Dr. Or M. Bialik

Geology, climate change researcher, and too many other things | Posting about the writing experience, science, SFF and academia. Opinions are my own or of the characters in my head.

Public Key

npub1hp5fftml23xd45yx6nkqzwzwj9gj7jzfznnpg9u423ljzf58grwskgpetr

NIP-05 Address

ombialik@mastodon-world.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsts6y54al4gnx66zrdfmqp8p8fz5f0fpy3fes5z724glepy6r5phgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsjzdrv9

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1hp5fftml23xd45yx6nkqzwzwj9gj7jzfznnpg9u423ljzf58grwskgpetr

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-08-06 06:35:28 UTC

In retrospect, it makes sense, but I really didn't expect the difference in the ratio of ATP to carbon to be multiple orders of magnitude between plants and animals.
(Mobility is energy-intensive)
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004226022273
#Worldbuilding #Metabolism #Energy
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/117/047/168/900/446/000/original/cd46ddfdd1d6b461.png

2026-07-30 19:46:20 UTC

One of the few issues I have with Strange New Worlds is that the rooms are too big. I get it's easy for photography, but I had flats smaller than Pike's quarters, and it feels out of place for a ship of this era of Starfleet.
#StarTrek
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/117/010/645/820/009/501/original/904e3648817487ca.png

2026-07-24 15:17:18 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…c5l4 @nprofile…j0el I've seen the gems they were getting out of the Mt Carmel assemblage, and it's just crazy stuff (the moissanite in particular). But the Hatrurim outcrop is something else. The type locality is this little bit next to a junction in the middle of the desert, not special looking, not even marked, but then you start noticing the purple, and brown, and green and orange mottling on the rocks...

2026-07-24 14:55:02 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…c5l4 @nprofile…j0el It was described in samples from the Murunskyi massif, but it's not exclusive to it; there are also some deposits in Paraguay and Honshu.
Although it's a funny one, we synthesized it in the lab before finding it in nature. Sort of like many of the high-T/low-P minerals in the likes of Hatrurim-type deposits.

2026-07-24 14:22:54 UTC

Quantum paraelectricity is a weird phenomenon at the intersection between ferroelectric instability and quantum fluctuations, and is very hard to observe. Solution: liquid helium scanning transmission electron microscopy!
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10823-x
#Microscopy #Quantum #Physics
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/975/399/713/285/510/original/49fe80c4a3ce5bd1.png

2026-07-19 05:57:24 UTC

The things we can tell about exoplanets now are a bit insane. For example, with this case study of LHS 1140b (48.8 light-years away), we can tell there is an inter-annual variation in the helium it degasses to space.
Link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea9708
#Astronomy #Exoplanets
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/945/100/629/356/524/original/da868bc6bc5e1a9e.png

2026-07-18 15:34:25 UTC

At this point, I think I'm just going to shift my efforts to advocating for better, more expensive statistical education in undergraduate and graduate school rather than keep getting annoyed at people using the wrong statistical tool or using one incorrectly.
#AcademicChatter #Statistics

2026-07-14 19:36:13 UTC

There is this incredible reverence towards scientific papers, that they are "for perpetuity". But by their nature, these papers are incredibly disposable. Most will be debunked, superseded, become outdated or irrelevant, retracted, or just forgotten.
That is how Science marches on. We don't canonize texts; we constantly challenge and replace them.
#AcademicChatter
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/920/003/768/507/762/original/63519bbf8f2d22e9.png

2026-07-12 20:24:43 UTC

It would be so much nicer if, rather than forcing volunteer editors and reviewers to hunt for spelling mistakes and bullying authors for making them, scientific publishers could just pay for some proper proof editors, like magazines in any other industry.
It shouldn't be about being perfect; it should be about having a support system in place to pick you up when you aren't.
#AcademicChatter #AcademicPublishing

2026-07-10 19:08:17 UTC

I know I'm going to regret that, but can someone explain to me the obsession with the Roman Empire? I learned about it in school, see leftovers from it all the time and... ya, it's just another dead empire, one of many; we got plenty of leftovers from other ones as well around here.
Being in the Middle East and not Europe/Americas, I'm probably missing some cultural baggage.

2026-07-06 16:59:23 UTC

This was supposed to be a quick-and-dirty one-and-done. A layer of paint, a wash, call it finished, and get a piece of terrain on the table.
So naturally, it took me two days and sixteen paints until I was happy with the result.
#MiniPainting #Terrain #Nerdlings
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/874/093/519/602/758/original/97fae99f222a7700.jpeg

2026-07-06 06:59:19 UTC

While I am for the end of some of these incentives (given the strain they put on researchers there and the system as a whole), together with restrictions on U.S. researchers' foreign collaboration, we are witnessing a fragmentation of the entire scientific architecture.
#Research
https://logos-pres.md/en/news/china-plans-to-reduce-the-number-of-scientific-publications-abroad/

2026-07-04 13:10:04 UTC

One thing I do admit I like better about Mastodon over BlueSky is a cultural element. On BlueSky, people seem to mostly like (if any), but on Mastodon, people seem to mostly repost, thus amplifying the signal and helping the post not drown in the feed.
#SocialMedia

2026-07-03 16:51:56 UTC

Note to prospective graduate students and postdocs. A great way of taking ownership of your project, making sure it's funded, gain a good line for the CV, and also proving yourself to a potential mentor is to lead a grant application with them (and writing your name into it).
#AcademicChatter

2026-07-03 08:44:46 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…c5l4 Seems to be a much older proxy originally used on clays. I can't find the original paper where the use of Ga was introduced, but I don't think it's a stand-in for Al but rather some general weathering flux tracer.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0037073816302767

2026-07-03 08:04:18 UTC

#WeekendReading: Remírez et al., about a boron-based salinity proxy for normal marine conditions! I'm going for cautiously optimistic.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009254126003505
#Boron #Paleosalinity #Proxy #Geochemistry
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/855/001/110/293/562/original/e002eca14d5131ab.png

2026-06-29 17:12:01 UTC

Well, another monitoring cruise came to an end, and now, in acordance to treddition - time to crash.
(was overall good, went better than I expected)
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/834/489/103/271/393/original/8daa04a033996909.png
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/834/489/654/966/616/original/3b08040c25c700bb.png

2026-06-23 06:07:33 UTC

I like it when the title makes the message super clear: Temperate local extinctions from climate change are outpacing tropical extinctions.
(even if the message mostly sucks).
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02669-y
#Ecology #Exctinction #ClimateChange
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/797/920/868/127/239/original/27661b55e0007e3e.png

2026-06-13 12:17:51 UTC

Finished another one. That makes for two full buildings in my ruined cityscape, not sure how many the final set will have (or where I'll store it).
#terrain #minipainting
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/742/753/073/074/898/original/251593039b7893e5.png

2026-06-11 07:11:11 UTC

The nice thing about working on parts of the world that not many people study is that you get to find out a lot of new things simply by observation.
The downside is that no one cares about them since they aren't working on those parts of the world.

2026-06-06 08:14:20 UTC

Is it just me, or is Cloudflare being remarkably uppity recently? I keep running into webpages that reset halfway as I read them to "just checking you're human".

2026-06-04 13:23:10 UTC

There's this paper, I wrote it a decade ago, and for reasons it was left in the drawer. Recently, because of other reasons, I found myself brushing it up and submitting.
Reviews came back, surprisingly positive, but I do find myself scratching my head trying to answer questions about stuff I barely remember.
The answer to both the questions you're about to ask is "issues with co-authors and local academic politics".

2026-06-02 16:28:46 UTC

Title of the paper: The global distribution of CO2-rich magmas is determined by lithospheric thickness.
Title of the press release: Scientists create global treasure map pointing to hidden rare earth deposits.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/681/452/692/953/374/original/670d0131c05eb851.png
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/681/454/654/529/370/original/3aab7203d1c78549.png

2026-06-02 13:35:23 UTC

It's hard to pull Mg out of seawater, and we know that minerals with it, like dolomite, form along a redox profile. But why?
We decided to look at it a bit differently - with electrochemistry!
What we think is going on is a process called “proton-driven cation pumping,” which pulls out the Mg and pushes it (and Ca) into the mineral phase, driven by the electrical potential gradient.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2026.05.034
#Electrochemistry #Dolomite #Redox
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/679/640/390/145/404/original/0965c166fe8112a1.png

2026-06-02 13:00:53 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…sypg The attached map is to llustrates where the geographical regions are.

2026-06-02 12:49:58 UTC

I just want to note that on a paper about something in the Middle East, a reviewer (supposedly, a learned individual) gave us the comment: "For non-European readers as well, it would be helpful to include a map of Europe."
#Reviewer2 #Geography
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/680/586/795/209/995/original/a60e723ec0b2e18f.png

2026-05-30 13:03:32 UTC

The sad reality of engineering is that just because physics and maths say something should work or be more efficient, it doesn't mean we have any idea how to pull it off (or at least, while being economic).

2026-05-29 16:38:25 UTC

Some things I want for my birthday:
Cool shirts not in black, white, or gray.
My page on Wikipedia.
More paints and brushes (and space for them).
Good books (and time to read them).
Art to cover my walls.
A nice restaurant dinner.
Things I'm going to get at this rate:
War, famine, and hemeroids.

2026-05-29 14:34:27 UTC

What would happen if we stuck a stick to the butt of a chicken 🐔?
The surprising answer - we turn it back into a dinosaur 🦖, sort of.
It reverts their locomotion to something similar to a dinosaur.
Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?reqmod=%27b%27&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088458
#dinosaurs #birds
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/658/356/635/080/930/original/33e3f3e5b8a2582a.png

2026-05-28 10:49:41 UTC

🤦 I became one of those people who can't even remember how many papers he has in review. Yesterday, someone asked me, and I counted and said four. Today I got emails about two others I forgot.

2026-05-24 13:01:46 UTC

SciComm people!
I'm trying to help my institute with its outreach and communication efforts now.
We're working on a mailing list to reach reporters and science communicators directly. If you're covering things related to climate change and marine sciences, want to be informed about our work, and would like to be on such a mailing list, you can reach out to me or fill out the form below.
(feel free and even encouraged to tag relevant people)
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=qdeKssC_wkKuFQb6fPc6XMSuKlCiwCZEjqNT5iJtrLhUMTNOMlNJQlRYOFpOUVQxRVAwNjZFUkMwRy4u&route=shorturl
#MarineScience #SciComm

2026-05-20 05:24:53 UTC

Radar absorbing materials in use are super secret, but new ones? Those are developed by researchers, oft in academia, so you can just open an academic journal and read about the next-gen MnZn ferrite/epoxy coating.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214914725003770
#Stealth #MilTech #AdvancedMaterials
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/605/234/643/738/265/original/e0e781a3a12480bf.png

2026-05-16 16:05:03 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…tg2e I'm going to make a long post at some point about "why the thing you care about has no scientific research on", but "no clear path for progress" is, in my limited experience, not actually a main reason there. Scientists tend to be curious and respond to frustrating topics with tenacity. It's just that if there isn't funding, that would be a personal project running in the background at take much-much longer.
There, naturally, a grocity list of caveats to that...

2026-05-16 12:49:24 UTC

There is still some debate about what Brain Fog is, how to define it, and what it means (it's not one thing), despite it being associated with more than a dozen chronic diseases. Some people try to outline definitions now.
Link: https://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(25)00017-7
#BrainFog #Fatigue #Cognition
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/584/330/265/960/807/original/2b422b82b34e54b5.png

2026-05-11 10:50:56 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qysn If you look at production volumes, then Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia.

2026-05-10 16:49:28 UTC

It is sort of absurd that in this day and age, countries that grow cocoa are nonentities for chocolate products, while countries where it's hard to even grow it in a lab are world-famous for theirs.
(The author is actually slightly allergic to cocoa and doesn't consume any, but is still annoyed)
#mercantilism

2026-05-08 05:26:35 UTC

#WeekendReading: Dodd et al. about recurring marine phosphorus spikes during major Paleozoic mass extinctions, and how they might be driving anoxia.
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70701-y
#MassExtinction #Ocean #Anoxia #Paleozoic

2026-05-07 13:10:15 UTC

I think my talk at @nprofile…kuwy went overall well.
Now, just for the review on the papers to come in.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/533/448/102/677/884/original/2e3f0b2fd78536b7.png
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/533/448/770/052/459/original/b59c51f6649aa717.png

2026-05-06 05:37:26 UTC

The way teens interact online has long been a source of linguistic novelty. The transition to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp didn't change that - just formed a new branch
Link: https://journal.wiseedu.co.id/index.php/ltsmjournal/article/view/321
#Linguistics #Teens #NetSpeak
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/526/007/527/122/111/original/9c8a0dfffea517b5.png

2026-05-05 06:44:01 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…sypg Depend on what is involved. 10 million might be fast for one thing, but slow for another.
Oxygen came mostly from cyanobacteria, we think.

2026-05-05 05:54:15 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…sypg "Fast" ~ 20 milion years. Why? Sulfides got oxidized by increasing oxygen levels, paired with barium, and precipitated as barite. What? The ocean became less toxic to things we recognize as life.

2026-05-05 05:52:11 UTC

Men's business and formal wear have all these "rules" about them (like where to put the tie clip when wearing a vest or not), which are more than anything just a set of social signals about who you are, your upbringing, and your social circle.
#Fashion #Menswear

2026-05-05 05:13:32 UTC

There were a lot of weird chemical reactions that had to occur through Earth's history to make Earth habitable. Getting rid of barium and sulfides was one of them and might have happened very fast in the late Ediacaran.
Link: https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article/11/8/nwae237/7710134
#Earth #Geology #EarthsHIstory
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/520/250/910/765/656/original/289222d64fb70e57.png

2026-05-04 05:21:09 UTC

Just FYI, SedsOnline has a call for presenters on evaporites (and other chemical deposits). If you're studying the topic and would like to get a good exposure in the international sedimentological community, this is a good venue.
Their form is here: https://forms.gle/LZ2tXGvxf1fQrk1e9
#Geology #Sedimentology #Rocks #Evaporites
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/514/615/363/945/591/original/bb1af6c0e41a0f0b.png

2026-05-04 04:05:43 UTC

The rise and expansion of reef systems in the Indo-Pacific during the warm and CO2 high Miocene (and decline in the aftermath) will never stop being puzzling to me. Now we have evidence that it also had the biodiversity effects expected.
Link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec7264
#reefs #Miocene #biodiversity #paleontology
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/514/325/525/581/297/original/13699503d9239b52.png

2026-05-03 11:11:00 UTC

It is so messed up that things feel off because they're normal.

2026-05-03 10:28:00 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…hmf0 Yes... They really like it over there.

2026-05-03 06:15:28 UTC

I think we can all agree that sleep is important. But messed-up sleep, where one stops breathing (sleep apnea), is kind of bad and (atop everything else) can also cause memory impairments.
#Sleep #SleepApnea #Memory
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079225000450
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/509/174/110/746/977/original/37dc24ff2747a26b.png

2026-05-03 06:13:11 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…hmf0 So far, they seem to be migrating mostly to LinkedIn, which is just depressing.

2026-05-03 04:33:23 UTC

It doesn't if someone's writing fiction, journalism, academically, or technically. Anyone who writes wants people to read what they're writing.
#Writing

2026-05-02 17:12:23 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…sdq0 They know we're weak and really want to know how that's going to play out.

2026-05-02 14:11:12 UTC

Wondering through the Reddits, I ran into this delight. It's a bit of a joke, but at the same time, I love lexical tool writers, and designers can use among themselves to communicate ideas.
#Swords #Fantasy #WorldBuilding
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/505/380/189/062/623/original/e6aef125a1291bb9.png

2026-05-02 13:05:23 UTC

My feed is already beginning to get filled up with posts from people going to @nprofile…kuwy let's see who I'll get to see when I'll get there (there are over 21k people at the meeting, there are smaller towns. It's very easy to go through the entire week of the meeting and never run into someone)

2026-05-02 10:00:13 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qlh2 @nprofile…hmf0 The first major advence on my science career was going to a person in a conference (master's student, scared out of my wits), intreducing my self in a stadered voice and asking questions about their work. It's hard, but it's so crucial!

2026-05-02 09:45:45 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…hmf0 I keep being amazed by how intimidated people are to ask questions. Makes me feel like an asshole sometimes, talking to them as I keep talking while trying to figure out what isn't clear about what I'm saying.

2026-05-02 09:43:34 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qlh2 I don't think either of us really believes this is the case.

2026-05-02 07:53:41 UTC

Every time I send a copy of a paper of mine on request from someone, be it on ResearchGate or less commonly on email, I tell them in my reply that I'd be happy to answer any question they might have on the text.
To this day, I have yet to receive a single question back.
#AcademicChatter

2026-05-01 19:24:19 UTC

No! Bad characters! No breaking off from the main plot to pair up and start a romantic subplot.
Grr... fine, I'm guessing that's what I'm writing now.
#Writing

2026-05-01 14:49:46 UTC

Fine, vertical stripes have been shown experimentally not to be more slimming then horizantal ones.
I'm still going to go with what I think looks nice on me.
#Fashion #Perception
Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20416695261441454
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/499/869/322/279/575/original/7fd89c7162b8aa6e.png

2026-05-01 12:34:22 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…yxdj No, it's the recurring monster that keeps showing up (killing you, repeatedly) and gets more powerful with each level.

2026-05-01 12:22:27 UTC

It's sometimes easier to herd cats than get five adults in a room to play a session of D&D.
#TTRPG #Adulting

2026-05-01 09:35:56 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…hlzw 🤷 It's just the reality of modern electronics, sometimes, they just die on you in the worst possible moment.

2026-05-01 09:00:43 UTC

Honestly, it's hard enough as it is when a major piece of electronics bricks on you. But if I didn't have a spare, backups, and the technical knowledge on how to retrieve data - I would have absolutely freaked out.

2026-05-01 05:47:24 UTC

When it's time to pull out the USB bootable Linux stick, you know things went terribly wrong.

2026-05-01 05:11:49 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…wjdn Not going to complain about that

2026-05-01 05:08:28 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…w9rc Still work in progress, and all I did in the paint, the sculpt does a lot of heavy lifting.

2026-05-01 05:06:39 UTC

#WeekendReading: Tangunan et al.'s short but insightful piece on the uncertainties behind Earth’s timelines.
Link: https://pastglobalchanges.org/publications/pages-magazines/pages-magazine/138913
#EarthSci #Stratigraphy #Geochronology
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/497/576/424/554/468/original/e00ff0381f12c4b7.png

2026-04-30 19:48:34 UTC

Updated a driver, somehow messed up the whole OS (no idea what happened). Got some ideas how to deal with that, but before I'll even try any of them, going to use a recovery OS to backup all the files from the hard drive overnight in case drastic measures need to be applied. 🤦

2026-04-30 16:27:19 UTC

Unpopular opinion - terrain painting is fun.
The scale allows for error; it's fine if it's a bit messy, the elements are big, and weathering hides any crimes.
There is something stressless about working on them.
#minipainting #terrain #nerdlings
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/494/567/825/953/399/original/fa58c2ef6b92d8b3.jpeg

2026-04-30 16:26:47 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…mspx @nprofile…9trp Not that type of miniatures 😅 but thanks for the reference, they do interesting work.

2026-04-30 15:46:10 UTC

- reply

I am a bit annoyed that they didn't cite our paper on the Eocene carbon transfer by mass flows. I'm fairly sure at least one of the authors was aware of it.
#Eocene
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009254123005016
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/494/429/518/923/472/original/9fc5ab40942ee631.png

2026-04-30 15:44:59 UTC

Carbon is exchanged with the atmosphere at the ocean's surface, but it is stored long-term in its depths. Getting it there involves many paths, one that we are just starting to begin to comprehend is turbidity currents.
#MassTransport #Carbon #Ocean
Link: https://thesedimentaryrecord.scholasticahq.com/article/159298-carbonate-turbidity-currents-play-an-underappreciated-role-in-the-global-carbon-cycle
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/494/405/659/283/649/original/04e72bfe5f35221d.png

2026-04-30 14:16:20 UTC

Closing now on eight months in the new job, still weirded out that I have multiple people working FOR me (and some of them have people working for them).

2026-04-30 13:18:01 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qkf8 It is one of many... but other than The Chair, I don't think there is much communication of these things to the outside.
(Watching that show with other academics and with non-academics is two diffrent expiriances)

2026-04-30 11:24:48 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qkf8 No idea, I decided not to read the comments on that and ignored the posts quoting it for the last one to pop in one of my feeds. It never feels like a good-faith discussion, and I'm not big on feeding the trolls.

2026-04-30 08:10:41 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…9s6f Appreciated, although getting a bit overwhelming. Didn't expect to get this much response (or new followers).

2026-04-30 07:41:58 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…cc9w Honesty and directness are appreciated.

2026-04-30 07:03:16 UTC

As I said earlier, people here are amazing and welcoming, and the response was beyond anything I could have expected... which is also to say it's a bit overwhelming. Deosenses of responses and recommendations, which will take me a while to clear, as I do read all of them and check out each and every profile and tag people recommend to see if it's something I'd like to follow.

2026-04-30 05:44:55 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…jxaf I never used the algorithmic feed on any of the platforms I'm on (now I'm mostly here and on BlueSky). I just very slowly locate by topic and curate interesting people to follow.

2026-04-30 05:38:54 UTC

Just for the record, people here are amazing. I asked a question last night (local) and woke up to find a stream of answers (some useful!) from the lot of you! Thank you.

2026-04-29 20:04:33 UTC

I'm still struggling to find my footing here on Mastodon. A bit with the platforms and tags, but mostly finding people to follow. I'm a bit all over the place, posting about my #writing, be it academic or fiction (mostly #SciFi), and about cool #Science I ran into, and the more common than it should be - complain about stuff.
I'm interested in #SFF, #publishing, #MiniaturePainting, science, #queer culture, academia, human sexuality, geekish humor, #comics & #EarthSci.
Recommend people to me!

2026-04-29 18:35:30 UTC

I'll never stop being annoyed by random posts Á la "why would people with (academic) tenure be motivated to keep improving/innovate/etc?" from people who clearly don't understand how the research ecosystem (and its currencies) work, nor are interested in learning.
#AcademicChatter

2026-04-27 15:42:05 UTC

Just a reminder, the monster isn't called Frankenstein, and the cat isn't called Schrödinger.

2026-04-27 03:48:29 UTC

Phytoestrogenic plants are a group that synthesizes chemicals mimicking the biological activity of mammalian estrogen. They may offer an accessible hormone replacement therapy substitute for menopause and (potentially) trans women.
#HRT #herbology
Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43450-024-00584-x
I first found out about these over the weekend, when the guide on the forging tour I was on brought it up with respect to Crimson clovers. I went and checked the literature on that, which turns out to be rather robust.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/474/620/826/991/041/original/ee8eda57382262f6.png

2026-04-26 16:29:53 UTC

As I'm finishing dealing with backend stuff related to reposting my books, I'm talking to close and distant friends about boosting the signal once I'm ready.
The conversations are usually good, and people want to help, but it's still hard and awkward to initiate these conversations.
Also, a remarkably large swath of my friends turns out to be completely absent from web spaces nowadays, or they have very specific use cases.
They have a life, how dare they!
#WritingCommunity #Selfpublishing

2026-04-26 11:39:05 UTC

If you're at the @nprofile…kuwy meeting this year, and would like to hear me talk about ocean ventilation over the last few 100s of millions of years, it'll be at the Biogeodynamics and the co-evolution of Earth, climate, and life session on Thursday (BG5.1).
#Ocean #EarthScience
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/470/807/309/829/853/original/fe5fa6b4a01c0ebf.png

2026-04-26 05:33:02 UTC

Research paper writers, idea, who about you devote the abstract to tell us what you found (and what it might mean) rather than what you did*?
(not like there is an entire section in the paper for the letter)
#AcademicChatter #AcademicWriting
*Does not apply to method papers

2026-04-26 04:30:07 UTC

And again, I remind everyone to check stuff before you rage post about it. Actually, especially if you're about to rage post about it. Anger bypasses cognitive inhibition mechanisms and accelerates misinformation sharing.
#SocialMedia
Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2026.2647351
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/469/118/477/164/373/original/c5b605baa399ea0c.png

2026-04-25 11:59:23 UTC

#SaturdayStrolling, low on rocks for a change. The bloom is coming to an end, and I joined a wild plant-picking tour to learn which ones are safe to nibble on.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/465/220/811/639/426/original/e1ecba9f749ea933.jpeg

2026-04-24 04:45:37 UTC

#WeekendReading: going back to Turchyn and DePaolo's review on seawater chemistry change through Phanerozoic Time. Got some ideas and want to cover my bases.
#Ocean #EarthHistory
Link: https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-earth-082517-010305
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/457/858/805/093/082/original/c0b1c136607341fc.png

2026-04-23 18:25:47 UTC

Going to be taking this off my Pinned Post soon, as I'm going to have to sort out the D2D situation, and that link will be outdated. But the Amazon and itch.io links will remain valid.
<hint> go check them out to get the book </hint>
#Books #SelfPublishing

2026-04-17 14:57:10 UTC

#WeekendReading: Thomas and Garritano's review on symbionts and ammonia oxidation in the ocean. It's the first step in nitrification, so it has a big role in regulating nitrogen availability for biology.
Link: https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-marine-040824-032008
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/420/626/257/147/867/original/ccff2c2761616ee6.png

2026-04-10 08:07:41 UTC

#WeekendReading: Zhou et al., on adsorption of Cadmium to clay-microbe aggregates, and what it might mean for heavy metals cycling in the ocean.
#HeavyMetal #Ocean
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703720305536
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/379/382/908/782/467/original/3ff295e3da02d75f.png

2026-04-04 17:38:16 UTC

I'm painfully aware that for most people, "the sea" goes only about as far as they can see from the beach.
But there is much more of it.
And with the way things are going, we're going to be able to learn and protect a lot less of it in the coming years.
#Sea #Ocean #Marine #Research

2026-04-03 07:47:07 UTC

#WeekendReading: Zhong et al. on Cadmium isotope systematics in seep carbonates. Looks like it tracks seawater in calcite and aragonite, but the pore fluids in dolomite. Not surprising, but potentially useful!
#Geochemistry #ColdSeeps
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009254126001658
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/336/349/137/956/924/original/4ab6e2232efb2a3b.png

2026-04-01 08:33:20 UTC

Remember that thing about plants becoming less nutritious (mostly less protein and more sugar) with climate change?
<sarcastic>Great news, everyone!</sarcastic>
It also appears to apply to plankton.
Link:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02598-w
#ClimateChange #Plankton #Ocean
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/328/522/170/399/383/original/68f8e48bfd0241b0.png

2026-03-30 21:09:35 UTC

Someone should really do something about this 24-hour limit on a day's length; it's a real hindrance on getting stuff done.

2026-03-27 06:56:54 UTC

#WeekendReading: Williams et al., on the role of orbital forcing versus #CO2 on ice feedbacks in the (geologic) near recent using some modeling work.
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70750-3
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/299/831/772/936/081/original/b60b4ac74c04a8ad.png

2026-03-20 07:40:57 UTC

#WeekendReading: Platt et al., on automated mineralogical classification of hyperspectral images from #Mars to better map and understand the Red Planet.
Link: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JE009473
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/260/368/825/195/715/original/6d4d9fea70b5019c.png

2026-03-13 08:31:38 UTC

#WeekendReading: Douglas et al., on how #heatwaves impact the emission of #greenhouse gases from estuaries.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65519-z
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/220/930/394/616/618/original/376f643b011279ef.png