
Neuroscientist Ben Barres has died - alexholehouse
http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/12/neuroscientist-ben-barres-dies-at-63.html
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davidkuhta
> “If you took the Barres lab out of the field of glial studies, there would
> be no field,” Raff said.

The highest of compliments. RIP

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QAPereo
Prior to his insights, glia were just thought to be little more than
structural support and insulation for neurons. The truth of course is so much
more interesting.

Baruch dayan emet.

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jdpigeon
In addition to being an incredibly productive, paradigm-shifting scientist,
Dr. Barres was also honest and down to earth about the realities of the field.
I'd recommend anyone going in to any type of graduate study to read his essay
on how to choose na graduate advisor:
[http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(13)00907-0](http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273\(13\)00907-0)

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GuiA
I quit academia, frustrated at how bureaucratic it was and how impossible it
seemed to become a Great Scientist. Very inspiring to read about the lives of
those who make it against all odds.

May the work and memory of Ben Barres carry the next generations of
scientists.

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melling
“died on Dec. 27, 20 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He
was 63.”

A form of cancer where we have made almost zero progress. What’s it going to
take to get more research?

It has already been 10 years:
[https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/](https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/)

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Gatsky
It's a difficult problem etc etc

The real answer is that the life sciences are currently in a medieval phase.
It's like doing physics without algebra or calculus. We should certainly not
expect any regular progress. It is extraordinarily inefficient.

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pvaldes
I understand what you are trying to say. Yes. This is a sort of a dark age for
all science related. A few well supported islands in an ocean of hostile
politics

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leemailll
The best know transgender scientist

