I love science pictures. Even when I was a kid, images of science really struck me. I’ve been doing The Niche now for 16 years and come across many unusual pictures during that time. It’s hard to imagine that I started this site in 2010. What a different world that was. In some ways, it […]
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
Strangest things I’ve seen & heard in research lab Read More »
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
Funny autocorrect fails in STEM: the gremlin organdy fiasco Read More »
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
Weekly reads: badgers, organoids, The Onion, & more Read More »
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
Fun, geeky turkey facts for the Thanksgiving dinner table Read More »
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 2025 approaches, what does scare the heck
Halloween costumes that really scare scientists Read More »
Today I’m posting about pet peeves in the science lab. This is an update to and expansion of a post from many years ago. Who doesn’t have some lab pet peeves? And, yeah, we are all probably guilty at one time or another of driving other people a bit nuts with our own idiosyncrasies that
13 lab pet peeves of scientists Read More »
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
Science humor: penalties we’d get if research was like sports Read More »
My daughter saw this in a parking lot. Wish it was my license plate.
Best science license plate for me Read More »
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
Monday morning musings: stocks, ISSCR, grants, CRISPR, New Book Read More »