Amazing recs, thank you so much! I happen to be currently reading John Vaillant’s The Golden Spruce and have added it to the list as well

These ancient climates, to which we have now returned, are not incompatible with a living world. But they are incompatible with the world we have created. And the speed with which we have reversed 10 million years of Earth history leaves almost no time for us or the rest of Earth's life to adapt.

Insulin was also discovered in Canada! I walked by a Banting Street the other day, presumably named after Frederick Banting, one of the co-discoverers. A small example of how Canada celebrates its scientists. Support for science is one of the major reasons why I moved here. (n/n)

The above examples involve managing T1D. As the quoted thread points out, insulin is the only *treatment*. Insulin is famously more affordable in Canada than the US (4/n)

Next is walkability. Walking is one of the best strategies to help me keep my blood glucose levels in range. The pedestrian safety features and access to public spaces here way better than anywhere I’ve lived before - but it should be noted I now live in a bigger city than I have previously (3/n)

First is food prices. I’m not sure if this is generalizable across Canada and the US, but my grocery bill here is cheaper, even before factoring in the exchange rate between CAD and USD. The prime example is the cost of eggs (high protein low carb), around CAD$4/dozen here (2/n)

Perhaps the coolest thing about this work is that, in order to conduct culture experiments with Chaetoceros resting spores, I “resurrected” resting spores from Southern Ocean sediment. Zombie diatoms!!

But, the good news is that shifting relative abundance of resting spores over glacial-interglacial cycles does not significantly impact published diatom-bound N isotope records

We found that a common type of diatom, Chaetoceros resting spores, record low diatom-bound nitrogen isotope values relative to other diatoms, which could potentially bias paleo records and lead to underestimates of Southern Ocean biological pump efficiency over time

Keep an eye out for future work related to silicification and diatom-bound N isotopes from our recent Southern Ocean research cruise!

However, one species of diatom differed significantly in its isotopic offset between biomass and diatom-bound N. Its N:Si uptake and frustule nitrogen content also differed from other species, suggesting a possible influence of silica acquisition on sedimentary diatom-bound N isotope signatures

Led by Becky Robinson and Colin Jones, we present results from diatom culture experiments showing that nitrogen isotopic signatures are largely consistent between different diatom species, which further validates the use of diatom-bound N isotopes as a paleoproxy for nitrate supply and demand

I may or may not have done more math while making this sweater pattern than while doing a PhD and am thrilled with the result! It was fun and rewarding to combine my love of knitting and diatoms 🥰

Some species of the Chaetoceros genus form a unique life stage, known as a resting spore, in response to stress. A major focus of my PhD research was investigating how the geochemical signature of resting spores influences records used for paleoceanographic reconstructions.