It’s a darn good time to be a meme these days, especially on the Internet. The lightning fast transmission of links and videos and funny pictures between millions of people on any number of social media outlets or email means the viral spread and replication of the latest “you’ve got to see this” thing may sometimes occur even more quickly than with, well, actual viruses or gene replication. I know a tiny bit about genes and viruses and maybe a tiny bit more about memes, but had never realized there were such parallels between the biological and the sociobiological. I also never knew that there was any amount of intention behind that commonality, but apparently, that was no accident. Continue reading “I Can Haz Meme-Gene Parallelz?”
social media
Twitter? Facebook? What do these have to do with science?
Science is based on extensive collaborative efforts from exchanging ideas and formulating hypotheses to reviewing scientific papers and replicating published work. Discussing an idea or an experimental method with a colleague helps to clarify thinking and point out flaws in the idea or experiment. Social media and its tools offer the possibility of an even greater perspective with access to a wider scientific audience, helping refine the discussed method or idea even further than a one-on-one interaction.
Continue reading “Twitter? Facebook? What do these have to do with science?”
