by Roberto – The short answer to that question is an enthusiastic YES! Of course, there is a future for STC, and I think it is bright. The long answer, well... that's what this post is all about It requires that I give you the background story first. Read more →
Winter Vacation
By the STC team — We take advantage of this being the season for rejoicing, and embark on a five-week winter vacation. When we return in 2025, on January 20, we will enter the 19th year of Small Things Considered. Read more →
Re: Limitations of LB Medium
by Christoph — Say, you are a student in a molecular genetics lab course or a more advanced cloning expert, you will inevitably have to deal with E. coli. And to make E. coli bacteria grow quickly, standard protocols almost always suggest using LB medium as a "rich medium". You follow the protocol... Read more →
Retrospective, July to December 2024
by the STC team — Did you miss some of our posts from the past six months? Do you want to re-read your favorites? Just scroll to quickly scan through the list of our posts from the last half year, arranged by categories. Read more →
Microbial Solutions for Climate Change
by Mechas — News media are packed with warnings about climate change – those long–term shifts in temperature and weather patterns that today are largely attributed to human activities. Microbes, inextricably linked and key to planetary health, offer sustainable solutions. Read more →
Lost & Found #2
by Christoph — On our way out of 𝕏 (formerly Twitter), we look through our soon-to-be-obsolete "bookmarks" and show you what shouldn't just end up in the bin. Here are three more salvaged bookmarks in 'Lost & Found #2'. Read more →
How to grow shrubs
by Christoph — Exactly eight years ago today, we introduced you to the 'Hedgehogs In Your Garden'. No, we had not turned our backs on the Small Things and became gardeners instead. Again today, it is not about gardening activities, namely, 'How to grow shrubs'. Let me explain... Read more →
Genomic Dark Matter
by Mechas — Discovering microscopic organisms and elements that exist at the edge of sight is no easy task. New tools designed to explore this mysterious world reveal previously unknown elements and uncover a complex web of forms whose secrets remain to be fully unraveled. Read more →
Genomes by AI
by Roberto — Two years ago I played, simultaneously amused and bemused, with ChatGPT. It was clear artificial intelligence (AI) had taken a quantum leap. While I did not get to play with it, reading about Evo last week evoked similar feelings; it left me both in awe and slightly unnerved. In case you missed it, Evo does with genome sequences what ChatGPT does with words, i.e., almost everything. Read more →
Of Terms in Biology: Edaphon
by Roberto — Soil, the material on the surface of the ground on which plants grow, is itself teeming with life. And there's a term that unifies all that life as an interconnected whole: edaphon. Though it is seldom found in the scientific literature, I will argue that it should be more widely taught and used. Read more →