About
I’m Andrew Sploopst – a biology student in the UK with an interest in fungal and botanical biology, especially the application of these fields to areas like architecture and technology. I have a pretty broad array of hobbies and interests (arguably too many) that I like to flit between, so this blog will hopefully help document the things I make, do and see.
Some delicate Cirrus clouds in late Spring. 
Widlflower garden – sown in Spring – during Summer. 
Russula emetica (probably?) spotted during uni sampling in autumn.
Recent Posts
- Forests and plantlife in gamedevI hope any readers on this site have come to expect the sporadic udpate rate this site receives – just think of it as me only bothering you when I think I have something genuinely cool to say. So, I’ve… Read more: Forests and plantlife in gamedev
- Back Again (again)Hi all, Damn. Weird couple of years. But weird in a good way! Since I last posted, a few things have happened – I finished my MSc by Research thesis (awaiting award), I got a job as a data analyst,… Read more: Back Again (again)
- Update: calathea concinna self-compatibilityQuick update: Many more flowers have, and continue to, come in on my Calathea concinna. After some unsuccessful pollinations using a No. 4 paintbrush (done by gently agitating the organs of each flower), I saw browning and wilting within 2… Read more: Update: calathea concinna self-compatibility
- Calathea concinna Self-CompatibilityI’m back! That was a very long hiatus – to fill you in (whoever you are) I’m coming up on the final 3-and-a-bit months of my MSc by Research project in super-resolution microscopy and image segmentation. All things considered, it’s… Read more: Calathea concinna Self-Compatibility
- “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, Sean B. Carroll & a chat about the evolution of new structuresReview A fantastic book on the developing science of Evo Devo. Carroll manages to correct the course of thought away from the incorrect assumption that evolution is primarily driven by the accumulation of totally random, proteinaceous mutations, amongst which a… Read more: “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, Sean B. Carroll & a chat about the evolution of new structures
- Sick as a dog: Slime MoldsCame across this lovely, bright yellow lump on a walk recently – a quick prod with a stick sent a gust of what looked like custard powder on the breeze. I knew immediately I’d come across something interesting. Fuligo septica… Read more: Sick as a dog: Slime Molds
- Closed Aquatic Ecosystems: Sourcing WildlifeI’ve been interested in closed aquatic ecosystems since I first started properly studying biology at university. Over time, I’ve come to understand the role each organism plays in the internal environment – the nutrients it takes in, those it excretes,… Read more: Closed Aquatic Ecosystems: Sourcing Wildlife
- Spalted WoodIt seems at the minute, with studies and quarantine, that I’m only ever at home or at the nearby woods when I want to go for a walk. It has been great seeing the woods come to life around me,… Read more: Spalted Wood
- Fungi Foraging: 22/4/2020After the wild garlic expedition the other day, I’d found a path down into the wilder regions of my local woodland. It’s an ideal scenario for woodland finds, as the slopes are slightly too steep for larger woodland fauna to… Read more: Fungi Foraging: 22/4/2020
- Wild GarlicI’m quite lucky to live where I do – just outside Manchester and a stones throw from the canal which serves as a straight walkway to neighbouring towns, pubs and (most importantly to me) woodland. Chadkirk Chapel and the surrounding… Read more: Wild Garlic
sploopst 