French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
@frenchsilkpie.bsky.social
microbiologist, medical lab scientist, quilter, gardener (4b) , animal lover, vegetarian, lover of shiny objects & of the oxford comma. Millennial.
guardian to a shiba inu (see profile photo) and a cat <3 & a whippet puppy!
very liberal American - MN
guardian to a shiba inu (see profile photo) and a cat <3 & a whippet puppy!
very liberal American - MN
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
Tiny criminal has armed herself with a pair of scissors and honestly I do not expect this level of escalation.
November 11, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Tiny criminal has armed herself with a pair of scissors and honestly I do not expect this level of escalation.
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
If you haven't read her story Jackalope Wives, you need to!
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Published in Apex Magazine issue 56.
www.apexbookcompany.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:37 PM
If you haven't read her story Jackalope Wives, you need to!
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
you know what mia I'm glad you were a beagle. it's actually better for everybody that you were a beagle
November 8, 2025 at 7:43 AM
you know what mia I'm glad you were a beagle. it's actually better for everybody that you were a beagle
Preordered plants over a month ago to be picked up today. 😁 This is what I got - 6 Jack-in-the-pulpits, 6 wood lilies, 3 Michigan lilies..... In theory. It feels like really I bought a bunch of dirt. 😅 (Confirmed bulbs in the dirt though.) Dormant natives feel like a joke.
September 13, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Preordered plants over a month ago to be picked up today. 😁 This is what I got - 6 Jack-in-the-pulpits, 6 wood lilies, 3 Michigan lilies..... In theory. It feels like really I bought a bunch of dirt. 😅 (Confirmed bulbs in the dirt though.) Dormant natives feel like a joke.
When I was younger, I always pictured underwater basket weaving as something that required at least a snorkel if not scuba. Like, the basket weaver ALSO had to be underwater. 🤔😅🤷♀️
The worst part is that's literally how you make some types of baskets. You have to soak the canes, and the baskets are woven while being held underwater.
At some point, someone offered a course on this technique, and it got picked on as something completely ludicrous despite being totally valid.
At some point, someone offered a course on this technique, and it got picked on as something completely ludicrous despite being totally valid.
September 8, 2025 at 10:17 PM
When I was younger, I always pictured underwater basket weaving as something that required at least a snorkel if not scuba. Like, the basket weaver ALSO had to be underwater. 🤔😅🤷♀️
www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
"“This insane, absolutely spectacular feature flips the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures,” Cohen said in a press release. Who knows where they’ll turn up next?"
....
"“This insane, absolutely spectacular feature flips the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures,” Cohen said in a press release. Who knows where they’ll turn up next?"
....
Behold the Gloriously Weird Spotted Ratfish. It Has Teeth on Its Forehead for Sex
Researchers have finally traced the origin of the spotted ratfish’s bizarre forehead teeth, which are used for mating
www.scientificamerican.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:27 PM
www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
"“This insane, absolutely spectacular feature flips the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures,” Cohen said in a press release. Who knows where they’ll turn up next?"
....
"“This insane, absolutely spectacular feature flips the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures,” Cohen said in a press release. Who knows where they’ll turn up next?"
....
hummingbird food baby! (food egg? 🤔)
Just a couple of minutes feeding lets this little female calliope hummingbird pack on the micrograms and become pleasantly plump.
#birds
#birds
August 28, 2025 at 11:51 PM
hummingbird food baby! (food egg? 🤔)
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
GOOD NEWS! For the FIRST time ever, and after MORE THAN 30 YEARS of HIV vaccine clinical trials, researchers have developed a vaccine that has SUCCESSFULLY generated TIER 2 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV and BLOCKS viral infection in vaccinated PEOPLE.
August 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
GOOD NEWS! For the FIRST time ever, and after MORE THAN 30 YEARS of HIV vaccine clinical trials, researchers have developed a vaccine that has SUCCESSFULLY generated TIER 2 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV and BLOCKS viral infection in vaccinated PEOPLE.
I feel like the chime-adder is kind of like a dog and I am going to be so upset if something bad happens to her..!!! 😩 #hemlockandsilver
I am literally on a panel tomorrow called DOES THE DOG DIE
August 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I feel like the chime-adder is kind of like a dog and I am going to be so upset if something bad happens to her..!!! 😩 #hemlockandsilver
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
@secondlina.com had a very nice one: www.tumblr.com/secondlina/7...
Post by @secondlina · 4 images
💬 176 🔁 52623 ❤️ 66656 · Hiveworks Comics · I drew a little something for the Hiveworks micro comic summer~
It's time! Today is the day. Share the comic you've been working on all summer with th…
www.tumblr.com
August 22, 2025 at 2:11 AM
@secondlina.com had a very nice one: www.tumblr.com/secondlina/7...
Oh my god T. Kingfisher has given a perfect description of a lab tech in her latest book! 😍😅 @tkingfisher.com This, and all the related paragraphs, are exactly on point for how many of us in the lab feel (and why we're there and not seeing patients!)
August 22, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Oh my god T. Kingfisher has given a perfect description of a lab tech in her latest book! 😍😅 @tkingfisher.com This, and all the related paragraphs, are exactly on point for how many of us in the lab feel (and why we're there and not seeing patients!)
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
Are the mRNA vaccines incredible? YES!
Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.
Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!
Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!
Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!
Fund mRNA research!
Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.
Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!
Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!
Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!
Fund mRNA research!
August 19, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Are the mRNA vaccines incredible? YES!
Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.
Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!
Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!
Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!
Fund mRNA research!
Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.
Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!
Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!
Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!
Fund mRNA research!
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
I don’t want to be governed by vibes. I want to be governed by data, and I want the methods which generated that data to be peer-reviewed so aggressively that bias is recognized and mitigated.
I want to do nothing *but* trust experts, so I can spend my time as an expert in my own tiny field.
I want to do nothing *but* trust experts, so I can spend my time as an expert in my own tiny field.
1. "'Trusting the experts is not a feature of either a science or democracy," Kennedy said."
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.
I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.
RFK Jr. in interview with Scripps News: ‘Trusting the experts is not science’
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. sat down with Scripps News for a wide-ranging interview, discussing mRNA vaccine funding policy changes and a recent shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
www.scrippsnews.com
August 12, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I don’t want to be governed by vibes. I want to be governed by data, and I want the methods which generated that data to be peer-reviewed so aggressively that bias is recognized and mitigated.
I want to do nothing *but* trust experts, so I can spend my time as an expert in my own tiny field.
I want to do nothing *but* trust experts, so I can spend my time as an expert in my own tiny field.
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
I will *never* apologize for a post
August 6, 2025 at 4:32 AM
I will *never* apologize for a post
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
The Claw Cometh!! 🔮🦀 #crab #claw #cometh #pincer #seamonster #itcamefromthedeep #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity
July 30, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The Claw Cometh!! 🔮🦀 #crab #claw #cometh #pincer #seamonster #itcamefromthedeep #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity
I really hope this little friend doesn't get eaten. 🤞
July 28, 2025 at 6:53 PM
I really hope this little friend doesn't get eaten. 🤞
My struggle. Trending towards one individual plant of each of a variety of species, in part as a "will this plant grow in this spot?" sort of test.
Every flowerbed is Darwin's flowerbed. 😂
Every flowerbed is Darwin's flowerbed. 😂
Based on data i'm playing with, sites with bigger patches of generalist-popular plants do recruit more *individuals*, BUT an area with smaller plants but a greater diversity of species will attract more pollinator *species*
July 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
My struggle. Trending towards one individual plant of each of a variety of species, in part as a "will this plant grow in this spot?" sort of test.
Every flowerbed is Darwin's flowerbed. 😂
Every flowerbed is Darwin's flowerbed. 😂
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
I’m petrified about today’s science news. Genetically modifying crabs to have cheetah genes? This could go sideways fast.
July 8, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I’m petrified about today’s science news. Genetically modifying crabs to have cheetah genes? This could go sideways fast.
Having watched the latest John Oliver on this very topic today, this is incredible.
god tier slop
some frankly amazing AI slop that someone decided to try and post on the r/dataisbeautiful subreddit
July 7, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Having watched the latest John Oliver on this very topic today, this is incredible.
In agreement except I like alfredo sauce and butter. 🤤
Related, this is how I feel about bacon. 🤢 Also lobster, shrimp, and crabs - they're just bugs of the ocean, hard pass, no thank you. 🤢🤢🤢 WAY TOO MANY LEGS.
Related, this is how I feel about bacon. 🤢 Also lobster, shrimp, and crabs - they're just bugs of the ocean, hard pass, no thank you. 🤢🤢🤢 WAY TOO MANY LEGS.
July 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
In agreement except I like alfredo sauce and butter. 🤤
Related, this is how I feel about bacon. 🤢 Also lobster, shrimp, and crabs - they're just bugs of the ocean, hard pass, no thank you. 🤢🤢🤢 WAY TOO MANY LEGS.
Related, this is how I feel about bacon. 🤢 Also lobster, shrimp, and crabs - they're just bugs of the ocean, hard pass, no thank you. 🤢🤢🤢 WAY TOO MANY LEGS.
Reposted by French Silk Potato, MLS(ASCP) SM
every time my wife sees the clematis growing over our Narnia lamp she says, “wow. our chlamydia has really gotten out of control”
May 21, 2024 at 6:28 PM
every time my wife sees the clematis growing over our Narnia lamp she says, “wow. our chlamydia has really gotten out of control”
A red white and BLUE-m (bloom) scroll from my garden for the 4th! Happy Independence Day! (#nokings?)
July 4, 2025 at 5:48 PM
A red white and BLUE-m (bloom) scroll from my garden for the 4th! Happy Independence Day! (#nokings?)
IMPEACH TRUMP
June 22, 2025 at 3:11 AM
IMPEACH TRUMP
Not to argue with the frog surveyor, but imo it's the regular gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor, that sounds like a bird, not the cope's gray (Hyla chrysoscelis). Aside from the calls being different, they look identical but also one is diploid and the other is tetraploid.
My partner & I were trying to ID a bird we heard while walking and the guy who had stopped his car to let us pass got out and was like "it's a frog, actually. Cope's Gray. I do frog surveys... Sorry" And then got in his car without a word and drove off. Absolute king
June 18, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Not to argue with the frog surveyor, but imo it's the regular gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor, that sounds like a bird, not the cope's gray (Hyla chrysoscelis). Aside from the calls being different, they look identical but also one is diploid and the other is tetraploid.