Amy Bishop & oxidation

From The Boston Globe, Ambition fueled a smoldering rage:

A friendship of sorts was kindled, based largely on a mutual interest in science. Over coffee and lunch, they would discuss Bishop's research and McCann's work in biotechnology. Bishop never spoke of her husband or growing family. During one meeting, Bishop listened patiently to McCann for a time before suggesting they switch topics. "She said, 'That's very nice, Isabel, but can we talk about oxidation?' '' she recalled, with a chuckle. "That one moment in time encapsulated who Amy was. She just couldn't connect with people.''

I would elaborate on the emphasized part above, but I'll leave it to readers as to why this sort of behavior is informative....