Danny @danwchan@scholar.social

WHO says there is no evidence microplastics in drinking water are dangerous to human health. Of course more studies are needed! And we should be limiting how much we're making

via NPR: https://www.npr.org/2019/08/22/753324757/who-study-finds-no-evidence-of-health-concerns-from-microplastics-in-drinking-wa

linked WHO report with detailed disucssion: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/326499/9789241516198-eng.pdf?ua=1

Luckily a new member has expressed interest in the project which has reignited my motivation. We tried to salvage some gemma from dried adults onto new plates and I tried to thaw gemma I had previously stored in liquid N2. I think the incubator might be broken and that might have impacted the success of the thaw. Once the incubator fully operational again I may ask the genspace group for more gemma.

Just wanted to share a photo of myself and the sign I painted at the march in NYC this weekend because I'm proud of my efforts. It was so great to see how many people wanted to support and amplify the messages of Reclaim Pride NYC. I was happy to celebrate #pride in a space where corporate power was in question and people stood together to proclaim "none are free until all are free"

https://reclaimpridenyc.org/

Oh man here's a long due update about the Open Plant project I has started to work on at Genspace: I moved to Biotech without Borders (BwoB) because I wanted a more flexible space near my home. I ordered a bunch of reagents, but then I realized that BwoB doesn't have heat and the incubator only cools. So a few weeks later and I revised the code to used the millis() timer and 2 relays (OLED display needs more memory). Still fixing up the documentation: https://github.com/danwchan/openplant_incubator

Chicken candy doesn't taste like chicken

Oh I realized I haven't updated on this project in a while. Members successfully propagated the wild samples in axenic conditions and the incubator has really helped with their growth. We received samples from the UK of cam and tak strains so we have the common lab strains now. They were a little dried out so we're hoping that gemma will revive.

The group exercise for tonight.

https://scholar.social/media/SROAT8XFKwy3q-v2pTE

Tonight I'm at biotech without borders for a NSF funded talk about genetic engineering of humans. Looks like it'll be a discussion format. Before we start Dr. Jorgensen is explaining the challenges of opening up the scientific enterprise.

https://scholar.social/media/_WRWqNkvjNVSzGs0Cls

The first iteration of an #incubator for #liverworts is made! It features PID cooling and heating, cool white light (day/night cycle) and fan speed control. A timed log of those parameters is kept on an SD card. It's still under development so I'll post more updates as we bring together documentation and add features. #openscience

Jackson heights has a great market feel. I really like this city.

https://scholar.social/media/iDk8OpEjP9XtSoz0E34

So the project has been going on for a month and a bit so far. We're waiting on our Marchantia samples to clear the authorities, meanwhile we have been talking about how to build our incubator, we got some "wild" plant samples and are trying to grow them and we're figuring out how to best engage the most people in the work. I've already learned a lot of electronics I didn't think I would. Hopefully we barcode something soon. I sense things will speed up but right now it's a simmer :D

This was the Genspace hosted bio event @ Caveat on Friday. I learned about photo microbial fuel cells and got to touch various mycelial materials while sharing a drink with experts and enthusiasts. Great start of a night and even better conversations.

RT @yasmind@twitter.com The Internet's One Percent:
1% of Reddit communities initiate ~3/4 of all conflict on the platform.
Communities creating conflict (in red) are rare and clustered in social regions. They attack communities similar in topic but different in view point.
https://snap.stanford.edu/conflict
https://twitter.com/yasmind/status/976213300433301504

RT @jeroenbosman@twitter.com "Open Science made easy: 7 steps towards transparent and reproducible research". https://osf.io/hktmf/ Nice flyer available for re-use, by a.o @nicebread303@twitter.com in the Network for open science initiatives (NOSI).
https://twitter.com/jeroenbosman/status/968779515337076738