On being a cowboy, physics, and preparation.
My life condensed into variably interesting posts on the internet
Welcome to Re: Life, where I chronicle my life, thoughts, and work in biotechnology on the internet.
Why a newsletter? So that one day, a long, long time from now, aliens might find these little time capsules and put them in a museum. Now that you know my motivations are pure, let’s get started.
What I’ve been up to
:// Went to Mackinac Island with my family for a few days. Soaked up some sun, climbed some cliffs, and rode a horse for the first time.
(Fun fact: this is the only place in America where cars are banned, so we had to get around by horse or bike. And the architecture was all old-school, so it felt like I was going back in time).
That part threw me for a loop, but there was an strange, refreshing simplicity to it.
:// Drilling practice problems for Cambridge’s ENGAA exams. For a second, learning about fission made me feel all smart (“hmm…I guess I was overestimating nuclear physics”), but then I watched a lecture on introductory nuclear physics and turned off my computer.
:// Researching the cancer tropism problem (why does breast cancer almost always end up spreading to the bone, but liver cancer end up spreading to the lungs?).
Lots of theories try explaining this (like this one), but I’m specifically looking at molecules called chemokines that certain organs tend to produce, acting like molecular cookie crumbs that lead wandering cancer cells toward them.
Thought of the Week
One of the most striking quotes from Macchiaveli’s The Prince:
“It is a common fault not to anticipate storms when the sea is calm.”
Life and variability are one and the same - just with some latency time. You can’t hibernate in the winter unless you gathered your food in the summer.
When you’re experiencing life at its best, your job is to prepare for the worst.
When else would you?