humor

Strangest things I’ve seen & heard in research lab

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Being in a research lab feels like hanging out in a second home to me. Maybe that’s because I’ve spent more than half of my life working in labs. Being a scientist has its challenges. However, at times it’s very exciting such as when a discovery is made. The lab can kind of buzz with …

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Funny autocorrect fails in STEM: the gremlin organdy fiasco

Germline gremlins, funny autocorrect fails

Today’s post is on the lighter side with some humor on funny autocorrect fails related to science. It’s surprising sometimes how far certain tools can lag behind cutting-edge science. Spellcheck tools are useful, of course, but they don’t always know what to do with STEM words. The same is true of tools like Grammarly, although it …

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Weekly reads: badgers, organoids, The Onion, & more

A badger in Yellowstone Park. Photo Paul Knoepfler. Could you make organoids from one?

It’s been a little quiet here on The Niche for the past week as I was off in Yellowstone National Park, but I’m back with this week’s recommended weekly reads including a section on organoids. First, I want to share a nature pic from the trip. A highlight was encountering a badger in Lamar Valley …

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Fun, geeky turkey facts for the Thanksgiving dinner table

wild-turkeys

Americans eat tens of millions of turkeys each year on Thanksgiving, but what the heck is a turkey really? It’s a heckuva of strange bird, isn’t it? They are so big my 110-lb dog Mica won’t go after them. Also, this year during the pandemic we may be eating a lot less turkey collectively so …

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Halloween costumes that really scare scientists

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Some scientists, even on Halloween, might be relatively immune to the fear of things that nonetheless freak out many everyday normal people. Brains, powerful lasers, antibiotic resistant genetically-modified bacteria, potent viruses, radioactivity. The list goes on and on. Mutant cells and animals. DNA containing cancer-causing genes. So as Halloween approaches, what does scare the heck out …

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Science humor: penalties we’d get if research was like sports

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Time for some science humor. For past attempts at humor on this blog see here. Today, I’m asking: if science was more like sports such as football, soccer, basketball, etc., what penalties and fouls would us scientists get? Here is a humorous look at the things we mess up in small or mondo ways as …

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Trump makes case for germline human genetic modification?

Human-genetic-modification

Flying out of Portland Airport yesterday, I saw these magazines side by side: Trump and genetic modification of humans. Hmmm. That’s a humorous juxtaposition and the two covers are oddly similar in design. It go me thinking… Could using germline human genetic modification be a wise thing to do in some cases? After all, humanity …

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Monday morning musings: stocks, ISSCR, grants, CRISPR, New Book

Wake-up-its-Monday

What’s on your mind on this Monday morning and are you caffeinated enough yet? Depending on where you live it may even be time for dinner, bed, or already early Tuesday. Here are some Monday musings… To get safe and effective stem cell treatments to patients in a responsible, compliant manner you need commercial efforts …

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