Analects - 12/8/22

Some things I've been reading

1/7 - Engineered photosynthesis in mammals.

I continue to be optimistic about breakthroughs in biosciences. Perhaps I should spend some time in a lab…?

Seth Bannon 🌻 @sethbannon

Well this is wild. Engineered photosynthesis demonstrated in mammalian cells *in animals in vivo* and it can be used to treat certain conditions 🤯 Synthetic biology is on fire. nature.com/articles/s4158…

nature.comA plant-derived natural photosynthetic system for improving cell anabolism - NatureProof of concept of the viability of a plant-derived photosynthetic system based on nanothylakoid units encapsulated in a chondrocyte membrane to enhance cell anabolism in chondrocytes is demonstrated.

2/7 - Phonics works. Montessori is an even more refined method.

tldr; there is no replacement for Phonics in teaching children to read, and Montessori's method (teaching writing skills before reading skills)¹ is among the best ways to learn the alphabet and the phonemes.

Matt Bateman @mbateman

Finally listened to @ehanford's Sold a Story podcast. It's on the modern Reading Wars. Is phonics fundamental to literacy? Yes. But the case *against* phonics is popular. Why? That's what she explores. I learned some things and have some thoughts.

features.apmreports.orgSold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So WrongThere’s an idea about how children learn to read that’s held sway in schools for more than a generation — even though it was proven wrong by cognitive scientists decades ago. Teaching methods based on this idea can make it harder for children to learn how to read. In this new podcast, host Emily Han…

3/7 - Scientific Breakthroughs of 2022

Generative AI, Organ Revival, Synthetic Life from STEM cells, Novel Vaccines against Malaria and more, James Webb, Cancer breakthroughs, energy breakthroughs, and more. Link here

4/7 - Developing the Science of Science

How do we do science better?

5/7 - Science Eye: a true Bionic Eye?

Seems we may have bionic eyes coming soon!

6/7 - The short and long-run effects of remote work on US Housing

tldr; in the short run, remote work spiked rents dramatically due to a lot of moving. In the long run, this increased demand is going to lead to massive supply increases as cities move to build housing. Additionally, due to work flexibility, people are going to move to places where housing supply is more elastic, lowering prices in the long run

paper here

7/7 - New York City’s Great Civic Capacity — Central Park Conservancy

The Central Park Conservancy is a truly excellent institution and a phenomenal example of what makes New York City so great.

Essay here

1. This is oversimplified, as there are a number of unique qualities about Montessori’s approach to literacy, but this is perhaps the most radical and impactful departure. The rest is closer to what you expect from Montessori — a whole-environment approach, with thoughtfully designed work materials to build component skills (like 3-finger strength and dexterity) well before those skills are needed for holding a pencil.