I should have loved biology (2020)(jsomers.net)
332 points by tyre 1 day ago | 127 comments
tl;dr: Somers argues that biology education fails by presenting a "lifeless recitation of names" instead of the astonishing questions and physical intuitions that make the field compelling—like how embryos differentiate, or how cells are crowded machines communicating through shape. He recommends resources that convey this (Goodsell's *Machinery of Life*, Cohen's *Computer Scientist's Guide to Cell Biology*, Judson's *The Eighth Day of Creation*) and studying experimental methods over facts. He also calls for better tools—accessible drawing, animation, and simulation software—to help people build physical, visual models of molecular processes.
HN Discussion:
  • Education fails by removing meaning-making and replacing it with measurement and rote curriculum
  • The article's romantic view ignores the mundane reality of being a cog in the life sciences industry
  • The issue extends beyond biology to pedagogy generally, echoing Piaget and Papert
  • Other sciences like physics and chemistry suffer the same rote, uninspiring teaching problem
  • Boring basics are a necessary prerequisite before students can appreciate the exciting concepts