My thesis, "Using Physiological Tradeoffs to Study the Evolution of Mechanisms of Aging," has really gotten rolling. I've submitted a review paper on mathematical models to my thesis committee. I'm working on some results from my model of how aging happens in one organ because I'm presenting them at a conference next week! My boss thinks there's a "good" chance that the simplest model will...
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The thesis is moving along somewhere, a Levy flight for sure. Lately I've re-written all of my Markov Chain organ mutation models in continuous-time so I can bring the full machinery of theories of how to solve ordinary differential equations to the table. My advisor thinks I'm almost on to something worth keeping in my thesis. That is probably a good thing. Right now I'm...
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lunar:
I read this, then I googled some of the words and I'm still confused :/
crazyben:
LOL! Yeah it's weird, I work in an evolutionary biology lab that only does mathematical models. But basically, I'm trying to figure out why one set of our organs lasts a really long time (brain, heart, bones) but another starts getting crappy when we are in our 20s-30s!
So I've been studying aging via Markov Chain models that simulate various mutation regimes, trying to get a sense of why our different organ and tissue systems each seem to age at different rates. We know from the pathologists and cancer experts and doctors that, on average, our livers, kidneys and colons begin to accumulate misfolded and unused proteins when we're 20-30 and the accumulation...
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I spent all summer studying discrete models of aging and Markov chain models of aging. I just noticed my SG account had lapsed. Not sure what email I opened it with, because I never received a notification of any kind. But here I am: I'm back! Sort of. TA for Principles of Bio again, so I'm busy at night. Plus *drumroll* I started writing my...
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crazyben:
Coolly enough, looks like I'll have 2 manuscripts submitted sometime around December or January :)
Working on my PhD thesis proposal. Title so far: "A Dynamical Systems Theory Approach to Studying the Evolution of Aging, with Some Applications to Human Disease Evolution." Exciting stuff. In my lab they call me "Dr. Death" since I gave a talk about what I've been up to a few weeks ago.
Nice to have time to look at hot naked ladies. Drink local microbrews....
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crazyben:
Working on editing my thesis proposal! Been going nuts on it since Winter Break. How are you doing, Kelpie>
crazyben:
Microbrew wise, we have Hops Rising, a 12% IPA that is just super DELICIOUS.
Just got a huge scare: my university blocks SuicideGirls if you use wireless but not a LAN connection? OK, that makes no sense. Annoying either way.
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kay:
Hope you are doing well!
crazyben:
Hey! Just saw this. Yes! My thesis topic has been approved, my bosses are happy with me at the moment, teaching is fun as hell 
Life is pretty nice. You?
Life is pretty nice. You?My altruistic snake article came out on November 23! I just noticed today! I wrote it when I was an undergraduate and it was another long, uphill battle to get it accepted anywhere. It's about the evolution of the curious behavior of food-sharing in snakes in China. It is one of the first, perhaps the first, articles published on the idea of polymorphic alleles for...
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ginary:
Thank you Ben. 
pandie:
Hi
Being a top recruit in a top PhD program is fucking insane. Intense. Fun. Intense. Doesn't leave much spare time. Makes you drink at least 2x as much beer as you used to on the rare occasions when you DO have spare time. And even when you do you're always thinking about your research.
On the other hand, would I trade my new life in...
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On the other hand, would I trade my new life in...
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jensen:
At least it's only 4-6 years, haha.
crazyben:
LOL! Right. For some reason I just now am sitting down relaxing. But yeah I'm in Ecology & Evolution. We do mathematical models for other E&E labs.
Saint Thomas Malthus, do we ever pray to thee!
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zephyr:
What can I say? I have good tastes you know 
crazyben:
Nice :)
Hardisty BE and Cassill DL. (2010) Memes and the ecological niche. Biological Theory 5(2):1-3.
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ivonne:
Happy B-Day honey ! 
son_of_a_duck:
That really sucks. I can't even imagine the pain involved with a broken knee cap. It's uncomfortable enough when they move out of place. The goal of this surgery was to clean out some cartilage debris and hopefully postpone arthritis for a little while. So fingers crossed that works out.
I just found out a paper I wrote just last year was accepted for publication in a journal called "Biological Theory!" It It is published out of MIT. It represents my 2d attempt to talk some sense into cultural anthropology...
I am super stoked!
I am super stoked!
vellin:
thanks for the support!! and the add
crazyben:
You are welcome, and my pleasure!
Yesterday, at about 5pm, my Master's thesis defense was successfully concluded... I am now done here at USF! Awesome!!! I have some edits to make to my thesis, but that is the trivial part. Now it's time for some champagne, and more packing for the University of Utah, where I start my PhD work in August!
My day went great, I drank about 14 beers...
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My day went great, I drank about 14 beers...
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crazyben:
Aww thank you. Yes, my Master's was technically in Applied Environmental Science and we learned about all sorts of cool, crazy stuff in the last 3 years!
nicoleblythe:
Congrats, yet I'm still stuck on the 14 beers plus and no sleep. that could be a killer if you had worked the next day. Congratulations nonetheless.