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How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

theatlantic.com

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Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#21

Post by frandroid »

archgoon wrote: post #7

The main revolution 150 years ago was that lichen was not a single organism. I'm not sure if refining that number from 2 to 3 is legitimately "overturning"; I was reading the article expecting them to say that the two organisms were in fact sharing the same DNA and were in fact sexual dimorphs all this time. On the other hand, figuring out why we've been failing to grow lichen by merging the two species manually for…

We all learn this story in school, and people have been looking at these guys for a long time. What did you want, a human/algae symbiosis to make this an overturn?

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#22

Post by Semiapies »

lumberjack wrote: post #12
xkcd-sucks wrote: post #4

Could we change the title to something a little less clickbaity/classist? Even though it's the title of the actual article, trailer parks have nothing to do do with the actual content.

Not going to touch on whether it is relevant to the rest of the article but acknowledging classism is the opposite of being classist.

Considering that the classism in question is considering it strange and amazing that someone who grew up poor (and in a gasp! trailer park) could go on to do science? There's no "acknowledging" classism in this article, there's just straight-out engaging in it and perpetuating it.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#24

Post by wpietri »

xkcd-sucks wrote: post #4

Could we change the title to something a little less clickbaity/classist? Even though it's the title of the actual article, trailer parks have nothing to do do with the actual content.

I disagree entirely. I didn't quite grow up quite in a trailer park, but close enough. I even served some time in a fundie "school" that was 30 people K-12. That this guy came from a disadvantaged background and went somewhere despite a lack of education mattered a lot to me.

I was lucky to get involved with computers, which at the time were something where you could pick up on your own and still end up with a good career. I don't know where I'd be without that; surely not with a doctorate doing research. Seeing this guy make it as far as a major scientific discovery warms my heart.

I hope his story inspires kids everywhere to persevere. And that gatekeepers everywhere think about the people they're excluding because they don't have the right pedigree. Without the University of Gottingen's willing to gamble, his talent could well have gone to waste.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#25

Post by wpietri »

Semiapies wrote: post #22
lumberjack wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not going to touch on whether it is relevant to the rest of the article but acknowledging classism is the opposite of being classist.

Considering that the classism in question is considering it strange and amazing that someone who grew up poor (and in a gasp! trailer park) could go on to do science? There's no "acknowledging" classism in this article, there's just straight-out engaging in it and perpetuating it.

I disagree. It was classism and credentialism that almost kept him out of science. What's amazing is that through perseverance and luck he overcame that exclusion. The story contradicts the just-world implications of classism, and so I believe this article doesn't perpetuate it; it cuts against it.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#26

Post by mod »

triangleman wrote: post #23

So they have Wal-Mart in Germany, or did he get his degree in Germany and then return to the U.S. and do his research there?

From the article:

> The path to this discovery began in 2011, when Spribille, now armed with a doctorate, returned to Montana. He joined the lab of symbiosis specialist John McCutcheon...

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#27

Post by smt88 »

Did he create opportunities for himself, or did he live in a country where other taxpayers covered the cost of his college education?

He's an impressive person, but "poor guy pulled himself up by the bootstraps using sheer force of will" narratives usually fall apart when you look more closely.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#28

Post by randomdata »

Semiapies wrote: post #22
lumberjack wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not going to touch on whether it is relevant to the rest of the article but acknowledging classism is the opposite of being classist.

Considering that the classism in question is considering it strange and amazing that someone who grew up poor (and in a gasp! trailer park) could go on to do science? There's no "acknowledging" classism in this article, there's just straight-out engaging in it and perpetuating it.

Is the classism in question really about being poor?

From my perspective, it is about perpetuating the stereotype that rural people are 'slack jawed yokels'. If this guy was from a vertical trailer park (i.e. a high rise condo unit), we wouldn't think twice about it because, despite being potentially just as poor, he is an 'enlightened city dweller'.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#29

Post by Semiapies »

randomdata wrote: post #28
Semiapies wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering that the classism in question is considering it strange and amazing that someone who grew up poor (and in a gasp! trailer park) could go on to do science? There's no "acknowledging" classism in this article, there's just straight-out engaging in it and perpetuating it.

Is the classism in question really about being poor? From my perspective, it is about perpetuating the stereotype that rural people are 'slack jawed yokels'. If this guy was from a vertical trailer park (i.e. a high rise condo unit), we wouldn't think twice about it because, despite being potentially just as poor, he is an 'enlightened city dweller'.

There's a rural vs urban component, but yes, it's about being poor. If he were poor and urban, a similar article would have talked about him growing up in the "mean streets" of some poor neighborhood. It's the same reaction.

Re: How Toby Spribille Overturned 150 Years of Biology about Lichens

#30

Post by fit2rule »

Iv wrote: post #19
SeanDav wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. This is not only a scientific story, it is also an inspirational story. The title shows that.

One doesn't need to lie over stories to make them inspirational.

Where is the lie? There isn't anything un-true about the title. More to the point, the inspirational aspect of the story is quite worthwhile. You might say the "trailer-park" inspiration is one aspect, the "we don't know everything we think we do, even 150 years later" angle is another aspect, and there is a third, possibly overlooked facet, which is that this opens up immense new opportunities for understanding life, as a whole, where and when we find it. You might consider it some sort of symbiotic, inspiration.
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