Ivan Bessonov
@ibessonov.bsky.social
Once a chemist, now a medical device nerd. Husband, dad, terrible weather enjoyer.
Tech cofounder at Efferon - extracorporeal treatment of sepsis.
Tech cofounder at Efferon - extracorporeal treatment of sepsis.
Reposted by Ivan Bessonov
What if there were a carbon sequestration method that was fully solar-powered, could be deployed anywhere & cost pennies per unit?
Oh. Trees. I just re-invented trees.
EXCEPT trees don't hold carbon for very long.
Enter the Saguaro cactus:
It shifts carbon from 'biotic' to 'abiotic'!
(📷: NPS)
Oh. Trees. I just re-invented trees.
EXCEPT trees don't hold carbon for very long.
Enter the Saguaro cactus:
It shifts carbon from 'biotic' to 'abiotic'!
(📷: NPS)
May 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
What if there were a carbon sequestration method that was fully solar-powered, could be deployed anywhere & cost pennies per unit?
Oh. Trees. I just re-invented trees.
EXCEPT trees don't hold carbon for very long.
Enter the Saguaro cactus:
It shifts carbon from 'biotic' to 'abiotic'!
(📷: NPS)
Oh. Trees. I just re-invented trees.
EXCEPT trees don't hold carbon for very long.
Enter the Saguaro cactus:
It shifts carbon from 'biotic' to 'abiotic'!
(📷: NPS)
i was under impression that Asgard archea only inhabit abyssal plains in deep oceanic floor
turns out, sweeping the coastal wetlands can yield HUNDREDS of their previously unknown genomes (China has it all)
and tell us new details about the emergence of Eukariotes
turns out, sweeping the coastal wetlands can yield HUNDREDS of their previously unknown genomes (China has it all)
and tell us new details about the emergence of Eukariotes
May 30, 2025 at 11:21 AM
i was under impression that Asgard archea only inhabit abyssal plains in deep oceanic floor
turns out, sweeping the coastal wetlands can yield HUNDREDS of their previously unknown genomes (China has it all)
and tell us new details about the emergence of Eukariotes
turns out, sweeping the coastal wetlands can yield HUNDREDS of their previously unknown genomes (China has it all)
and tell us new details about the emergence of Eukariotes
Reposted by Ivan Bessonov
From r/embroidery subreddit:
user 'strombus_monster' reproduced a Moche depiction of:
"A deer fighting a lima bean in the desert."
The Moche were the dominant culture in Northern Peru ~ 100 CE to 800 CE.
user 'strombus_monster' reproduced a Moche depiction of:
"A deer fighting a lima bean in the desert."
The Moche were the dominant culture in Northern Peru ~ 100 CE to 800 CE.
May 28, 2025 at 12:37 AM
From r/embroidery subreddit:
user 'strombus_monster' reproduced a Moche depiction of:
"A deer fighting a lima bean in the desert."
The Moche were the dominant culture in Northern Peru ~ 100 CE to 800 CE.
user 'strombus_monster' reproduced a Moche depiction of:
"A deer fighting a lima bean in the desert."
The Moche were the dominant culture in Northern Peru ~ 100 CE to 800 CE.
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ....
as i understand from this paper, dumethylsulfide is NOT a biosignature
so the question “whether it’s observed in the exoplanet’s atmosphere” lacks existential value and is more like a discussion about experimental methods among astronomers
as i understand from this paper, dumethylsulfide is NOT a biosignature
so the question “whether it’s observed in the exoplanet’s atmosphere” lacks existential value and is more like a discussion about experimental methods among astronomers
May 21, 2025 at 10:31 AM
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ....
as i understand from this paper, dumethylsulfide is NOT a biosignature
so the question “whether it’s observed in the exoplanet’s atmosphere” lacks existential value and is more like a discussion about experimental methods among astronomers
as i understand from this paper, dumethylsulfide is NOT a biosignature
so the question “whether it’s observed in the exoplanet’s atmosphere” lacks existential value and is more like a discussion about experimental methods among astronomers
one of my major accomplishments of the year gone by:
i could wrap my head about the Minty Hall problem and validate this comprehension via explanation to my family so they understood it too!
i could wrap my head about the Minty Hall problem and validate this comprehension via explanation to my family so they understood it too!
New post on a familiar puzzle and an underappreciated challenge… kucharski.substack.com/p/can-you-co...
Can you convincingly explain the Monty Hall problem?
Four approachs for an elusive puzzle
kucharski.substack.com
May 21, 2025 at 10:25 AM
one of my major accomplishments of the year gone by:
i could wrap my head about the Minty Hall problem and validate this comprehension via explanation to my family so they understood it too!
i could wrap my head about the Minty Hall problem and validate this comprehension via explanation to my family so they understood it too!
riding in a bad weather scores extra points of badassery, but riding in a nice weather just feels about right
May 19, 2025 at 8:26 PM
riding in a bad weather scores extra points of badassery, but riding in a nice weather just feels about right
i can attest - lack of grit and/or talent to withstand these “incentives” was a major factor behind my shift from academia into industry
talyarkoni.org/blog/2018/10...
talyarkoni.org/blog/2018/10...
May 2, 2025 at 11:02 AM
i can attest - lack of grit and/or talent to withstand these “incentives” was a major factor behind my shift from academia into industry
talyarkoni.org/blog/2018/10...
talyarkoni.org/blog/2018/10...
it was a great joy to visit Dubrovnik and attend the ICEOS conference on extracorporeal organ support
our stuff is now available across the Balkans and Adriatics
our stuff is now available across the Balkans and Adriatics
April 26, 2025 at 6:52 PM
it was a great joy to visit Dubrovnik and attend the ICEOS conference on extracorporeal organ support
our stuff is now available across the Balkans and Adriatics
our stuff is now available across the Balkans and Adriatics
this is the exact impression i get from the German cuisine - like these people have never overgrew their moms’ cooking style
The reason why older generations burnt the shit out of their meat and boiled the shit out of their vegetables, was your kid died if you didn't.
Medium rare steaks and roasted Brussels sprouts are a side effect of an intact food safety infrastructure
Medium rare steaks and roasted Brussels sprouts are a side effect of an intact food safety infrastructure
"The Agriculture Department will not require poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products, halting a Biden Administration effort to prevent food poisoning from contaminated meat."
www.seattletimes.com/business/usd...
www.seattletimes.com/business/usd...
April 26, 2025 at 4:45 PM
this is the exact impression i get from the German cuisine - like these people have never overgrew their moms’ cooking style
i became a person who wakes up before 7:00 on vacation to rush a ghetto-gym
April 23, 2025 at 9:23 AM
i became a person who wakes up before 7:00 on vacation to rush a ghetto-gym
that’s a neat point - chlorofluorocarbons as biosignature of a technology-wielding civilisation
The more complicated the molecule is, the harder it seems to be to make through abiotic processes.
An example I like to use are CFCs. If we found CFCs in the atmosphere of another planet I would be in everyone’s DMs telling them I think we found life.
That’s going to be REALLY hard-
An example I like to use are CFCs. If we found CFCs in the atmosphere of another planet I would be in everyone’s DMs telling them I think we found life.
That’s going to be REALLY hard-
April 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
that’s a neat point - chlorofluorocarbons as biosignature of a technology-wielding civilisation
20 targeted edits in 14 genes of modern-day gray wolf, a large and complex mammal, to make it resemble the long-extinct relative, is an impressive feat
but i have to admit, word “resurrection” feels wrong here
but i have to admit, word “resurrection” feels wrong here
April 8, 2025 at 6:29 AM
20 targeted edits in 14 genes of modern-day gray wolf, a large and complex mammal, to make it resemble the long-extinct relative, is an impressive feat
but i have to admit, word “resurrection” feels wrong here
but i have to admit, word “resurrection” feels wrong here
this machine for peeling of asparagus’s thick skin is installed in our local grocery store
people around seem to really enjoy over-engineering things (and also processes)
people around seem to really enjoy over-engineering things (and also processes)
April 5, 2025 at 3:10 PM
this machine for peeling of asparagus’s thick skin is installed in our local grocery store
people around seem to really enjoy over-engineering things (and also processes)
people around seem to really enjoy over-engineering things (and also processes)
we’ve got sunny days with late sunsets
April 4, 2025 at 6:39 PM
we’ve got sunny days with late sunsets
i would have never guessed that my post-Soviet childhood could give me insights about contemporary American politics
April 3, 2025 at 5:45 PM
i would have never guessed that my post-Soviet childhood could give me insights about contemporary American politics
www.astralcodexten.com/p/the-colors...
this is such a neat piece (and a relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip)
this is such a neat piece (and a relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip)
April 3, 2025 at 12:40 PM
www.astralcodexten.com/p/the-colors...
this is such a neat piece (and a relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip)
this is such a neat piece (and a relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip)
every time I read a story like this my knee jerk reaction is “damn, ASTROBIOLOGY is a legit discipline”
if only I knew about the opportunity to become a real ASTROBIOLOGIST when I was a baby chemist - all my life could go in another direction
if only I knew about the opportunity to become a real ASTROBIOLOGIST when I was a baby chemist - all my life could go in another direction
Something big is afoot. A new suggestion that complexity increases over time, not just in living organisms but in the nonliving world, promises to rewrite notions of time and evolution. @philipcball.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/why-everythi...
Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex | Quanta Magazine
A new suggestion that complexity increases over time, not just in living organisms but in the nonliving world, promises to rewrite notions of time and evolution.
www.quantamagazine.org
April 2, 2025 at 7:43 PM
every time I read a story like this my knee jerk reaction is “damn, ASTROBIOLOGY is a legit discipline”
if only I knew about the opportunity to become a real ASTROBIOLOGIST when I was a baby chemist - all my life could go in another direction
if only I knew about the opportunity to become a real ASTROBIOLOGIST when I was a baby chemist - all my life could go in another direction
far to many books I’ve read seem to follow the pattern
1) a brilliant overview of currently accepted model of the world
2) weak points and internal contradictions of the model are wittily highlighted
3) an authors’ pet theory in hope to solve these riddles
Brian Greene, Gregory Clark, Nick Lane…
1) a brilliant overview of currently accepted model of the world
2) weak points and internal contradictions of the model are wittily highlighted
3) an authors’ pet theory in hope to solve these riddles
Brian Greene, Gregory Clark, Nick Lane…
March 31, 2025 at 6:59 AM
far to many books I’ve read seem to follow the pattern
1) a brilliant overview of currently accepted model of the world
2) weak points and internal contradictions of the model are wittily highlighted
3) an authors’ pet theory in hope to solve these riddles
Brian Greene, Gregory Clark, Nick Lane…
1) a brilliant overview of currently accepted model of the world
2) weak points and internal contradictions of the model are wittily highlighted
3) an authors’ pet theory in hope to solve these riddles
Brian Greene, Gregory Clark, Nick Lane…
“the collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle;
when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge;
when flying close together, they are called a plump.”
when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge;
when flying close together, they are called a plump.”
March 24, 2025 at 7:40 AM
“the collective noun for a group of geese on the ground is a gaggle;
when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge;
when flying close together, they are called a plump.”
when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge;
when flying close together, they are called a plump.”
it took me painfully long to realise that it was Peter Bruegel who originated the Wimmelbuch concept
March 23, 2025 at 10:49 AM
it took me painfully long to realise that it was Peter Bruegel who originated the Wimmelbuch concept
yes, i had to be at the farthest point from home to puncture that tire
if only this brilliant podcast could last a few times longer
seriously though, it’s a great introduction into a currently run long-termed experiment on evolution of multicellularity
if only this brilliant podcast could last a few times longer
seriously though, it’s a great introduction into a currently run long-termed experiment on evolution of multicellularity
March 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM
yes, i had to be at the farthest point from home to puncture that tire
if only this brilliant podcast could last a few times longer
seriously though, it’s a great introduction into a currently run long-termed experiment on evolution of multicellularity
if only this brilliant podcast could last a few times longer
seriously though, it’s a great introduction into a currently run long-termed experiment on evolution of multicellularity
ripe jalapeños, garlic, fish sauce processed into bits and lactofermented for ~2 weeks (up to pH 3.9)
added a bunch of vinegar, sterilised and bottled
next time would do it with plums and habaneros
added a bunch of vinegar, sterilised and bottled
next time would do it with plums and habaneros
March 18, 2025 at 9:07 AM
ripe jalapeños, garlic, fish sauce processed into bits and lactofermented for ~2 weeks (up to pH 3.9)
added a bunch of vinegar, sterilised and bottled
next time would do it with plums and habaneros
added a bunch of vinegar, sterilised and bottled
next time would do it with plums and habaneros
wow, that looks like a first real use case for MOFs (and a hugely impressive one)
Progress in getting X-ray crystal structures of compounds without actually growing crystals of them. Note: I’ve tried something similar myself, a few years ago.
Crystallization Cages
www.science.org
March 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM
wow, that looks like a first real use case for MOFs (and a hugely impressive one)
nautil.us/intelligent-...
an interesting perspective I have not been thinking about:
planetary moons are subjected to tidal forces which yield a flux of heat
such an energy source can be crucial for an abiogenesis event
perhaps we were searching for the extraterrestrial life in the wrong places!
an interesting perspective I have not been thinking about:
planetary moons are subjected to tidal forces which yield a flux of heat
such an energy source can be crucial for an abiogenesis event
perhaps we were searching for the extraterrestrial life in the wrong places!
March 1, 2025 at 10:55 AM
nautil.us/intelligent-...
an interesting perspective I have not been thinking about:
planetary moons are subjected to tidal forces which yield a flux of heat
such an energy source can be crucial for an abiogenesis event
perhaps we were searching for the extraterrestrial life in the wrong places!
an interesting perspective I have not been thinking about:
planetary moons are subjected to tidal forces which yield a flux of heat
such an energy source can be crucial for an abiogenesis event
perhaps we were searching for the extraterrestrial life in the wrong places!