Mastodawn

Laura White Jan 6, 2023

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: ...

Laura White Jan 6, 2023

The rotation students keep getting younger and younger.

Laura White Dec 14, 2022

donni saphire Dec 10, 2022

Scientists recently announced that they would like a grilled cheese sandwich

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Laura White Dec 7, 2022

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.

Laura White Dec 7, 2022

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

Laura White Dec 2, 2022

Safia | صفية Dec 2, 2022

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

Laura White Nov 29, 2022

Tom Levenson Nov 29, 2022

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.)

Laura White Nov 27, 2022

Tasha Sturm Nov 27, 2022

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

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Laura White Nov 26, 2022

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.

Laura White Nov 26, 2022

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

Omek houria (Tunisian carrot salad)

Omek houria is a Tunisian salad made with puréed carrots and harissa – it's usually served with toppings like hard-boiled eggs, feta or tuna, but you can easily keep the dish vegan

olivemagazine

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