Egg and Ego An Almost True Story of Life in the Biology Lab

About this book

A light-hearted look at the nature of academic science. 'Egg' refers to the science of developmental biology, which is the speciality of the author, and which provides the material for many of the anecdotes; 'Ego' alludes to the alleged vanity of scientists.

Contents

Prologue: Cosmic egg and human ego.- The Experiment. What we did in the slaughterhouse, and afterwards.- The Greasy Pole. How I got up it myself.- The Growth Factors. The most expensive substances in the world. Postscript to Chapter 3 - Molecular biology, BC and AC.- On the Catwalk: Publication and Presentation. What scientists and actors have in common.- The Frog and its spawn. From pregnancy test to the cover of Cell.- Who's Who in the Lab. From the candidate to the chairman, who they are, what they do, and why.- Laboratory Life and Death. Radiation, genetic engineering, animals, computers, technology transfer.- The Ground Plan of Evolution. Why all animals are really the same.- Paying for it all. Where satisfaction means unending exponential growth.- The case of the headless frog. Science and the media. Epilogue. References.

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