Harriet Carroll: Long Covid Scientific Consultancy
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angryhacademic.bsky.social
Harriet Carroll: Long Covid Scientific Consultancy
@angryhacademic.bsky.social
680 followers 260 following 4.4K posts
#LongCovid Scientific Consultant
PhD Nutrition & Metabolism
Hon Research Fellow, Lund Uni
Posts: nutrition ▪ health ▪ all-things-science ▪ activism ▪ fun facts ▪ #PostVac

Donations: https://ko-fi.com/drsmash

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LongCovidSC
Posts Replies Media Videos
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: bars of soap may look grubby, and they may even be contaminated, but there doesn't seem to be evidence that bacteria transfer from the bar to your hands from hand washing
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/art...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/art...
Washing with contaminated bar soap is unlikely to transfer bacteria
Recent reports of the isolation of microorganisms from used soap bars have raised the concern that bacteria may be transferred from contaminated soap bars during handwashing. Since only one study addressing this question has been published, we ...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
November 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: based on modelling (i.e. lots of assumptions), during peak infection, a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 carries ~1 billion to 100 billion virions, weighing up to 0.1 mg. This means SARS-CoV-2 virions in all humans weigh 100 g to 10 kg
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
The total number and mass of SARS-CoV-2 virions
Knowing the absolute numbers of virions in an infection promotes better understanding of disease dynamics and response of the immune system. Here we use current knowledge on the concentrations of virions in infected individuals to estimate the total ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
November 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: the skeleton of the sunfish is mostly made of cartilage. Their vertebral column is significantly reduced, resulting in the loss of the caudal (back) fin (replaced by the clavus—a broad, stiff lobe that acts like a rudder), & they dont have ribs
fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species...
a young boy is sitting on a couch and making a funny face with the words `` y tho '' on his face .
ALT: a young boy is sitting on a couch and making a funny face with the words `` y tho '' on his face .
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: dung beetles navigate using the milky way

(And to test this, researchers made little dung beetle hats)

cell.com/current-biol...
Easy read:
www.science.org/content/arti...
Dung Beetles Navigate by the Milky Way
They're the first known insects guided by starlight
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: do you ever feel like someone is talking shit? Maybe they are blow fly maggot!

These little rascals have evolved termite "faces" on their butt giving them access to the termite colony, its food, and free grooming
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.livescience.com/animals/inse...
A maggot butt which looks like a termite face with a little dot for each eye and antennas coming off the top
November 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
a cat wearing an orange scarf around its neck says oh hey there
ALT: a cat wearing an orange scarf around its neck says oh hey there
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: contrary to TV shows and movies, chloroform does not knock people out within seconds. In controlled settings, very high concentrations need to be inhaled for several minutes to induce unconsciousness
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201...
Chloroform: Acute Exposure Guideline Levels
Under the authority of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) P.L. 92-463 of 1972, the National Advisory Committee for Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances (NAC/AEGL Committee) ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
November 9, 2025 at 10:06 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: caterpillars that become lichen moths throw their poop from their butt, landing it several times their body length away, known as frass flicking

See here:
youtu.be/UFc8nyvux04?...
Bug Bowl 2021: When Caterpillars Throw their Poo
YouTube video by PurdueExtensionEntm
youtu.be
November 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: this 👇🏻 is a mola mola or sunfish. No it has not had its tail cut off, it is a plate-shaped blob that swims vertically, & cant close its mouth. It is unusual in many ways, cue a miniseries!
taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/1...
📸: newsweek.com/ocean-sunfis...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_s...
A sun fish. It looks like a round flat plate with two large fins, one of the top and one on the bottom. There is no tail, so it looks like the body ends very abruptly A sun fish. It looks like a round flat plate with two large fins, one of the top and one on the bottom. There is no tail, so it looks like the body ends very abruptly. This picture is more front on where you can see its open mouth
November 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: some languages are spoken slower or faster than others, but regardless of speed, the amount of information transmitted remains roughly stable (~39 bits/second) across languages
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Easy read:
www.science.org/content/arti...
Different languages, similar encoding efficiency: Comparable information rates across the human communicative niche
Human languages encode similar average information rates (~39 bits/s) despite their remarkable differences.
science.org
November 9, 2025 at 10:02 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: while maggots can eat dead wound skin, they can also go ahead & just eat you...& your genitals
⚠️Graphic pics⚠️
Penile: casereports.bmj.com/content/13/9...
Vaginal: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Scrotal: jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
bsky.app/profile/angr...
November 9, 2025 at 10:02 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: water in the desert is hard to come by so animals have learnt different ways to get it. The fog-basking beetle climbs up the sand dunes when it's foggy, does a little handstand, & its body collects water which trickles towards its mouth
frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Beetle in a fog chamber with its rear legs extended pushing it's butt upwards, and it's head tilted towards the floor. 2 red lines are overlaid on the picture to show the angle ("a") the beetle's body is at, relative to being perpendicular to the ground
November 8, 2025 at 9:16 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: this 👇🏻 is the furry puss caterpillar. It may look like a wee kitty ready for some cuddles, but touching it results in hours of radiating burning pain
nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Image from this video: youtu.be/d81e8p3AkkM
A mans face close up to a furry blond-ish caterpillar sitting on a leaf.
November 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: melatonin is often promoted for its anti-inflammatory action. However, its relation to inflammation is complex; it can promote (acute) inflammation whilst modulating the immune system to avoid chronic inflammation
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Melatonin: A pleiotropic molecule regulating inflammation
Melatonin is a neurohormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates sleep and circadian functions. Melatonin also regulates inflammatory and immun…
sciencedirect.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:14 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: neutron stars are the densest known observable thing in the universe. On Earth, 1 sugar cube of neutron star would weigh about 1 billion tons
science.nasa.gov/universe/neu...
a cartoon character is lifting a barbell and making a funny face
ALT: a cartoon character is lifting a barbell and making a funny face
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: this maggot filled teabag is an effective way to treat wounds. The maggots:
Eat dying tissue & bacteria
Release antimicrobials
Release substances that promote healing
Eliminate odours
www.swbh.nhs.uk/wp-content/u...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/m...
A sort of tea bag with a white sponge and maggots inside Image: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Sterile-larvae-in-biobag_fig1_5502681
November 8, 2025 at 9:11 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
I think some people who do great things know they will be remembered for those great things and often this leads to erasure or downplaying of their shittery

People need to know that if they are bad people, that will not be forgotten. Their legacy WILL be smeared
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 AM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: steaming (for 7.5 min) seems to be the best way to maintain the nutrient profile of cooked broccoli (total antioxidant capacity, glucosinolates, carotenoids, sulforane, and folate)
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A review of the impact of preparation and cooking on the nutritional quality of vegetables and legumes
Vegetables and legumes represent one of the most important components of the human diet. Being informed about their characteristics can improve the he…
sciencedirect.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:03 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: in recent years orcas have appeared at Mossel Bay in South Africa, & theyre eating the great white sharks, causing the sharks to flee the area they were once a common sighting in
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Easy read & a video:
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/v...
Video Footage Captures Orcas Killing Great White Sharks
The predation could explain why the sharks have been locally declining in recent years
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: the long eared jerboa is a desert rodent found in China & Mongolia. They have a snout-like nose 🐽, mouse-like body 🐁, kangaroo-like legs 🦘, & the biggest ears 🐰 relative to body size—up to 50 % body length!
livescience.com/largest-anim...
Image: reddit.com/r/Awwducatio...
A sand coloured rodent with really long ears, really short front arms, kangaroo like legs, a snout like nose, big black eyes, and a long pink tail
November 7, 2025 at 9:01 PM
angryhacademic.bsky.social
Fun fact: snailfish have gelatinous skin that melts at room temperature on land
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
spongebob squarepants is riding a red bicycle with a flower in the background .
ALT: spongebob squarepants is riding a red bicycle with a flower in the background .
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM