Forests and plantlife in gamedev

I 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 been working on a game project in Godot (I would say “a really cool, nifty […]

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, and I moved in with my partner. I feel really accomplished, especially the last year. […]

Update: calathea concinna self-compatibility

Quick 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 days. However, after a recent experience wherein I saw the style shoot forward (with a […]

Calathea concinna Self-Compatibility

I’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 going really well! I say that now – I’m sure in the next few months […]

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, Sean B. Carroll & a chat about the evolution of new structures

Review 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 handful are beneficial. One change in one protein is infrequently the cause of such fervent […]

Sick as a dog: Slime Molds

Came 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 or the “Scrambled Eggs” slime mold (studiously avoiding a much more… unpleasant name) is a […]

Closed Aquatic Ecosystems: Sourcing Wildlife

I’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, how it shapes the community, etc. The maintenance of balance between these organisms is vital […]

Spalted Wood

It 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, from early spring when I got back from uni, to now, nearly in the summer […]

Fungi Foraging: 22/4/2020

After 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 call the place home, so often the bounties of the woods go unclaimed by all […]

Wild Garlic

I’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 woodland are great for a change of scenery and, in the spring months especially, is […]