live in Edinburgh. My frustration with such limitations is real, and contemplating teleportation doesn't help.

AdaptationBook ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

It was the subtitle of this book ( From Extraterrestrials to Animal Minds: Six Myths of Evolution by Simon Conway Morris) that reeled me in, combined with my inability to resist reading the thoughts of Conway Morris on what that subtitle advertises: "Six Myths of Evolution." I'm about halfway through the book, and through three of the six myths.

What I'm ReadingBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

One of my motivations for relaunching Quintessence of Dust was my desire to write about things I'm reading, whether books or articles. So here is a new series, pretty basic: What I'm reading, posted at the start of every month.

BeliefShakespeareTheaterBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

Bardolatry has been a cornerstone of Quintessence of Dust since I conceived it. I love the plays, sure, but there's always been something else going on. "Jane Anger" Shakespeare is one of those extraordinary phenomena that tempts us to seek extraordinary explanations. Like Harold Bloom, I think of the mystery as essentially unsolvable — Shakespeare is impossible.

BeliefBook ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

My first post on John Farrell's *The Day Without Yesterday *identified two themes the book raises for me: the intellectual milieu into which modern cosmology came to be, and the reasons why Georges Lemaître was able to "lead Einstein and the rest of his generation into a new, truly dynamic model of the universe." (p. 53) The second post looked at the intellectual environment and ended like this: This question is

BeliefBook ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

In my first post on John Farrell's The Day Without Yesterday , I identified two themes the book raises for me: the intellectual milieu into which modern cosmology came to be, and the reasons why Georges Lemaître was able to "lead Einstein and the rest of his generation into a new, truly dynamic model of the universe." (p. 53) Let's look at that milieu.

BeliefBook ReviewsBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

Let's start with full disclosure. John Farrell is a good friend, and we met here at Quintessence of Dust more than 15 years ago*.* John was one of the first people to read and comment on (and link to) the blog. We share many passions: science, faith/science interactions, writing, the Boston Red Sox, Shakespeare, and Harvard Square.

IntroductionBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

So, Quintessence of Dust is back in business. (A few days ago, I wrote about why.) Yay! Here are some soon-coming attractions. A couple are book-length projects at various stages of embryogenesis, but the rest are posts and series that represent ideas to dissect/develop and thoughts to get out in the world.

IntroductionBiologieEnglisch
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Autor Stephen Matheson

It's early January 2023, a little before sunset in Tucson. Live image below, showing the glorious Santa Catalina mountains (the snow on the upper reaches is more apparent earlier in the day) and my dinner preparations (shrimp and veggies on the grill). I've decided to start writing here at Quintessence of Dust , after another long hiatus. Here are some of my reasons.