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Are you a Genius?

The MacArthur Foundation named 23 fellows, recipients of the so-called “genius” grant.  The full list of winners is available here.  The fellows receive the fellows will receive $500,000 in “no strings attached” support over the next five years.  Some people whose work piqued my interest:

  • Drew Berry is a biomedical animator whose scientifically accurate and aesthetically rich visualizations are elucidating cellular and molecular processes for a wide range of audiences.
  • Carlos D. Bustamante mines DNA sequence data for insights into the dynamics and migration of populations and the mechanisms of evolution and natural selection.
  • John Dabiri is a biophysicist studying fluid dynamics in jellyfish. The results of these studies can be applied to better understand from blood flow in the human heart.
  • Carol Padden, a UCSD alum, focuses her research on the unique structure and evolution of sign languages—how they differ from spoken language and from each other—and on the specific social implications of signed communication.
  • Emmanuel Saez is the only economist on this list. His work examines how taxation affects income and savings.
  • David Simon is the screenwriter/producer for the best television series of all-time.

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