2023 adventures with a tiny scientist, age 7:
Me: This floor is the pathology department. Lots of cancer research.
Kid: There are a lot of cancers. Do you know how cancer gets started?
Me: *wondering how to summarize Hanahan & Weinberg for a 2nd grader*
Well, there are a number of different things that can cause cancers, it’s really not just one thin—
K: I know how cancer gets started.
Me: Oh?
K: Cancer happens when a cell gets a mutation that causes it to proliferate out of control.
Me: ...

The rotation students keep getting younger and younger.

Scientists recently announced that they would like a grilled cheese sandwich

To say I'm excited about going up to 96% accuracy and three times the throughput for direct RNA libraries would be a huge, huge understatement. This is going to be big for modification detection.

Exciting #nanopore updates for RNA biologists announced last night. FINALLY some new chemistry development for direct RNAseq & base caller model updates to go with! ONT's developed many bespoke helicases via an ML-guided engineering effort in 2022, and we're getting one for RNA. Supposedly faster & more consistent motor speeds, improved RNA base calling with accuracy up to 96%, and 3X output improvements from the chemistry changes. All coming next year, early access in Q1.
#NCM2022 #NanoporeConf

Happy December & Happy Friday! ❄️

Lately I have been reflecting on my life - where I have been, where I am currently, & where I would like to go.

In that spirit, I wanted to share a #ScienceHenna design I made while traveling in South Africa for an #echem conference in 2019.

This design is special to me as it both tells part of my journey as a scientist and educator... while also being on a physical journey for science! 🧪 💙 💫

#Henna #SciComm #SciArt #EidAlAdha #RealTimeChem

@Finetraces786 Whoa!

I was today years old when I learned that Louis Pasteur referred to the filiform microbe B. anthracis as "vibrions baguettes."

Bacterial breadsticks!

(I know that "baguette" in French is used in a number of contexts beyond the baker's oven, but allow me my moment's chuckle.)

@Pentapod inspired

#DescribeThatMicrobe an out of this world looking contaminant on an old TSA plate in the fridge. #microbiology #scicomm #Science

@gqmartinez Thanks, we've been having fun with it! Last NYE was Ecuadorian food, which was tasty, but this one pushed us further out of our comfort zone, which is the ultimate goal.

Not only is omek houria now going to be my go-to recipe if I ever need to bring a vegan dish to a potluck, but it legitimately felt like a Thanksgiving side.

Also, "cook root vegetables, puree, then add vinegar, spices, and chili pepper oil/paste to taste" feels like an approach worth iterating on. Szechuan chili potatoes? A garlicky sambal parsnip puree? Nam prik pao turnip mash? I have no pretensions of being an innovator here, but now I'm curious if there are other examples I should try.

We spun the wheel of world cuisine again for Thanksgiving* and it landed on Tunisia, so here's our attempt at omek houria (https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegan/omek-houria-tunisian-carrot-salad/), a cooked carrot salad that we would definitely make again, with harissa, mint tea with pine nuts (also a great pairing), olives, cheese, and bread. Not pictured: Tunisian style shakshuka (https://www.ourtunisiantable.com/home/2018/10/20/shakshuka), which is a heartier tomatoes/peppers/ potatoes affair.

*newish household tradition, not actually a wheel, just a random number generator

@mikamckinnon Same. Hoping at some point all users might be able to toggle quote boosting of their own posts on or off for their account, feel like it would thread the needle nicely.

Whenever I'm tempted to think that a new thing seems too complicated, I read newspaper articles about pizza from the early 1950s.

checking my Twitter feed is starting to feel like going down into the basement after the lightbulb burned out

@Amandatron89 but with maximum teen dog awkwardness😂

They look nothing alike, except for the ways that they do.

My dog being an absolute goofball during a dog park reunion with her sister (it's their 1st birthday this week).