This is incredible. mRNA vaccines are really bringing it!

Very cool!! A bacterial enzyme that synthesizes DNA WITHOUT a nucleic acid template! It has internal amino acids in its active site that mimic a template RNA strand.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

These fuckin chuds

Naming your biology LLM after Rosalind Franklin is… hell is not hot enough

The HPV vaccine is amazing at preventing cervical cancer in women. New studies show it ALSO PREVENTS CANCER IN MEN. Men have reduced chance of head and neck, anal, and penile cancers caused by HPV.

A lovely mossy boulder with a face. I walked past this venerable stone gentleman on Dartmoor when I was beginning to write my first novel, Villager, and it whispered all 104,000 words of the book to me. So now I have to pay it all of my royalties. Unfortunately my ex-publisher stopped paying me royalties last year. Understandable, the boulder was not happy. But now I have a new publisher and the book has been republished. So remember if you purchase a copy you will be helping a boulder to eat, pay the rent on his riverside moss garden, and feed his boulder family.

Yes it could be argued that keeping up with world events is important but alternatively can I interest you in hugging an ancient mossy boulder that looks like a face and quietly listening while it tells you stories from centuries cloaked in mist.

My kids were like this, and I’m so glad I spoiled them with experiences. Fancy lunch date, trip to the aquarium, etc. They got the special small thing they asked for, and the extra gift was a memory.

I had a horrible experience with Fisher. My -80 stopped cooling but was still under warranty. They said it just need a top up with coolant, and did that. 4 months later it was not cooling again but now was outside the warranty window so they said not their problem. Infuriating.

The four humans who have traveled the furthest from Earth. (Via NASA.)

"While there is no current consensus, we do not advocate for a single definition and contend that a lack of unanimity is not inherently problematic."

Interesting work!

Depluralize a movie:

Fear and loathing in La Vega

A Giant Sea Spider (genus Colossendeis), also known as a pycnogonid, found on the deep seafloor at depths between 2,200 and 4,000 meters. 🌊🦀

While some species are small, those in the deep ocean can grow over 50 cm (20 inches) across due to deep-sea gigantism.

#ocean #deepsea #nature #wildlife

Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.

I will say this again: Science isn’t just something that nerds do, it’s the foundation of the modern world.

It’s why this app exists. It’s why child mortality rate isn’t 50% anymore. It’s how we’re able to launch people to the moon. It’s how we’re able to grow food that feeds half the world.

A full disc image of Earth, as seen from the Orion Crew Module. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. At lower left, a large brown landmass is Africa, with Spain and Portugal with twinkling lights where the planet curves. At top right, auroras glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space (pic: NASA/R.Wiseman)

More context on this #Artemis II image:

* This is the night side, lit by moonlight. You can see city lights in Spain & Portugal, & a sliver of day at lower right

* The Sun is entirely behind Earth, which makes it a kind of solar eclipse, but w/ Earth doing the eclipsing instead of the Moon:
☀️🌍🚀🌕

Trans flag (blue, pink, white) with the text “Transgender Day of Visibility” across it.

Happy Trans Day of Visibility!
I see you. I will fight for you.

Thank you!

a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign .

Today is my 50th birthday. I’ve had a surprising number of people contact me to wish me well, and it’s been truly lovely!!

Dear autocorrect, that is never a typo for the word “ducking”.

A great thread, with both historical context and interesting new potential links between menstrual irregularity and mental health.

I can see things like poor sleep (due to anxiety) leading to consuming more coffee, for example.

These correlative studies should always be interpreted with caution. It may be that people entering into mental health struggles drink more coffee as a consequence, not a cause.

In every profession where women become the majority, that profession is devalued. Teacher, interior designer, veterinarian, etc. Biology is now labeled the “easy science”. I wonder if part of the devaluing of higher education by conservatives is because women are now 60% of the student body.

Huge congrats!!

"Scientists don't want you to know this"

What? Have you ever met a scientist?? This is like saying chefs don't want you to taste their food. They LOVE to share their knowledge.

I don’t mean anything in relation to “winners” - most of the people you’re leading in academia are already “winners” by most metrics - but rather the aspect of that you pick people who fit well with your mentoring style.
Oh wait, you’re likely just a bot. 🙄

I wonder if part of it is that you get to choose who you mentor, and can select people you think will mesh well with your mentoring style. You don’t (usually) get to choose who you are leading with most leadership roles, and that often means more conflicts.

Science professors and educators all have a role in combating this eugenics resurgence
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This is wild. Bacteria spreading via nerves rather than bloodstream.

Super cool!

Cool new study from my colleague @birdfiddler.bsky.social!