Shawn Christensen
@pollenmicrobes.bsky.social
Microbiologist, chemical ecologist.
I study the bugs of bugs and their drugs.
(bee bacterial symbionts make antifungal compounds)
He/him ✊🏼🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
I study the bugs of bugs and their drugs.
(bee bacterial symbionts make antifungal compounds)
He/him ✊🏼🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
A bunch of new bee associated Streptomyces isolates, ready to be tested for antibiotic production.
Because they come from bees, they are LESS likely to produce antibiotics that harm animals and MORE likely to make effective antifungals.
Because they come from bees, they are LESS likely to produce antibiotics that harm animals and MORE likely to make effective antifungals.
February 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
A bunch of new bee associated Streptomyces isolates, ready to be tested for antibiotic production.
Because they come from bees, they are LESS likely to produce antibiotics that harm animals and MORE likely to make effective antifungals.
Because they come from bees, they are LESS likely to produce antibiotics that harm animals and MORE likely to make effective antifungals.
PSA / tips(?) for anyone near #LAfires impacted by smoke- if you don’t have an air filter and can’t afford one, try a cheap box fan and plain square hepa filter. Tape filter to the intake side+ be sure the air flow arrow on the filter points toward the fan.
January 9, 2025 at 7:56 PM
PSA / tips(?) for anyone near #LAfires impacted by smoke- if you don’t have an air filter and can’t afford one, try a cheap box fan and plain square hepa filter. Tape filter to the intake side+ be sure the air flow arrow on the filter points toward the fan.
Happy Pride! My favorite part of smaller local pride events are the kids who get to see queer and trans adults just out here celebrating our lives and culture and bodies. So much shame could’ve been erased in my life if I could have known what my future could look like, that I could be loved. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
June 4, 2024 at 1:36 AM
Happy Pride! My favorite part of smaller local pride events are the kids who get to see queer and trans adults just out here celebrating our lives and culture and bodies. So much shame could’ve been erased in my life if I could have known what my future could look like, that I could be loved. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
❌Rejection day ❌
Fellowship and NSF grant both declined today.
These beers are only sold in my home state and I usually save them for the big wins but f*ck it. Its a win to try.
Cheers to all the others who gave it a shot. 🍻 🧪
Fellowship and NSF grant both declined today.
These beers are only sold in my home state and I usually save them for the big wins but f*ck it. Its a win to try.
Cheers to all the others who gave it a shot. 🍻 🧪
June 1, 2024 at 12:46 AM
❌Rejection day ❌
Fellowship and NSF grant both declined today.
These beers are only sold in my home state and I usually save them for the big wins but f*ck it. Its a win to try.
Cheers to all the others who gave it a shot. 🍻 🧪
Fellowship and NSF grant both declined today.
These beers are only sold in my home state and I usually save them for the big wins but f*ck it. Its a win to try.
Cheers to all the others who gave it a shot. 🍻 🧪
So jazzed to share some highlights, pitfalls, gratitude, and super surprising hot-off-the-microscope images at my exit seminar!🐝🦠🌺
Join to learn about pollen hacking, sleeping beauty bees, and of course antifreeze yeasts.
May 24th at 3pm Pacific. Dm for Zoom if interested.
Join to learn about pollen hacking, sleeping beauty bees, and of course antifreeze yeasts.
May 24th at 3pm Pacific. Dm for Zoom if interested.
May 15, 2024 at 2:32 AM
So jazzed to share some highlights, pitfalls, gratitude, and super surprising hot-off-the-microscope images at my exit seminar!🐝🦠🌺
Join to learn about pollen hacking, sleeping beauty bees, and of course antifreeze yeasts.
May 24th at 3pm Pacific. Dm for Zoom if interested.
Join to learn about pollen hacking, sleeping beauty bees, and of course antifreeze yeasts.
May 24th at 3pm Pacific. Dm for Zoom if interested.
Northern lights over Norcal!
May 11, 2024 at 7:37 AM
Northern lights over Norcal!
Woof. Thats 🔥 from PacBio!!
Bee associated streptomyces genomes are in the works!
Bee associated streptomyces genomes are in the works!
February 16, 2024 at 1:00 AM
Woof. Thats 🔥 from PacBio!!
Bee associated streptomyces genomes are in the works!
Bee associated streptomyces genomes are in the works!
Amazing how “we underpaid our grad students by hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year in stark violation of the contract” becomes:
February 9, 2024 at 12:13 AM
Amazing how “we underpaid our grad students by hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year in stark violation of the contract” becomes:
Its really raining in Davis! 1/2inch per hour!! 1.6in since yesterday at 10pm 👀
February 4, 2024 at 5:43 PM
Its really raining in Davis! 1/2inch per hour!! 1.6in since yesterday at 10pm 👀
Turns out submitting a manuscript that includes all of your work, ideas and art for judgement by anonymous strangers of whether it is Cool or Good enough is actually a really vulnerable act.
We talk about taking criticism well but damn that initial punch of rejection really hurts.
We talk about taking criticism well but damn that initial punch of rejection really hurts.
January 31, 2024 at 3:25 AM
Turns out submitting a manuscript that includes all of your work, ideas and art for judgement by anonymous strangers of whether it is Cool or Good enough is actually a really vulnerable act.
We talk about taking criticism well but damn that initial punch of rejection really hurts.
We talk about taking criticism well but damn that initial punch of rejection really hurts.
Playing with linocut and yeah this is definitely my next tattoo
January 15, 2024 at 7:10 AM
Playing with linocut and yeah this is definitely my next tattoo
My “open-air gingerbread fire station”(?) won the solo category of the microbiology grad student competition, what an honor. 😂
The ‘doubles’ competition was narrowly taken by a “Chernobyl rewilding” inspired house featuring several indoor trees.
The ‘doubles’ competition was narrowly taken by a “Chernobyl rewilding” inspired house featuring several indoor trees.
December 17, 2023 at 7:46 PM
My “open-air gingerbread fire station”(?) won the solo category of the microbiology grad student competition, what an honor. 😂
The ‘doubles’ competition was narrowly taken by a “Chernobyl rewilding” inspired house featuring several indoor trees.
The ‘doubles’ competition was narrowly taken by a “Chernobyl rewilding” inspired house featuring several indoor trees.
But I think it is just different. I notice the hole in the base of the flower where a carpenter bee made a shortcut to the nectar, I smell the difference when a yeast is growing in there. I will spend an hour exploring a square cm of a brood cell cap covered in fungi.
December 12, 2023 at 12:48 AM
But I think it is just different. I notice the hole in the base of the flower where a carpenter bee made a shortcut to the nectar, I smell the difference when a yeast is growing in there. I will spend an hour exploring a square cm of a brood cell cap covered in fungi.
He was a stellar ecologist, an avid reader, pianist, and mandolin player. Every nurse loved him, every student he taught adored him. He loved chickens, native prairies, his family, friends, and cats.
When he was diagnosed with cancer he was the healthiest person I knew.
Hug your people ❤️
When he was diagnosed with cancer he was the healthiest person I knew.
Hug your people ❤️
November 29, 2023 at 4:22 AM
He was a stellar ecologist, an avid reader, pianist, and mandolin player. Every nurse loved him, every student he taught adored him. He loved chickens, native prairies, his family, friends, and cats.
When he was diagnosed with cancer he was the healthiest person I knew.
Hug your people ❤️
When he was diagnosed with cancer he was the healthiest person I knew.
Hug your people ❤️
Becoming That Kind of cat parent.. got a pet camera because I’ll be gone for a week
November 19, 2023 at 11:26 PM
Becoming That Kind of cat parent.. got a pet camera because I’ll be gone for a week
Its LGBTQ STEM day! We’re here, we’re queer, we’re doing good science and also supporting each other through our unions, our mutual aid, and our activism, rest, bravery, sadness, and joy. 🏳️🌈
November 18, 2023 at 11:36 PM
Its LGBTQ STEM day! We’re here, we’re queer, we’re doing good science and also supporting each other through our unions, our mutual aid, and our activism, rest, bravery, sadness, and joy. 🏳️🌈
I missed this show 🙃
November 18, 2023 at 3:19 AM
I missed this show 🙃
We defrosted the lab freezer ❄️ ☃️
November 16, 2023 at 6:05 PM
We defrosted the lab freezer ❄️ ☃️
AND unlike what we expected, both bacteria and fungi are at peak abundance during diapause! Wild. What are they doing? Well we isolated some Streptomyces and found that they inhibit fungal brood pathogens- so potentially a defensive symbiosis in part.
November 10, 2023 at 7:26 PM
AND unlike what we expected, both bacteria and fungi are at peak abundance during diapause! Wild. What are they doing? Well we isolated some Streptomyces and found that they inhibit fungal brood pathogens- so potentially a defensive symbiosis in part.
Our preprint on the very cool, very weird (ant-like??) microbiome of the solitary bee Anthophora bomboides is up on bioRxiv !! Its overwhelmingly dominated by Actinobacteria and one fungus (Moniliella spathulata)-- but only in the brood cell... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2023 at 7:22 PM
Our preprint on the very cool, very weird (ant-like??) microbiome of the solitary bee Anthophora bomboides is up on bioRxiv !! Its overwhelmingly dominated by Actinobacteria and one fungus (Moniliella spathulata)-- but only in the brood cell... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...