Farmer in Training

#this makes me curiously sad #the idea of flowers covering the undead #that symbol of human love is what makes them docile

*pretends to be shocked but also maybe this will make people realize that Indigenous People Know What The Hell They’re Doing and Deserve Respect*

And she is wonderful

Never a bad time to remember that indigenous people are wonderful and deserve to have a good day.

I had some other work to do this morning (Figuring out some algae stuff involving 1000 L mesocosm up a mountain) so mystery species has been sitting alone in the lab all morning…..

I for one welcome our new plant, algae, or fungi overlords.

I was about to say “in a sensible lab people wouldn’t waste time with this, they’d autoclave the bottles and move on” but on reflection I can’t think of a single bio lab I’ve been in that wouldn’t immediately go “ooh, mystery algae, that sounds like a fun challenge; let’s devote multiple hours to identifying it for no reason”.

I need updates tell me about the algae

The mystery algae/plant/fungi/alien is stuck in the university growth chamber. With everything going on I probably won’t get to check in on it until September, possibly not until 2021.

So by that time it will have developed what, writing?

God I hope so, then I can train it to write my thesis!

This entire post is the most on-brand biologist thing I have seen in my entire godforsaken life. The moment this pandemic is over these guys have another crisis ready for us.

Can we get an update cause this is crazy

Update: Due to the global pandemic, the algae has been left alone in a weird hidden growth chamber for a year and will likely stay there for another year. Enjoy that information!

This is Christ-like love!

Everything about this is a masterpiece: the girl that says “wow” and the girl that says “hi” shyly and bill awkwardly lifting his hand to say hi to them I’m cracking THE FUCK UP

The way they all immediately straightened up their postures like the fuckin pope walked in 😂 the sheer power this cool science man has over the american people is palpable

I would do anything for the terra cotta corn puppy

Ah but to be a waterdrop with googly eyes

Ghibli character

SCREAMING

AUDIO DESCRIPTION Cashier: “Is that everything?” Customer: (referencing the person coming in the shop door) “I don’t know, is THAT for sale??” Blue shorts hottie: “Oooh baby, I’ve GOT a husband…”

You have to mention that EVERYONE in this clip has a country accent.

[Image description: 10 photos of queer Black couples. End image description]

“if you liked this title you may enjoy” but with animal species

i also like that this is a “ask craftspeople” thing, it reminds me of when art historians were all “the fuck” about someone’s ear “deformity” in a portrait and couldn’t work out what the symbolism was until someone who’d also worked as a piercer was like “uhm, he’s fucked up a piercing there”. interdisciplinary shit also needs to include non-academic approaches because crafts & trades people know shit ok

One of my professors often tells us about a time he, as and Egyptian Archaeologist, came down upon a ring of bricks one brick high. In the middle of a house. He and his fellow researchers could not fpr the life of them figure out what tf it could possibly have been for. Until he decided to as a laborer, who doesnt even speak English, what it was. The guy gestures for my prof to follow him, and shows him the same ring of bricks in a nearby modern house. Said ring is filled with baby chicks, while momma hen is out in the yard having a snack. The chicks can’t get over the single brick, but mom can step right over. Over 2000 years and their still corraling chicks with brick circles. If it aint broke, dont fix it and always ask the locals.

Omg the ancient child proofing add on tho lol

I remember years ago on a forum (email list, that’s how old) a woman talking about going to a museum, and seeing among the women’s household objects a number of fired clay items referred to as “prayer objects”.  (Apparently this sort of labeling is not uncommon when you have something that every house has and appears to be important, but no-one knows what it is.)  She found a docent and said, “Excuse me, but I think those are drop spindles.”  “Why would you think that, ma’am?”  “Because they look just like the ones my husband makes for me.  See?”  They got all excited, took tons of pictures and video of her spinning with her spindle.  When she was back in the area a few years later, they were still on display, but labeled as drop spindles.

Yeah, my generally policy is to take the phrase “used for ritual purposes” as “we don’t know wtf it was for” until evidence suggests otherwise.

A reminder that “ritual” in archaeology doesn’t always mean for special ceremonies or purpose. Do you use your toothbrush every morning? BOOM. That toothbrush is a ritual item. Artifacts that were used for daily activities will also be called ritual. So yes, sometimes “ritual” means we have no idea, or it might mean we know EXACTLY what it’s for. And in my experience, we know EXACTLY what things are for by asking crafts people and others outside of our discipline, because they will see the things we don’t! That’s why collaboration is beautiful

Who would have thought he was bi and we were going to be together going on 6+ years now ♥

Wait, is there a thread where I can read all about this development?!?!!