The BioTechniques “Twelve Days of Christmas” Gift Guide will help you find the right gift for your favorite postdoc, technician, lab director or PI.
Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science by Michael Nielson Science is moving from isolated, independent projects to an entirely new world of crowdsourcing initiatives to broaden the scope of discovery. And author Michael Neilson is on the scene to explain just how that’s being done. In his book Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science, Neilson highlights projects that call on internet-connected masses to help unveil mysteries behind complex equations and the universe. Sorting through “citizen science” projects, he tries to determine what works best for specific goals, based on his analysis of the evolution of scientific methods since Galileo’s time. But Nielson doesn’t suggest that a scientist who can’t figure out Twitter will miss out. Instead, he simply offers a glimpse into a world where the collective mind can lead to speedier, more thorough progress. Maybe you’re itching for more information on networking science, or perhaps you’re trying to bring your PI into the twenty-first century. Whatever the reason, Reinventing Discovery makes a great stocking stuffer. $16.47 | Amazon |
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Small Wonders: How Microbes Rule Our World by Idan Ben-Barak Sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate the epic stories that exist within a Petri dish. So Small Wonder: How Microbes Rule Our World is a reminder that there are fascinating microbial mysteries worth investigating. Author Idan Ben-Barak takes readers on a quirky journey of bugs, proteins, genes, and viruses that have inspiring survivor stories, arsenals full of weapons of mass destruction, a suitcase full of disguises, and adventures that would make Hollywood executives drool. The book is the perfect gift for your microbiology colleague to reignite their imagination. Or if you know a young student pondering a career in science, hand them Small Wonder and they’re guaranteed never turn away. $39.52 | Amazon |
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Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life by Marcus Wohlsen Abandoning research labs, high-tech equipment, and the bureaucracy involved with federal funding, a new breed of biohackers are working outside the box and making giant leaps in synthetic biology. The book Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life opens a door into a world of these rebels who use open-source DNA data and repurpose ordinary objects to perform experiments in garages. Readers meet a Lisbeth Salender-esque heroine using Trader Joe’s yogurt to splice a jellyfish gene in the hopes of solving global food safety concerns, a team of cancer fighters operating out of their kitchen, and a duo that manufactured a machine the size of a cell phone that replicates DNA. Give the unconventional scientist on your gift list a taste of what’s going on in the industry, or the perfectly conventional researcher a glimpse of what’s to come. $17.13 | Amazon |
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BioTechniques "Twelve Days of Christmas" Gift Guide
On the third day of Christmas, my lab mate gave to me...
