Ben Barres’ Commentary: The Aftermath

Following Ben Barres’ explosive commentary in Nature, reactions are pouring in. First, there was media coverage (AP, SFChronicle, WaPo, WSJ, Science Daily) including a NYTimes interview.

There are at least two blog reactions that are a must read. The first is by Sean Carroll and the second is by JoAnne Hewett (whose post also has a lively comment thread with more than 150 comments!), both at Cosmic Variance.

In its latest issue, Nature itself carries reactions from academics. Two of them (Steven Pinker and Peter Lawrence) defend themselves against some accusations from Barres. Two others (Margaret McCarthy and Donna Dierker ) present additional perspectives on gender differences. Nature’s News Blog also has tons of comments.