Nostr notes by MCDuncanLab

Not sure if it works for corn, but we have motion sensing blinky ...

2026-07-14T17:40:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…77aa
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Not sure if it works for corn, but we have motion sensing blinky lights that are keeping the racoons off our deck.

I'm pretty sure that they work because I shut them off when the cat is outside so she doesn't get scared. The one time I've seen a racoon since we got them, the lights were off-although there was also a dead mouse the cat left that the racoon was eating so might just be coincidence.

Chocolate eclairs may have gone out of style in the us, but maybe ...

2026-05-24T12:46:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…4ku0
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Chocolate eclairs may have gone out of style in the us, but maybe it’s just that I moved from the west coast where every corner has a boutique cafe to the Midwest where all we have are chains.

Wonderful!

2026-05-13T01:07:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…8egf
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Wonderful!

And volunteering at foodbanks can be a lot of fun. We've done ...

2026-05-12T19:03:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…934t
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And volunteering at foodbanks can be a lot of fun.

We've done it with groups of grad students as a fun activity. One time we rebagged frozen veggies from a massive bin into smaller portions to distribute to community kitchens, another time we inspected donated fresh fruits for things that were not usable.

In the Ann Arbor area, https://www.foodgatherers.org/ is a great place to volunteer.

@npub13t8…2ksn Look at what was in my feed. I wonder if the tip ...

2026-05-11T18:46:05Z

Yvan (npub13t8…2ksn) Look at what was in my feed.

I wonder if the tip is to not push rocks up the hill.

Whoa! I got behind on my seed starting so took my bitter gourd ...

2026-05-11T18:24:23Z

Whoa! I got behind on my seed starting so took my bitter gourd and snake gourd seeds into work and popped them in the 37C over the weekend after an overnight soak.

Snake gourds all have 1inch roots, going to take them home and pot them. The Indian bitter gourdes ~50% have 0.5-1cm roots, probably going to take them home. The chinese bitter gourdes have done nothing, they get another day or two.

What is so exciting about PROTACs is they can be designed to ...

2026-05-10T13:10:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…nhvt
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What is so exciting about PROTACs is they can be designed to destroy almost protein, so their usefulness isn’t limited to cancer therapies, there are PROTACs in the works for neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmunity.

It’s really an amazing time to be in bioscience (there’s bad stuff happening to the scientific enterprise esp in the US but I’ll leave this thread mainly positive)

🧵/end

To do this, they wanted to make a chemical with two faces one ...

2026-05-10T13:04:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…57w0
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To do this, they wanted to make a chemical with two faces one that bound the quality control system and one that bound the protein they wanted to destroy. Both are difficult chemistries to build.

But the work on thalidomide revealed a ready made chemical that bound the quality control system, this spurred a whole ton of academic and biotech research that is just now bearing its first fruits.

5/🧵

And this is where it intersects with another line of research. In ...

2026-05-10T12:59:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…76w8
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And this is where it intersects with another line of research. In the early 2000s, Kathleen Sakamoto, Craig Crews and Ray Deshaies described the first attempt to hijack the cells quality control system to target a protein they chose.

The process worked in principle, but they needed to find a better way to bring the quality control system to the protein they wanted to destroy.
4/🧵
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC37474/

The target was a protein known as cereblon. Cereblon is a protein ...

2026-05-10T12:50:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…wzg9
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The target was a protein known as cereblon. Cereblon is a protein that is part of the cell’s quality control system. It flags other proteins for destruction.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1177319 (Sorry paywalled)

3/🧵

You may recall the thalidomide tragedy, a wonder drug for severe ...

2026-05-10T12:44:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…6uxs
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You may recall the thalidomide tragedy, a wonder drug for severe morning sickness that caused some babies to be born with severely shortened limbs.

The drug was later repurposed as an anticancer drug, but the question remained why does it cause birth defects and why is it effective as an anti cancer drug.

Decades of research went into answering that question. In 2010, a paper authored by Takumi Ito Hideki Ando and others working with Hiroshi Handa revealed the target of thalidomide. 2/🧵

First PROTAC wins FDA approval. This one targets certain ...

2026-05-10T12:27:33Z

First PROTAC wins FDA approval. This one targets certain metastatic breast cancers.

This is the first of a totally new type of drug that is set to revolutionize drug development.

The story of PROTACs is fascinating and a testament to fundamental research.

It starts with two lines of research including research one why thalidomide causes birth defects the other on how to harness cellular machinery for therapeutics.
1/🧵

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-026-00078-6

Perennials and overwintered garden produce. It’s not going to ...

2026-04-25T22:26:32Z

Perennials and overwintered garden produce. It’s not going to make a dent in the household budget but it is a tasty hobby.

Rhubarb stems off the flower stems we trimmed, overwintered kale and turnip, sunchokes, and shiitakes.

In fact a common problem with the big splash reproducibility ...

2026-04-25T12:39:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…afaa
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In fact a common problem with the big splash reproducibility studies, was that baseline assays didn’t work. (Cooking example-they couldn’t get a plain croissant right and never made it to the raspberry goat cheese filled one)

This is not likely due to falsified data but due to how difficult it is to write a truly reproducible protocol and how rarely we even try to do so.

For example, mix gently-that can mean different things in ...

2026-04-25T12:35:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…s5jx
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For example, mix gently-that can mean different things in different labs or for different protocols-usually when someone new joins a lab there’s a learning curve where they pick up these unwritable steps to get the baseline assays to work.

For non scientists, think of it as having an ingredients list from a Michelin starred pastry chef for their award winning dessert, how hard would it be to get the recipe exactly right with just the ingredients list and maybe some vague instructions.

Porting a conversation over from bsky. Someone had posted a ...

2026-04-25T12:34:20Z

Porting a conversation over from bsky.

Someone had posted a sensational image showing how well AI can falsify data.

Here’s my response:

It’s always been easy to falsify data. Charts were once hand drawn, tables had ++,+,+-,- not # ‘s

The real problem isn‘t that new technology allows people to falsify data.

It’s that we’re losing trust in one another. Why is that?

Are the reasons for lost of trust based in fact or sensationalism?

Kitty and I are resting in bed because I'm home sick. I just ...

2026-04-24T14:51:08Z

Kitty and I are resting in bed because I'm home sick. I just had buttered toast and wiped my buttery hands on the cat's blanket. This was a mistake

Nostr event nevent1qqsxfqke3ekhpj0c88f7cklukvcs9pr3z4v7mtet37e9u2rz5vu5lzqzyzk6xpnepvjljt0y9a7wccltwklg33gwz0h64u0krs8ukxaaa4f9s5hp7wd

2026-04-20T21:06:18Z

TIL George Takei and I share a birthday!

Ok. It's finally time to do a deep reading of the summary ...

2026-04-15T17:45:23Z

Ok. It's finally time to do a deep reading of the summary statement for my latest reviewed grant. It was available before my vacation and I glanced at it, but since I was going on vacation and I knew I wasn't going to be able to act on it, I just set it aside.

Wish me luck. I already know that there's some batshit crazy stuff about interdependent aims that are totally not interdependent.

I was hoping that the spinach and radishes I'd planted before ...

2026-04-13T15:27:33Z

I was hoping that the spinach and radishes I'd planted before I left would have sprouted when I returned home. Nope, I guess it was too cold or dry or both.

But we had a massive mushroom bloom, the shitakes were still ok but we lost probably a kg or so of oysters that rotted on the logs.

My guess is the original draft had something of what you and I ...

2026-04-02T12:45:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…g7kk
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My guess is the original draft had something of what you and I would have done to introduce optical physics to kids but someone nixed it because it was too boring.

Well Mara-Kaku proceeded to get multiple spoons and show upside ...

2026-04-02T12:26:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…m55w
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Well Mara-Kaku proceeded to get multiple spoons and show upside down reflections on the spoony side even if we turned it upside down and stretched ones on the reverse side and that images were reversed in a mirror and explained it’s not magic at all but physics which is a science you’ll learn in a few years.

WTF….I read a Peppa the pig book to my niece about mirrors and ...

2026-04-02T04:53:18Z

WTF….I read a Peppa the pig book to my niece about mirrors and reflections. They start by noticing her reflection is upside down in a spoon. Daddy starts to explain concave mirrors but after 4 words gives up and says it’s magic. That’s it. The rest of the book mirrors and reflections are magic, no discovery at the end of the book that its physics or science.

Mara-Kaku went totally off script and extemporized about mirrors. Niece was not impressed.

Hey sciencers, On BSKY someone is asking about DNA preps where ...

2026-03-25T16:37:13Z

Hey sciencers,

On BSKY someone is asking about DNA preps where they care about size bias prior to making an illumina sequencing library.

Anyone have protocols that don't use phenol:choroform that work for low sample abundance and don't size bias?

I'm going to be in Tasmania early next month, what should I ...

2026-03-17T19:27:28Z

I'm going to be in Tasmania early next month, what should I see?

The good news, I got the best score on a grant that I have ever ...

2026-03-17T19:20:58Z

The good news, I got the best score on a grant that I have ever had in my life. In 2023, this grant would have been funded without a doubt.

The bad news is its 2026.

I'm still having a celebratory dinner tonight.

For people not dealing with the continued stranglehold on US ...

2026-03-16T21:45:12Z

For people not dealing with the continued stranglehold on US science, we are still not seeing new NIH or NSF grants get funded.

If you are a US taxpayer, where are your tax dollars going? Are you ok with this?

from my photo archive ...

2026-03-16T16:45:10Z

from my photo archive

I really want to know who is giving students the uninformative ...

2026-03-12T21:03:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…mysg
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I really want to know who is giving students the uninformative template without telling them that they are actually supposed to replace the generic bullets words with their own.

See- Uniformative->informative ...

2026-03-12T21:02:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…x564
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See-
Uniformative->informative

For example, this slide. It contains all of the info in the ...

2026-03-12T20:59:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…fknv
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For example, this slide.

It contains all of the info in the uninformative slide, but now it's all informative.

This slide is so useless. It tells the viewer nothing about the ...

2026-03-12T20:57:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…2knp
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This slide is so useless.

It tells the viewer nothing about the talk they are going to see. We’ve all seen a lot of talks and know that they start with an introduction and end with future directions. Hitting results and conclusions in between.

Since we all know this, you’ve just used up 15 seconds of your talk on something everyone knows. Use this 15 seconds for something more valuable!

I can't remember if I posted this rant already. Somewhere ...

2026-03-12T20:55:03Z

I can't remember if I posted this rant already. Somewhere someone is teaching all science students to use the stupidest slide.

The slide says:

I forgot to jostle my indoor lettuce and it's very floppy ...

2026-03-12T19:24:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…dzme
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I forgot to jostle my indoor lettuce and it's very floppy this year.

Happy to report I did my first bicycle commute for 2026 ...

2026-03-07T17:23:53Z

Happy to report I did my first bicycle commute for 2026 yesterday. Due to the ice and snow this year, quite a bit later than 2025 or 2024.

Such a superior way to travel, assuming you have a safe route like I do.

It looks like we're done with rain for today so I'm going to do my first bicycle shopping run for 2026.

#bikeTooter

I used to use these all the time. You're supposed to put the ...

2026-03-02T15:45:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…9cqh
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I used to use these all the time. You're supposed to put the grounding wire on the screw between the two ports on the outlet, the idea being that it will act as a ground. But you have to hope that the outlet ground is somehow linked to that screw.

Shady as shit, but it's probably fine for a short stint, I mean I used them for 30+ years and am still here. Is it possible to charge your computer elsewhere and run off the battery?

Interestingly, several students didn't draw anything; they ...

2026-02-25T16:02:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…6wn7
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Interestingly, several students didn't draw anything; they just wrote out the pathway in words, which makes me think they don't really have a good understanding of the relationship of the different parts of the cell to one another.

One of them wrote, "I realize that the fact that I can't draw this means that I don't really understand this as well as I should. I'll work on this before the next class."

I'd say mission accomplished with this assignment.

Some common potential misconceptions that emerged from the ...

2026-02-25T15:59:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…8yst
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Some common potential misconceptions that emerged from the exercise, whether the proteins without affinity for ordered domains go through the Golgi to reach the PM.

Whether vesicles are involved.

Whether the plasma membrane is a bilayer.

(these are all potential misconceptions because it's drawing and they only have 10 minutes so they might run out of time.)

For example, last week we had a somewhat complex paper that ...

2026-02-25T15:57:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…c6hq
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For example, last week we had a somewhat complex paper that examined the roles of sorting signals and transmembrane domains in ER and Golgi exit.

The main conclusion was that sorting signals are the main driver of ER exit, and transmembrane domain affinity for ordered domains is the main driver of rapid Golgi exit. There is a minor contribution of ordered domain affinity for the ER exit.

More on my anti-AI approach for my grad seminar course. I've ...

2026-02-25T15:52:04Z

More on my anti-AI approach for my grad seminar course. I've posted before that we're doing an in-class assignment that should be relatively easy if you answered the short homework assignment yourself.

My favorite type of question here is draw out the pathway that you described in words.

I actually don't think we have any or many students using AI this year, but this has revealed a lot of misconceptions that I don't think we'd see without it.

I’ve had good luck with indeterminate ones too, I had an ...

2026-02-15T14:27:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…x5v4
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I’ve had good luck with indeterminate ones too, I had an overhang so I could hang some netting to support them as they grew and keep them from toppling over.

Now that I have a full yard, I mainly grow cherry tomatoes on the deck and have my sauce tomatoes in the ground,

We just rediscovered popcorn. What a delicious treat it is! ...

2026-02-14T21:51:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…3e08
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We just rediscovered popcorn. What a delicious treat it is!

We’ve been stovetop popping it. Is microwaving as good?

This is a situation where steaming would save the day!

2026-02-11T03:32:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…tdlr
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This is a situation where steaming would save the day!

Grrr--I'm fighting with my Dr.'s office to get a measles ...

2026-02-09T23:09:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…c3lv
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Grrr--I'm fighting with my Dr.'s office to get a measles booster (or at least a titer). I don't have documentation of a second dose. I was no longer seeing a pediatrician when they decided in the late 1980's that kids born in the 1970's should get two doses, so I kind of doubt I had the second dose, unless it was required for registration at my University, which of course it's difficult to find the Uni's 1990's requirements.

Are you looking for solidarity or suggestions? We've all been ...

2026-02-05T21:25:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…fhzk
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Are you looking for solidarity or suggestions?

We've all been there. I have suggestions, but maybe you just want to vent.

Ok, so the brushes I ordered don't fit my equipment. Anyone ...

2026-02-03T15:03:07Z

Ok, so the brushes I ordered don't fit my equipment.

Anyone have tips on finding replacement brushes for small electronic motors?

(I have catalog numbers from the ancient manual, but I can't find anyone that sells them.)

These are for laboratory equipment, a tube roller (New Brunswick TV7), and rockers (motor: Dayton electronics 4z539a).

#FixIt #RepairCafe #RightToRepair #electronics

Taking advantage of the bitter cold to freeze croquettes. ...

2026-01-21T01:40:22Z

Taking advantage of the bitter cold to freeze croquettes. Normally they stick together because I don’t have space in my freezer to freeze them on a cookie sheet.

Keeping my eye on them in case they attract the coyotes or something else.

Yeah for me it was how many electronics do I need to travel with. ...

2026-01-04T18:57:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…hfrm
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Yeah for me it was how many electronics do I need to travel with. Work computer, personal tablet, phone, converters, and an ereader plus sketch pad, art pencils, etc.

Different priorities for different ppl.

My recent trip was the first trip in maybe 20 yrs that I left the work computer home.

In the end, I switched to reading on my tablet. It's heavier ...

2026-01-04T15:54:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…mqkr
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In the end, I switched to reading on my tablet. It's heavier than I want and the battery isn't as long as an ereader, but it's fewer devices to lug around.

Factoid fact: The term factoid was coined to mean an invented ...

2026-01-03T16:06:03Z

Factoid fact:
The term factoid was coined to mean an invented fact believed to be true because it appears in print.

Because English is as it is, it has been redefined as meaning a small fact. Not quite the same as bad meaning good depending on the circumstances.

I wonder how many English words have so completely switched their definition.

Bringing my potted peppers in this fall, I tried something ...

2026-01-01T20:46:02Z

Bringing my potted peppers in this fall, I tried something different.

I just brought them in, no trimming, no harvesting before bringing them in.

So far so good; except for a brief fight with aphids early on, they seem healthy. The fruits that were on the plant continue to grow slowly and we use them as needed.

Last night we used the peppers on a paella.

#gardening

I decided to display those painting cards my sister in law gave ...

2025-12-31T23:14:48Z

I decided to display those painting cards my sister in law gave me and I painted. A joyful daily reminder of one of my favorite things about my husband, his loving and welcoming family.

FFS-someone in the larger lab area is very sick, with a deep, ...

2025-12-31T17:08:01Z

FFS-someone in the larger lab area is very sick, with a deep, congested cough, and they look like poop warmed over, and of course, they are wearing a paper mask around their chin.

Thankfully, I have an N95, and no one else in my lab works this week.

I gently suggested that they shouldn't work if they are sick yesterday, but I've been previously reminded that I'm not the boss of ppl in other ppl's labs, so anything beyond that is the danger zone.

A story in two parts. #cats Courtesy of my sister. ...

2025-12-30T23:45:39Z

A story in two parts.

#cats
Courtesy of my sister.

You might be able to find a pre-made sambar mix if you don't ...

2025-12-30T14:51:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…qejw
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You might be able to find a pre-made sambar mix if you don't have all of the sundry spices and tamarind.

My MIL uses a premade mix for her sambar, here's a screen grab of the recipe with pre-made

Do you like Indian flavors? I like this: ...

2025-12-30T14:43:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…95c3
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Do you like Indian flavors?

I like this:

https://ministryofcurry.com/pumpkin-raita/

and this looks good-but I'd serve it with idly

https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/pumpkin-sambar-recipe-poosanikai-sambar/

What other tips or inspirations do people have to start a morning ...

2025-12-30T14:36:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…898m
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What other tips or inspirations do people have to start a morning writing routine for scientists?

#NewYear #Resolutions

I think the first thing in the morning is best time to do this ...

2025-12-30T14:34:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…mfxx
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I think the first thing in the morning is best time to do this because I usually have a cup of coffee at work, so I can't do lab work anyway. I also rarely have meeting first thing in the morning.

I plan to wrap up each writing session with a to-do list for the next writing session, and potentially leave whatever I'm working on 'mid-sentence'. I've heard that leaving a sentence unfinished makes it much easier to start writing in the next session.

So, I'm a New Year's resolution person. It's a way to ...

2025-12-30T14:31:47Z

So, I'm a New Year's resolution person. It's a way to try out new habits; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I'm ok with it not working, but I want to give it my best shot.

This year, I want to start a morning writing routine for work-related writing.

Anyone have tips or inspiration?

My current plan is to write as soon as I get into the office, for at least 30 minutes. I might allow data analysis/figure making to count as writing just so I can make it a routine.

#NewYear

The stains on the chair are muddy kitty cat footprints because ...

2025-12-29T16:39:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…z7a2
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The stains on the chair are muddy kitty cat footprints because this is the chair under the window that kitty comes in and out of during the summer months when she comes in after we go to bed.

So unless you are going to beat the heck out of chairs, you can ...

2025-12-29T16:33:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…4uw8
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So unless you are going to beat the heck out of chairs, you can probably pick any heavy-weight fabric of a pattern you like and it'll last quite some time.

I've had similar chairs. I covered one with a heavy ...

2025-12-29T16:31:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ndw
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I've had similar chairs. I covered one with a heavy upholstery brocade, I really liked it. The other set my step mom covered in a striped fabric that I thought was too lightweight for chairs, I inherited the chairs when they moved to a different house and bought a new dining set.

I'm surprised how well the lighter weight fabric has held up, it has got to be 15-20 years since she reupholstered them.

Just once and the coffee was almost gone. I should not have inked ...

2025-12-26T16:47:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…9l4u
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Just once and the coffee was almost gone.

I should not have inked the ridges. But I like how the moss came out.

How long until I wet my brushes in the coffee (blue mug) versus ...

2025-12-26T15:21:32Z

How long until I wet my brushes in the coffee (blue mug) versus water (clear cup)?

I gave myself a nice set of pens and a watercolor journal. This ...

2025-12-25T21:05:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…6lf8
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I gave myself a nice set of pens and a watercolor journal. This is slightly less fun because they don’t come out as well. Yesterday’s mushrooms were good, but today’s creature did not come out as well as the concept sketch.

Holiday fun. My sister in law gave me this nice set of cards to ...

2025-12-25T20:56:48Z

Holiday fun.

My sister in law gave me this nice set of cards to paint, it’s so much fun!

They are coming out quite well, we might frame them for art in the house.

In the Pacific Northwest? Want to help farmers operate more ...

2025-12-23T18:35:36Z

In the Pacific Northwest? Want to help farmers operate more efficiently? Have experience in agricultural sales or related areas? Looking for a new job?

Harvest Source is a new type of agriculture supply company, and they are looking for you!

https://harvest-source.com/jobs

#GetFediHired #FediHire #Jobs #Agriculture

I’d like to find something to do with lime and lemon peels. Any ...

2025-12-22T23:59:15Z

I’d like to find something to do with lime and lemon peels. Any favorite ideas?

#cooking

I’m looking for game recommendations for an iPad. I like games ...

2025-12-08T00:31:04Z

I’m looking for game recommendations for an iPad.

I like games I play by myself.

I like games with levels so I can limit myself to playing just a few levels.

I like Katamari.

I have a game controller.

I hope I’m not insufferable.

2025-12-06T23:58:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…u0p4
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I hope I’m not insufferable.

I may be a know it all. Twice in the same day, ppl exclaimed that ...

2025-12-06T23:57:24Z

I may be a know it all. Twice in the same day, ppl exclaimed that I must be really good at trivia. The first was at a work event where I said something (can’t remember what) and one of my colleagues said it, the second was in my Pilates class. First I had cracked up when the Pilates instructor said something about the birch boxes being heavy because birch isn’t a heavy wood which I mentioned. Then later, she said Robert Palmer sang she’s got legs and I asked, wasn’t that ZZ Top.

Yup, not sure that happened.

2025-11-30T02:20:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…wp0z
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Yup, not sure that happened.

Discovered that my host did it traditional with stuffing inside, ...

2025-11-30T01:37:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…nk92
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Discovered that my host did it traditional with stuffing inside, because there was a lot of stuffing still in the carcass.

Scooped that out and heated it thoroughly, and had it for dinner, super yum!

Quite surprised that anyone still stuffs the turkey, with all the evidence that it’s quite bad for food safety, The host was a colleague in a bioscience field.

Making stock from the turkey carcass i snagged from Thanksgiving ...

2025-11-30T00:47:03Z

Making stock from the turkey carcass i snagged from Thanksgiving dinner and veggie scraps from the freezer. There were leek greens and OMG the stock smells so amazing.

'Gardening' still going, pots in my make-do green house ...

2025-11-26T19:08:45Z

'Gardening' still going, pots in my make-do green house still pumping out greens and carrots. Overwintering peppers still giving some peppers.

#gardening

Now is an excellent time to donate gently used toys or ...

2025-11-22T13:51:07Z

Now is an excellent time to donate gently used toys or electronics so that they are available before the holidays.

Dang, I should get together 20 of my best buds and go in together ...

2025-11-19T22:32:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…kyhd
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Dang, I should get together 20 of my best buds and go in together on 55gal olive oil.

That's less than 50% of buying it a gallon at a time.

Hmm-actually I think there's a local shop (Sparrow Market) that sells olive oil out of a barrel, I wonder if it's from Costco.

Pretty cool, every human protein predicted with every human ...

2025-11-13T13:49:45Z

Pretty cool, every human protein predicted with every human protein. A couple of surprises for my favorite proteins.

https://predictomes.org/

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.10.687652v1

great work from 1st author @ernstschmid.bsky.social and PI Johannes Walter

Thanks! I am looking for an authority, there's lots of ...

2025-11-11T14:53:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…fd0r
_________________________

Thanks! I am looking for an authority, there's lots of unpublished anecdotes or published things that are not quite right particularly in the endosome field.

The organelles undergo maturation and there are either microdomains or closely associated organelles that really complicates things.

Plus some people don't test whether their tags disrupt function. I've got one good suggestion on Bsky for knockin Rab11, but I really don't want to do a knockin.

Hey Sciencers: What's the best protein to tag if you want to ...

2025-11-11T13:59:23Z

Hey Sciencers:

What's the best protein to tag if you want to look at the recycling endosome without disrupting it's function in human cells?

Amazing eulogy for some reviled scientist by Harmit Malik on Bsky ...

2025-11-08T00:03:40Z

Amazing eulogy for some reviled scientist by Harmit Malik on Bsky

When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)

Like I kinda doubt the scientist this is about was actually a genius, but either way, he was ick.

That being said, I think if it hits tootles for me as a PI, ...

2025-11-07T23:08:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…lr6d
_________________________

That being said, I think if it hits tootles for me as a PI, I'll probably shift completely out of academia and science. Unless, I land some admin position at UM. I have applied for a few, but no dice.

Anyway, I'm still doing the coolest science I have in my career, and I submitted a good grant this week.

This wasn't a pack your bags and go discussion, it was a have you thought what you would do if...

Yes, this is why I gnash my teeth about all those people saying ...

2025-11-07T22:58:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…e2zq
_________________________

Yes, this is why I gnash my teeth about all those people saying that the ECRs are getting such a bum deal trying to start their careers now.

Like ppl, I started my PIship in 2008, when funding rates plummeted, then I was hitting my stride when Covid hit, and now?!?

So I think part of the advice was, try to find something now because there are not a lot of options now, and its only going to get worse.

So...although admissions is going to be way down in my field this ...

2025-11-07T22:55:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…jzck
_________________________

So...although admissions is going to be way down in my field this year, we expect international applications to be way down.

So it's possible that domestic applicants might be ok.

I mean yes they do know. It's fricking brutal to be a ...

2025-11-07T21:51:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…s4t9
_________________________

I mean yes they do know. It's fricking brutal to be a scientist right now.

I'm still willing to keep swinging until I'm forced out, rather than put down the bat now and pick another game.

They wouldn't want that for themselves, and I get that.

Ooof-had a scheduled chat with a supervisor about my funding (or ...

2025-11-07T21:10:38Z

Ooof-had a scheduled chat with a supervisor about my funding (or lack thereof), and basically advised I should find another career path. Something along the lines of 'You've been struggling with funding for so long, even if you get this grant, its still going to be struggle. That's not the life he would want for me, is that the life you want for you?'

Dude, I'm still of the opinion I'll stop when you rip my pink pipettes from my hands and lock me out of lab.

I got a relatively hefty Holiday Gift catalog in the mail this ...

2025-11-07T00:04:39Z

I got a relatively hefty Holiday Gift catalog in the mail this week. For whatever reason, I thought it was from Target. Turns out it was from Amazon. It was addressed to resident.

Wondering if they think we’ve moved because we’re rarely buying from them, trying to lure us back and don’t know for sure if they should address it to resident A or B, or if everyone in our neighborhood is getting one.

Did you get a holiday gift catalog from Amazon?

Confession/lab hack- I barely wash my western blots after ...

2025-11-01T16:18:44Z

Confession/lab hack-
I barely wash my western blots after removing the primary antibody. Just three very quick rinses.

We also reuse the secondary, so our reused secondary is contaminated with primary from the prior uses (😱 ).

But fear not, we label each diluted secondary with the primary it should be used with, so we don't get cross-reactivity.

Oh my gawd. It took 3 f*king months to figure out why a standard ...

2025-10-16T21:21:34Z

Oh my gawd.

It took 3 f*king months to figure out why a standard IP for the lab wasn't working.

1st protein tag that disrupted the known interaction, then a bad buffer that caused high background, then we'd over-corrected with detergent, that caused low signal.

Now it's all fixed.

All to show, no, that gawd-damned hypothesis was wrong.

PSA- don't fear the. colonoscopy Have you been putting off a ...

2025-10-11T12:50:23Z

PSA- don't fear the. colonoscopy

Have you been putting off a colonoscopy?

I was, and after having one I’m saying wow that was a lot of fear over nothing.

You may be aware that colorectal cancers are up in younger (>55) this isn’t just more tests=more detection this is more colorectal cancer deaths in younger ppl.

Unlike the stool test, a colonoscopy can detect precancerous lesions and remove them so its prevention not just detection.

A slim majority voted for this, ~7,000 out of ~14,000 registered ...

2025-10-07T19:39:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…jref
_________________________

A slim majority voted for this, ~7,000 out of ~14,000 registered voters.

This does not consider all of the people who are not eligible to vote, children, non-citizens, former felons who do not know they can vote in CA, transient residents...

This is my first one. I'd heard prep wasn't 'so ...

2025-10-07T18:38:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…7qdu
_________________________

This is my first one.

I'd heard prep wasn't 'so onerous anymore'.

This seems onerous: no popcorn, corn, beans, nuts, fruits with small seeds, tomatoes, and celery for three days, no solids for one day, and then drinking, I kid you not, 1/2 gallon of PEG solution the night before and 1/2 gallon 5 hours before the exam.

I'm hoping that I've got the super difficult prep because I'm getting checked for IBS, and it's typically less of a chore.

Just ate the saddest side salad with lunch. My normal lunch side ...

2025-10-07T18:15:33Z

Just ate the saddest side salad with lunch.

My normal lunch side salad is
lettuce
onion
mushrooms
sunflower seeds
tomato
beans (garbanzo, black, blackeye peas)
shishito pepper
Celery
Dried cranberries

I was out of mushrooms, and everything except lettuce and onion is not allowed for the next four days.

Thankfully, we did have some dates, and I steamed some green beans, which made it less sad.

Oh dawg! I just remembered I live just outside of Detroit! I’ve ...

2025-10-04T00:20:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…3r3q
_________________________

Oh dawg! I just remembered I live just outside of Detroit! I’ve totally been downtown several times.

Thanks for the reminder,

The next time I go to my primary care physician, I’ll ask her to run tests on whether I’ve been murdered or shot recently.

(Like shit how bad ass am I? Am I the cell biologist John Wick?)

Wow. Based on some talking points I've seen, I realize that ...

2025-10-01T20:36:06Z

Wow. Based on some talking points I've seen, I realize that I'm such a brave bad-ass or maybe blessed. I've been to DC three times.

I took the public transit each time. I walked around downtown, albeit around the conference center, by myself at night.

Last summer, I spent time in Portland, Oregon, waiting for my mom in surgery. I walked to a nearby cafe.

This summer, I flew into SFO and took the BART all the way to the East Bay.

I was not murdered, but maybe I'm just lucky.

More mushroom mayhem ...

2025-09-19T16:56:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…xh3d
_________________________

More mushroom mayhem

#mushroom mayhem continues ...

2025-09-18T14:12:54Z

#mushroom mayhem continues

Nostr event nevent1qqsza30avjh8kvrzahee0r9dpsx83rfgw96dg2ysad0hdcwupe47jtczyzk6xpnepvjljt0y9a7wccltwklg33gwz0h64u0krs8ukxaaa4f9szdkjzn

2025-09-15T00:18:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…0zzd
_________________________

Dinner!

Maybe it’s not water. Many liquids do not evaporate. Like the ...

2025-09-14T20:23:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…ygan
_________________________

Maybe it’s not water. Many liquids do not evaporate. Like the liquid that forms in a damp rid container that stuff stays liquid for months.

Heck I could imagine a humidity sensor set with that, when the ducky stops tipping it means the ambient humidity is too low and the solution is drying out, cue the humidifiers.

I discovered that in Michigan you can get a doctors note for ...

2025-09-14T20:13:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…cc7y
_________________________

I discovered that in Michigan you can get a doctors note for illegally dark windows, like if you have glaucoma.

This makes no sense. If tinted windows are dangerous which they are, they are dangeous even if you have glaucoma.