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"Baseball science isn't rocket science. It's a lot harder."
-- Robert K. Adair, Sterling Professor Emeritus
of Physics and senior research scientist in the
Department of Physics, "Vindication for an
Awkward Art," The New Yorker, May 17, 2004.
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"That's like saying fingers evolved to play the piano."
-- Richard O. Prum, professor of ecology/
evolutionary biology and curator of vertebrate zoology at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, of the theory that feathers first evolved for flight, "Yale Professor Publishes Theory About Evolution of Feathers," New Haven Register, April 18, 2004.
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"There's a very good probability that RNA switches are ancient. They give us an unprecedented way to look back in time to the RNA world. It was a fantastic and diverse place. We still rely on it."
-- Ronald R. Breaker, associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, on research showing that billions of years ago RNA played the same role that DNA now plays in controlling genes, "RNA Enzymes Are Able to Turn Genes On and Off, Yale Researchers Find," New Haven Register, May 2, 2004.
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"To me [life] is not about getting everything you want. ... Life for me is a 19th- century novel with complex characters. In medieval literature and in 'One Thousand and One Nights,' the moral of the story is more stories, not the simple extractable meaning. It is about truth, and there are many truths, and the story is not yet over."
-- Maria Rosa Menocal, the R. Selden Rose Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and director of the Whitney Humanities Center, "Tracing Iberia's Rich Religious Tableau," The Washington Post, May 14, 2004.
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"When [the authors of the U.S. Constitution] created the Electoral College, they did not anticipate the rise of the party system; they expected voters to select community leaders who would make their own judgments when casting their ballots for the presidency. ... Over the centuries, the electors have become creatures of their parties, though they sometimes cast independent votes."
-- Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, in his article "2-for-1 Voting," The New York Times, May 5, 2004.
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"Women value self-disclosure and emotional closeness [in their friendships]. Men value shared activities and experiences."
-- Marianne LaFrance, professor of psychology, "Gender Can Help Define Our Friendships," The Arizona Republic, May 6, 2004.
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"There is no regulation from the U.S. side that governs how [internationally adopted children] are cared for in their countries of origins, and the parents may have to play catch-up."
-- Dr. Margaret Hostetter, the Jean McLean Wallace Professor of Pediatrics and Microbial Pathogenesis and chair of the Department of Pediatrics, "Foreign Adoptions Add Layer of Health Concerns," The Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2004.
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"You don't have many rights in prison, certainly not any rights that trump legitimate security concerns."
-- Steven Duke, Law of Science and Technology Professor, about an inmate who is seeking the right for prisoners to gather in small groups to practice their faith, "Inmate Seeks More Religious Freedom," New Haven Register, May 10, 2004.
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"I think the Defense Department is reaping the whirlwind of its strategy of condoning wide-scale departures from traditional POW protections. They're there for a reason. Some of these officials have treated the legal regimes as a nuisance to be discarded in the war against terrorism, when it turns out they're playing a very important role in protecting our troops from violations -- and protecting our country against needless humiliation by conduct that most Americans find abhorrent."
-- Harold H. Koh, the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law, "Rumsfeld Will Stay, President Insists," The Boston Globe, May 7, 2004.
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"The fact is that millions of women still suffer from the potentially devastating symptoms of menopause -- so much so that their quality of life deteriorates. Hormone therapy remains the most effective means to relieve vasomotor symptoms, and certain estrogen formulations and routes of administration that were not studied in WHI [Women's Health Initiative] offer different health effects that may offer several advantages."
-- Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, about the 2002 WHI report questioning the safety of all hormone replacement therapies, "Yale University: Low-Dose Transdermal Estrogen a Viable Short-Term HRT for Menopausal Women," Biotech Week, May 12, 2004.
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"I don't know what makes the Chinese put far more emphasis on challenges than on achievements -- it probably has to do with culture and history -- but I do know that this behavior is atypical of most governments in the developing world (and in the developed one, for that matter) and is certainly a strong factor in favor of China's development strategy."
-- Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Center for the Study of Globalization, in his article "On China's Rise," Forbes, May 24, 2004.
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"The vast part of India that is not shining gets to see those who are shining. They see around them how the connected and the corrupt can have so much and brag about their India shining, and seethe about it. They don't need much incitement to throw the rascals out."
-- Nayan Chanda, director of publications at the Center for the Study of Globalization, on the effect of the ruling party's "India Shining" campaign touting its economic boom, "Indians Want Their Share: Nation's Rising Expectations Sweep Out Ruling Party," San Jose Mercury News, May 18, 2004.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
University celebrates its 303rd graduationLevin calls for U.S. to change student visa policies
International arts festival returns to New Haven
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSAnthony Kronman is appointed Sterling Professor of Law
Paul Gilroy is designated as the Charlotte Marion Saden Professor
Joan Panetti named the Sylvia and Leonard Marx Jr. Adjunct Professor
New campus programs will cut costs and boost efficiency
Installation at city's historical society features tales about urban renewal
Show recalls Victorians' attempts to capture nature's wonders
Exhibit spotlights works by one of Britain's most neglected artists
Medical and nursing schools to host alumni reunions
Yale and state officials consider ways to promote smoking cessation
Poll shows state of the environment a concern for voters
Scientists identify molecule that causes irreversible nerve damage in MS
F&ES symposium will examine effects of forest certification
Campus Notes
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