Many people have remarked how they felt watching the Artemis II launch. I was in graduate school when the Challenger blew up, and I was deeply impacted. I will never forget a very famous scientist who said, “It’s just wasteful spending” and shrugged. I had no words. 1/2

My retirement approaches, & I hope to have a "memory book" of experiences w students over the last 30 years. I began asking in January, & only 3 former students responded. I will keep asking once a month, but it may not be of interest. No matter what, I owe my career to ALL of them.

I have many concerns about NASA and bureaucracy and such, but I am SO pleased the launch went well. All of my digits are interposed. Safe voyaging!

So Artemis is going farther out than the Apollo missions?

When I was a boy, I delighted in reading about weird phenomena and events. It was a lot better than the asphalt and concrete and I grew up around. Just as the night sky and microscopes brought me wonder, so did those odd books and magazines. But there is a limit, as I see on social media.

A true labor of love for @calebmallery.bsky.social is out now in PLOS Pathogens: a review article where we highlight current and emerging examples of key protein-protein interactions with LuxR-type receptors that control community behaviors and pathogenesis. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Nice article in National Geographic about the work of my colleagues at @ucdavis.bsky.social -- @dranyabrown.bsky.social and @rachaelabay.bsky.social www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/... Survival of the most cooperative

As I approach retirement, I am thinking about subscribing to a few journals that exist in physical form. They are expensive, but something to page through & think about? Science, Nature, @natmicrobiol.nature.com @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social? I am happy with all ASM jouirnals virtually. Thoughts?

I loved Ze Frank's recent video about gecko biology. He is silly but informative. youtu.be/W0JbIKPE9mc?...

This is an important thread. I have always had trouble getting my PCP to prescribe medications like this. But I had influenza B (confirmed) last year, and it was not fun. Thanks to @markjmandel.bsky.social for this thread.

Predator-prey dynamics of Vibrio cholerae on chitin suggest an alternative mode of biofilm formation in marine snow conditions #ISMEJournal from Carey Nadell academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

Baby Carl the Kenyan Sand Boa is still on his hunger strike, but continues to look good, and has not lost much weight. I think he is getting ready to shed again. Also, it seems clear that this #EmotionalSupportSnake genuinely likes me. He boops my nose, and I boop his.

Here is a wonderful attempt by a microbiology student to create a small stained glass representation of basic bacterial shapes. I am so lucky to have had such students, and I will miss working with them!

Azula is always keeping an eye on me. Judging. #RestingSkinkFace

Here is a small stone my wife found for me in Ireland. I think that these are fossils. I dream of visiting the places with ammonites everywhere! Someday.... @goldbugsofficial @mikeharrisonfossils

I just can’t justify the cost. But it’s an awesome hat. The video is even cooler. wildhatsofficial.com/product/dr-j... www.youtube.com/shorts/iGIcv...

Happy birthday and may your coming dread incarnation be a source of pride to the Dark Family, @darkmicrobio.bsky.social

Images that I would love to see on enamel pins!

I do not care if this isn’t real. It brings me joy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLX...

I sound not-so-upbeat these days, but I wanted to also say that several people who are real experts have taken time out of their days to advise me on something I am trying to do in lab. Since I work pretty much alone, and don't have fancy machines or connections, this has mattered so much to me.

There is a Maker on Etsy who creates wonderful enamel pins reading "This is what a (fill in the blank) looks like." She absolutely makes "This is what a biologist looks like." We NEED a "This is what a microbiologist looks like" pin! Maybe for ASM Microbe & ASMCUE meetings? I asked her; no reply.

This work by @vscooper.micropopbio.org and @evolvingstem.bsky.social is really excellent. This is the kind of thing I dreamed of doing post retirement---microbial outreach that matters. What a great story and program.

I’m hoping that if I water the terrarium properly, I will get more angry fire skink sprouts!

Fear IS the mind-killer. Especially cosmic terror.

Old episode of “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” with a little virology!

We are all—-all of us—-so sadly predictable. All I can do is try to keep more of an open mind. But not so open my brain falls out, as my late father warned me.

I hope this photo of Azula of the #FireSkinkNation can make you smile. What a skinkadoo.

I believe this utterly. We scientists *must* be able to describe what we do to non specialists and the public.

#ICanHazPDF? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

What a world! I wrote some science fiction, long ago, with Gregory Benford. Turns out I am on the Anthropic Settlement website. So I filled out the form. Why AI would want to use *my* prose to train AI is beyond me.

I really really like it when an experiment pans out. No, not earth shattering or high up in the #TrophicWebOfScience. But I’m very happy.

This reminded me of all the conversations I had over the years with Gregory Benford. I have no illusions about my own intelligence; Greg is much more intelligent. It was so much fun to kick ideas around with him. I miss those conversations, & want Greg to get better. youtu.be/98ASJpI_Ajw?...

Jennifer Quinn is very creative. #MicrobialCentricity

Be more like Azula.

A little closer to my identity and experience.

Jennifer Quinn giving a talk at an institution that shares her world view. @jennifer.j.quinn

Streptomyces and other actinos are really fascinating bacteria. Always something new to discover.

I do my best to have fun when I work in lab. Period.

This artwork makes me think of @tikicommando and @loonatiki3 ! And @herfules as well. @devils_reef @darkharbourbar

The title of this makes me want to sound like Rocky in Project Hail Mary: amaze amaze amaze. One author being @acasadevall1.bsky.social is just icing on the microbial cake. I need to find a PDF of it. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

And family is far away again.

Azula of the #FireSkinkNation wants to know how your week went. And also if you have a delicious crunchy isopod or two to spare?

this is Archibald. he would like to hear about how your day went.

Current mood. #WithMyMindOnMyMicrobesAndMyMicrobesOnMyMind

The microbiology journal picks by @jcamthrash.bsky.social daily are my essential first stop when I log on. Thank you so much, Cam!

How common is multicellularity in bacteria? And archaea? And how does it evolve? We wrote a short review "On the architecture and evolution of prokaryotic multicellularity". Preprint link: bit.ly/4ta06Gq Sharing and comments are much appreciated. 1/4

An old post, when I used to blog, describing the "microbial vests" my late mother made. I used to wear them when I taught. The vests are pretty threadbare now. Company out of business. My late mother had the pattern. So I treasure the memory. microbesrule.blogspot.com/2012/09/micr...

IYKYK.

So many names I know and admire among the new AAAS Fellows: Stefano Bertuzzi, @symbionticism.bsky.social, @maitreya.bsky.social, Rob Dunn, Petra Levin, Melanie Mormile, Amy Cheng Vollmer, and (wow!) Kelly Shepard, whom I taught as an undergraduate a million years ago.

As retirement approaches (very distressing to me after so long of a battle to create a niche for myself in academia), I am thinking of a retirement gift to myself. No plan yet.