Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, renowned graduate of UC Berkeley, died on June 2, 2014, a few days short of his 89th birthday. Shulgin was born in Berkeley on June 17, 1925. Both his parents were teachers. He received his bachelor’s degree (1949) and his doctorate in biochemistry (1955) from UC Berkeley. Except for some time spent … Continue reading »
neurochemistry
The Nobel Prize that wasn’t
A year ago the Campus Bookstore at UC Berkeley hosted what seemed an historic event. On a sunny Saturday afternoon (June 18, 2011), between one hundred and two hundred people showed up to a book-signing party for an 800-plus page, highly technical compendium of chemical esoterica entitled The Shulgin Index (1). It was among the … Continue reading »