On the origins of syphillis 14 Aug 2009 A nice historical review by Thony Christie on syphillis and comets. History Science
Epistemology Notes on novelty 5: Evolutionary radiations and individuation 31 Dec 201115 Jan 2012 Notes on Novelty series: 1. Introduction 2. Historical considerations – before and after evolution 3: The meaning of evolutionary novelty 4: Examples – the beetle’s horns and the turtle’s shell 5: Evolutionary radiations and individuation 6: Levels of description 7: Surprise! 8: Conclusion – Post evo-devo Sometime around 1900, Henry Fairfield Osborn (the Ernst Mayr of… Read More
Epistemology Notes on Novelty 8: Conclusion – Post evo-devo 15 Jan 201221 Jun 2018 Notes on Novelty series: 1. Introduction 2. Historical considerations – before and after evolution 3: The meaning of evolutionary novelty 4: Examples – the beetle’s horns and the turtle’s shell 5: Evolutionary radiations and individuation 6: Levels of description 7: Surprise! 8: Conclusion – Post evo-devo With the growth of developmental genetics, it is possible to… Read More
Evolution Arseholes! Systematics, phylogenetics and HPS 10 Feb 2011 There’s been some developments this day. First of all a defunct blog on history and philosophy of science has revived with a new skin and as a group blog: AmericanScience: A Team Blog. I keep wanting to say “F&*k yeah!” It used to be the Forum for the History of… Read More
What rubbish. Syphilis is an instrument of God’s Love. Sometime He can love you too much. Either that, or it’s a communist plot to undermine soviet-style healthcare.
So, you’re saying we caught syphillis from God? How did that happen? What did he do to us while we were asleep?
Yes. It’s all God. He works in Mysterious Ways, you know. Even in Norfolk. But when you go barmy, your nose rots, and bits of you drop off, you can be consoled by the fact that it’s all because of God’s infinite mercy. As I always say to parents who have lost children to various complaints, heck, Jesus Wants Me for A Spirochete.
Mathematicians are such nit-pickers, even the ones that write so well. Need I remind you of the list-obsessed One Who Shall Not Be Named?
…besides, you should check out the first line of The Moons of Mars post on his blog. “…US Navel Observatory…”?