The Dance of Life

Reading and writing about The Dance of Life and developemental biology reminded me of the time I was asked to write about a supposed flash of light occurring at the moment of conception. Articles like this one made the rounds on social media, getting everyone excited about a literal spark of life. Or at least I guess that's what they were excited about; I didn't really get it because I knew the light came from reagents scientists added to detect zinc and not the egg itself. I appreciated the opportunity to add clarity … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 4

Advent is a season of waiting. We remember the specific anticipation of Mary & Joseph for their son and the more abstract anticipation for justice and restoration, represented by Simeon and Anna. While Jesus would inaugurate a new era of redemption, we share in the longing of Simeon and Anna as we recognize that justice is still not equally distributed and creation is not fully restored. While expressing that longing in different terms, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield discuss outstanding needs for justice … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 3

As we discussed last week, The Dance of Life by Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield is a story of developmental biology research. It is also a story of motherhood, including the specific joys and anxieties of prenatal motherhood. Meanwhile, my church has chosen Luke 1-2 for its Advent texts, and Luke's Gospel pays more attention to the prenatal experience of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth than the other accounts. I don't want to over-theologize Zernicka-Goetz and Highfield's book and I don't think it is any sort … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 2

I haven't discussed many books this year, but I'm currently reading The Dance of Life by Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and Roger Highfield and I was struck by the relevance to advent. Zernicka-Goetz is a developmental biologist, which means she studies the processes by which a fertilized zygote transforms from a single cell to an entire organism like a mouse or a human. The book, cowritten with journalist Roger Highfield, is both a memoir of Zernicka-Goetz' career and an introduction to her research and its context in the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Dance of Life and Advent Pt 1