What We’re Reading
Here are a few good articles the Collaborative Fund team came across this week.
Communication
This is an important point about science, although it highlights how important communication is in all fields:
Reaching the top of the scientific hierarchy increasingly depends on a glittering media profile, publishing in “trophy journals” and cultivating a network of academic frenemies who are treated as close allies until they become obstacles in the path to academic glory.
“Many great scientists are narcissists. It’s a bit sad, but it’s a fact,” he said. “This might surprise an external observer, because scientists are usually perceived as being modest searchers for the truth and working collectively for the advancement of science.”
Alternate route
I’ve long advocated this approach to obtaining a four-year degree for the lowest cost possible:
In the past year alone, more than a dozen private colleges and universities nationwide have signed deals to make it easier for community-college students to transfer in … The four-year programs aren’t trying to entice community-college students to leave those programs early, nor are they going head-to-head with the inexpensive rivals for new freshmen. Rather, acknowledging that an increasing share of talented new high-school graduates will inevitably opt for community colleges first, private-school officials are looking to collaborate and provide students with an easy next step.
ROI
We spend a fortune on health care, but are getting a return that’s too easy to overlook:
The vast majority of the seven years of life expectancy gains in the latter half of the 20th century were because of better — and more costly — treatments for premature infants and cardiovascular disease, according to analysis by the Harvard health economistDavid Cutler and his colleagues.
Next-gen ROI
Related to the story above, here’s the next inning:
Doctors in London say they have cured two babies of leukemia in the world’s first attempt to treat cancer with genetically engineered immune cells from a donor.
The experiments, which took place at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, raise the possibility of off-the-shelf cellular therapy using inexpensive supplies of universal cells that could be dripped into patients’ veins on a moment’s notice.
Soft skills
Ben Huh writes about using both sides of your brain as a founder:
You may wish you could rely solely on logic, but that is only half of what you need to be a good founder.
Startup culture places immense value in our logical thought process. I do too. But without incorporating both sides of your brain in your decision-making (slow logic and fast intuition), you risk being swept down the river when the dam of startup stress bursts.
Boom and bust
Despite a run up, new home sales are still pretty low historically:
Have a good weekend.