The Poison Review

It ain’t tox, but one of my two favorite songs based on a scientific theme is the classic — and difficult to find — “It’s a Long Way from Amphioxus” by the late folksinger and marine biologist Sam Hinton. By chance, I stumbled upon an online posting and wanted to pass it along.  The audio link below looks a little funky, but should work — just click on the play arrow. Anyone who has not heard this song before — and has even a dim recollection of high school or college biology — is in for a treat.  For those singing along at home, the lyrics can be found here.

BTW, my other favorite scientific-themed song is Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements“.

Sam Hinton – Its A Long Way From Amphioxus Found at abmp3 search engine

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Back in his youth, TPR thought Tom Lehrer’s songs were the funniest things he had ever heard. Lehrer, whose real career was as a Professor of Mathematics at Harvard and UC-Santa Cruz, turns 82 today. We wish him a happy brithday!

Here is one of his best known songs, The Elements, which traverses the entire periodic table in the jaw-breaking time of a minute and a half. As you listen, see how many toxins you can identify:

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