tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75458580319762473732024-02-07T21:22:24.581+00:00Friendly BacteriaScience, my life, interesting things and general ramblings.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-47405193735829933852017-04-22T12:06:00.001+01:002017-04-22T12:06:19.691+01:00Why be a Scientist?<div>
I'm a scientist! I absolutely love it, and I can't imagine doing anything else. Today, there's Marches all around the globe for Science, so I thought I'd share a handful of my reasons to be a scientist! It's Earth Day too, happy Earth Day!<a name='more'></a></div>
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<b>Learn about the... everything</b></div>
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And I really mean everything. If there's a thing out there in the universe, there's either a branch of science investigating it, or there will be once we discover it. From subatomic particles to supermassive black holes, from the smallest virus to blue whales, and from hydrogen molecules to hugely complex quaternary protein structures, you can't escape science. And science can't escape scientists; we find out as much as we can about everything we can! Scientists are never bored. You can look at anything, wonder about it and find it interesting. I'm drinking coffee; why does a plant compound (caffeine) wake me, a human, up? It's cloudy outside; how many bacteria are up there nucleating the water vapour? I can't remember being bored because there's always something interesting to ask about the world.</div>
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<b>Appreciate nature more</b></div>
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Related to the above, I really appreciate and enjoy the natural world around us. The complexity in everything at every level, from the molecular to macroscopic, is totally mindblowing. Being a biologist and knowing about stuff working at the tiny level of proteins in each cell, adding together and working together to ultimately create, well, me, you, or the seagull outside my window, is awesome. And how over the millennia things change and evolve, and continue to do so, right from however life started as a single proto-organism or whatever to me sitting here in my pyjamas getting really nerdy on a saturday morning. And don't get me started on the ridiculous vastness of space!</div>
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<b>Have a positive impact on the world and the lives of others</b></div>
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This is my big motivation; I want to leave the world in a better place than when I entered it (So please don't throw nukes at each other, various nations). My current research looks at bacteria benefiting plants; one day this could be used to boost crop yields somewhere. One day this research could help feed people, feed their livestock, or grow energy crops to power their homes. Even being able to contribute in a small way to that is really fulfilling. But that's just me and my project; all the research going on today is adding up to make everything a little bit better overall. And it does add up! Look at where we are now compared to a hundred years ago; vaccination programs have led to massive reductions and even eradications of diseases worldwide. You're reading my words from wherever in the world you may be. We walked on the moon, landed sweet robots on Mars, and just found out Enceladus has the right conditions to support life. Science is everywhere in everyone's life, and it's incredible. Scientists are the ones lucky enough to help make that happen.</div>
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<b>Think logically and sensibly</b></div>
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The nature of science and the scientific method brings a way to look at the world, and information, and sort out the truth from the lies. I wrote <a href="http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/do-your-research-scientist-style.html" target="_blank">this post</a> about scientific research, and how science is a huge entity supported by hundreds of years of research. Being a scientists helps see which information is based in fact, and backed up by actual reality, and which things are made up lies (mostly to relieve people from their money, or to control them in some way). Robust science improves the world and our lives, while made up silly science leads to resurgence of diseases like measles, and poor people losing their lives after trying nonsense medicines or faith healing or whatever. </div>
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<b>Knowing the unknown</b></div>
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This is my main reason to be a scientist. I have always loved the feeling of finding out something new, that I didn't know before. I also love telling people new facts to share that feeling with them! Which has led to me bombarding my friends and family with random animal facts over the years, moving towards more microbial facts now... I'm sure they love it really...</div>
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Being a scientist means you get to find stuff out that nobody, not one person ever, has known. And then you get to share that with the world! Isn't that the most wonderful thing?</div>
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So there we have it, those are just some of the reasons I can think of to be a scientist. For me, it's the best job in the world. And the best thing is, there's no reason you can't be a scientist; whoever you are, wherever you are, you can be a part of this wonderful thing called science. I love it.</div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-14002958412952986552017-04-19T12:00:00.000+01:002017-04-19T12:00:12.328+01:00A New Beginning, an Old Face, and a lot of LiltYou know when you don't sleep, so you can't quite function properly that day? And then if that has a knock-on effect on the next night's sleep, the next day is affected too, and so on, in a string of days where you're not quite 100% and can't sleep either? And then after a few days of this you get a decent sleep, you're refreshed and ready, and you feel SO much better despite not having felt that bad over the sleepless days, you are at your best, and it feels amazing?<br />
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That's me right now. I feel like me, like 100% Peak Gareth. Except not from a few sleepless nights, but from several years of brain fog from depression, medication, withdrawal of medication, and so on. And let me tell you, it feels <i>incredible</i>.<br />
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I've not posted in about a month, because I've been a complete zombie from withdrawal from my meds. I've been less able to work, less able to do things I enjoy or spend time with those I like spending time with. Actually, much like some of the aspects of when I was in the worst of the depression, if a lot less bad and for an infinitely more positive reason. But now, I'm off the meds, I have been for a while, the withdrawal symptoms are almost over, and I'm being me. A me that nobody has seen for many years, including myself, and it's the most wonderful feeling.<br />
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I've felt it, the old me, the real me, creeping in of late. It's like seeing a face in a crowd that you think you recognise, but only fleeting glimpses. These glimpses have been getting more and more frequent, and I've been getting more and more certain that that face is the one I thought it was. And now the crowd has parted and I've been reunited with that old familiar face, the old version of me from before everything happened.<br />
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In the words of John Wick; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSfpoSrCGsQ" target="_blank">I'm thinking I'm back</a>. Time to find out what this next chapter of me will bring! So far it's bringing a lot of Lilt; <a href="http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/2017-withdrawal-freedom-and-bottle-of.html" target="_blank">Victory Lilt</a>!<br />
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It took a long time, and it was hard. So hard I might not have made it through at all. But I did. I made it, from as low as it gets back to where I used to be, back to my old self. And if anyone is in the same boat, feeling like things will never get better, never be ok again, you're not alone. I felt like that too. It's going to be ok, things can and will get better. They did for me, and they will for you too, even if it doesn't feel like that right now.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-54868057891449629612017-03-22T14:04:00.001+00:002017-03-22T14:04:49.851+00:00Microbes versus Orange; part twoEarlier this year ago I set up a timelapse looking at an orange in a jar, and just let it mould up. Then I made a vloggy video of it and put it on YouTube!<br />
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Now, way later than originally intended, I've finished to followup video so you can actually see what happens. Hooray!<br />
<a name='more'></a>I'm too much of a perfectionist so wanted an impossible length of time when I was fully able to concentrate in which to edit it all perfectly, which is why it never got finished. Because neither of those things seem to ever happen these days. So, instead of waiting months and getting sad, I'm just going to do videos now and learn how to make them good as I go along rather than stressing about making them perfect from the get-go. Because it's fun! Really fun! So I'd rather do one then move on to the next one than worry over one thing for weeks. That's less fun.<br />
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Anyway, we all came for a video of microbes eating an orange, so here it is;<br />
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I hope you like it!<br />
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I'll hopefully do a n underwater video of frogspawn in a pond for next time, it should be interesting!FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-61341630854367619762017-03-08T12:00:00.000+00:002017-03-08T12:00:21.463+00:00#MeetThePhD 6: Louise Hatherall; Genetic Inventions + IP Law<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;">
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idea behind this is to showcase PhD students, give a bit of an idea of what’s
going on out there in PhDland, and show to the world what PhD life is like!
Perhaps they are thinking of doing a PhD themselves, or just generally want to
know more about it. Or they’re already doing a PhD and want to see that they’re
not alone in their struggles or successes!</span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Friendly Bacteria is a vaguely microbiology-themed blog, for this series of
mini-interviews I’m wanting any PhD student no matter the field! I think it
will be a fun way to connect with other PhD students we wouldn’t normally be
able to get to know, too.</span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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you’re a PhD student and want to get involved with this, leave a comment here,
send me a DM on Twitter ( <a href="https://twitter.com/FriendlyBugBlog" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6da6ce;">@friendlybugblog</span></a> )
or shine the Bacteria-signal into the skies above Aberystwyth and I’ll send you
the questions!</b></span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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ones are
here: http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd<br clear="all" />
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we have Louise Hatherall, investigating Intellectual Property law for genetic
inventions! Tweets to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/TwitTooLou">@TwitTooLou</a><span style="color: purple; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> (or <a href="https://twitter.com/FriendlyBugBlog" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6da6ce;">@friendlybugblog</span></a> if you want me)!</span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tell me about yourself.</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Hi! I am Louise Hatherall and I am in the first year of my PhD
at the University of Bristol, although I still live in Cheltenham where I am
from originally. My PhD is in law, specifically Intellectual Property law.
Unlike traditional property law (which I hated when I studied at undergrad) IP
law focusses on how intellectual pursuits are regulated and encompasses areas
such as copyright, trademarks and patents – the last being my particular
interest area. I’ve studied law since I
was a fresh faced undergrad: it’s a bit of an obsession! When I’m not pouring
over a legal digest or case I can usually be found in the kitchen. Not only do
I love cooking and baking, I love cocktails and wine. I really enjoy learning
about the history and origin stories of different drinks and, of course,
drinking them is pretty fun too. You can also find me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitTooLou">(@TwitTooLou</a>) ranting about train
commutes, talking about food and generally attempting to be funny.<o:p></o:p></div>
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your project all about?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My research looks at the impact patent law has on genetic
inventions. My obsession with this area started with a U.S. Case. In this case
a doctor, after removing a patient’s spleen, was able to gain a patent over a
diagnostic test for a rare form of leukaemia stemming directly from research
carried out on the spleen. The test made said doctor incredibly rich, partially
due to the patent protection offered to the invention. The patient – who had no
knowledge his spleen was used in this way – sued, arguing that the spleen was
still his property even though it had been removed from his body. The U.S.
Supreme Court found in favour of the doctor. Although this case was only
peripherally about IP law the questions it brought up became stuck in my brain,
like an earworm. How does the law create ownership of our genetic material? Is
this ownership to the benefit of the wider world? Does the law strike the right
balance between allowing a monopoly protection over genetic inventions on the
one hand, and generating adequate access to knowledge, research and
diagnostics, on the other? Patents are an incredibly complex area of law: with
national, European and International laws, policies and politics all feeding
into one another. I love a challenge and was fascinated by picking apart this
complex web. I’m also of a stream of academics who see law as part of society,
as opposed to an autonomous institution bearing down from above. Understanding
the politics, the networking and lobbying and how this feeds into and shapes
law is incredibly interesting. The overall aim is to assess IP law from this
‘social’ perspective and understand if the law is working effectively in this
area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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that working out so far?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Having just started the PhD I would say I am pie-eyed with
optimism! I’m really happy that I’ve chosen to pursue research as my career
and, although things are plodding along slowly, they are plodding. I can begin
to see the threads of my research slowly emerging and that is exciting. There
are days when it can feel overwhelming. Staring at thousands of pages of
information and having to synthesise that into a coherent, snappy piece of work
is incredibly daunting. However, I am very lucky that we have an incredible
support network of PhD students at Bristol, so there is always someone to make
me a cuppa and put me back on track! <o:p></o:p></div>
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are the best things about your PhD so far?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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As mentioned above, one of the best things about the PhD has
to be the people. We have a vibrant research community at Bristol Law and I get
to work with some great thinkers, both in the PG office and with the academic
staff too. Everyone is incredibly supportive and always open to talking about
ideas – and aren’t afraid to challenge anything they want an explanation for! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I also love the opportunity to travel internationally. I am
attending a conference in Mexico this year and will hopefully visit Toronto and
Washington in the next couple of years. This is alongside travelling the UK and
exploring different unis through conferences and workshops. This has been
mentioned in other submissions and it is so true!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, I really enjoy the flexibility. It means I can work
around family events, or times when I just need to unwind by shifting my work to
another day. This does mean working at odd times, in the evening or at
weekends, but I much prefer having the freedom to work to my schedule rather
than someone else’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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the worst things?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I attended a
conference in London at the beginning of January and another woman attended, in
a similar field, who had swathes more experience than I have. She had done
everything I wanted to do and we were at roughly the same stage of study. I
felt incredibly inadequate. It was a low moment for me as I’d felt so energetic
about my degree and this small interaction made me doubt my ability to do the
PhD. Luckily, the feeling passed but it was unpleasant, all the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I also learned the importance of triple fact checking early
on. I quoted a piece of legislation incorrectly in a written piece I submitted
and was mortified when it was pointed out to me. It was a rookie mistake – I
took something I read in another article as gospel and it came back to haunt
me! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I can’t think of any other horrible moments for now – which
I hope means I’m really enjoying myself and not just oblivious to my faux pas!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If
you could go back and do something differently, what would it be? Why?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I would have gone back to studying sooner. I went back to my
hometown and settled into a boring office job once I had graduated my
undergraduate degree. I soon realised that this was not for me. I spent a
couple of years floating around before I finally dedicated my energy to
applying for my PhD and I wish I’d done it sooner. I’m much happier reading,
researching and writing than I ever was at my old job. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">What
advice would you give to someone thinking about doing a PhD?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Firstly, definitely do one. It’s amazing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Secondly, really think about your topic. It has to be
something that is going to keep you going for 3 + years. Once you have a topic
stay on top of what is happening in that area. Who are the big names coming up?
What are the big issues facing the area? And really think about your
supervisor. Check out their research profiles and any open source articles they
have published. Reach out to them (if the uni allows it – not all do). Knowing
how they work will help you pitch your application.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, don’t let your background hold you back. We have
people from non-traditional backgrounds making amazing contributes to the law
field. If it’s your passion, then go for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">What's
the plan after you finish?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I want to go into academia or policy work – anything where I
get to carry on researching! This may change come 2019 but, for now, that is
the plan. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Any
further thoughts/comments?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "Philosopher",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I think blogs, like Gareth’s here, are amazing ways to share
interests and ideas. I can’t wait to read about the research other people are
doing in other areas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">I loved reading this interview. Law is pretty far from my comfort zone but so much of what Louise is saying still resonates with me in a big way, it's a great reminder that while PhD work can be isolating, we are never truly alone in what is going on! Good luck with the rest of the project, and with your exciting international conferences!</span>FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-57467914456737524382017-02-28T12:14:00.000+00:002017-02-28T12:42:32.239+00:00366 Days of Friendly Bacteria; My First Year in ReviewMy blog is a year old! HOORAY! One year ago I posted the very first post; http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/ready-steady-blog.html<br />
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(Although the first post was posted on the 27th not the 28th, so I've made a mistake somewhere... or the leap year thing messes with my timetable or blogspot. Oh well!)<br />
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It's been a pretty huge year for me, not just because I occasionally ramble about bacteria on here, but in life generally. So here's my year in review; Year 1 of Friendly Bacteria!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I'm a big nerd so I'll start with numbers stuff I guess.<br />
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761 people follow me on Twitter! I feel bad when I have days where I don't really say anything other than about this blog, but I do love creeping on what everyone's saying about science and all that! I'll try and be better at the twittering. Now they have the tabs thing it might be easier, I always find it hard to keep track of topics and stuff but that might help.<br />
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3959 Pageviews on the blog! That's a lot of people. Google tells me that's as many people as lived in the Nepalese village of Lapilang when the 1991 census was taken! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapilang) That's pretty incredible. I know a lot of reads will be the same people reading different pages, but that's still going to be a sizable village somewhere. I'd love to go to Nepal one day, mountains are my jam and the food is incredible! There's a Nepalese restaurant in Brecon and it is glorious.<br />
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I've posted 71 blog posts! 72 including this one I guess. In the first post I said I'd try and do one a day, that didn't really work out did it... One every five and a bit days on average is ok though! With the pageviews, it comes to like 55.8 views per post, which is cool!<br />
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The best parts of the year, in friendly bacteria context, are probably the #meetthephd posts (http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd ) which have given cool insights into PhD experiences from a huge range of people, and got me talking to some really nice fellow PhD people! If you like that series, there'll be one coming next Wednesday if all goes to plan (Sorry for the wait Louise if you're reading this!). I've also just generally had a blast, writing about science is really fun! I originally wanted to use all this as a way to boost my self confidence, but I'm also really liking talking science (and other stuff too) and generally the process of writing is actually pretty fun.<br />
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Non friendly bacteria wise, I had so many awesome experiences.<br />
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<b>I fed marmosets!</b><span id="goog_321851632"></span><br />
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<b>I went to Brazil!</b></div>
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(Not at the same time; Marmosets are pests in Rio so they aren't down with people feeding them)</div>
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And of course I did a bunch of awesome PhD stuff too that you don't get to hear about because of confidentiality reasons. </div>
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Science!</div>
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The year's been sweet. But what would I change about it?</div>
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Firstly, I want to do more videos. I've been slightly better lately but I've got such a huge backlog of footage I wanted to put on YouTube. In Brazil I took over 30gb of pictures and videos, and you can see I had a camera on my chest in the marmoset enclosure when they were climbing all over me. I tried to vlog early on last year, which failed, and I've recently started trying again, which was supposed to be weekly but is more sporadic now. I want to do a consistent weekly video, not so people watch it, but so I have a cool record of all my adventures, and life in general. I want an excuse to buy a drone as well but that can come later...</div>
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I'm going to be pushing myself to do more video things, so if you want to see them here's my YouTube thing: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYZCc63Lqh01tC2hXITMx7A</div>
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I'd also like to plan blog posts more in advance, just to get better quality and to have backups for days when I'm not able to write anything, to get that average post count up to like two a week.</div>
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These don't sound like big things but I've also just started fencing again so I've got to fit in training for that, and I don't do blog/video stuff in work hours (apart from the odd tweet from coffee breaks), and I need to sleep and eat and stuff too... It could be tricky but I just need to get into the habit of doing it all and I should be fine! PhD comes first though so this might not go exactly how I'd like it to.</div>
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If I could go back in time a year and tell myself some things, last year me would be pretty reassured. In general things are going well for me. I'd probably tell myself to make more of the summer, to relax more about the 'scary' stuff like giving presentations because they all went really well, and to lay off the gluten because there was a whole thing where I can't eat that now without getting really ill. Also I'd say to plan a trip to somewhere with more than two cinema screens around when Resident Evil was released, because I'm still sad I've not seen it yet :(</div>
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And finally, some aims for year two:</div>
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I already said about the blog/vlog stuff, so I won't repeat that. But I want to make the most of my year. Take opportunities to do fun things (like help out at British Science and Engineering Week soon), work hard on my PhD but enjoy the journey, and live life to the full.</div>
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I think that's the biggest thing I've learnt over a year of doing this; last year my goals for the year were number of twitter followers, number of blog reads, goals and targets that a) I never reached and b) suck the fun out of actually doing everything. This year I'm going to have fun, be me, and if you want to read or watch what I do then that's great. I'm going to be doing it anyway, for future me to look back on and present me to enjoy doing.</div>
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That doesn't mean I'm not grateful to everyone reading these posts and stuff; thank you, all of you! You're awesome.</div>
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Most of all, thank you Ciara. You inspired me to start this blog in the first place, gave me the idea for the #MeetThePhD stuff, booked me in for the marmosets and generally make every day so so special. Thank you so much xx</div>
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<b>Happy Birthday, Friendly Bacteria!</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was actually my birthday cake this year, my Mum is awesome!</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_321851631"></span>FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-24118978902670144732017-02-24T14:12:00.001+00:002017-02-24T14:12:22.791+00:00Here Comes Doris!I live right on the Aberystwyth seafront, which is amazing and I'm very lucky, but when storms hit it can get a bit hairy! After being kept awake by raging winds and the odd roof-tile clattering down past my window, nearly hit in the face by my front door as I left to go to the lab, and then soaked head to toe by driving rain and the high speed winds on my way back home again, I decided to go out into the stormy weather and do a video! Here it is:<br />
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High tide, the sunset and the exciting weather all coincided at around the same time so I thought it would make for some sweet footage. It was absolutely freezing, and really windy (obviously) but it was great fun and looked fantastic! The wind drowned out any audio, it was all hissing and crackling or me mouthing words at the camera so I just put the footage to music and let the sea and storm do their thing! With the wind and cold too some of it's a little bit shakycam but it's hopefully not too bad. I hope you enjoy it!<br />
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More videos on my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYZCc63Lqh01tC2hXITMx7AFriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-61379650851903209922017-02-18T12:47:00.000+00:002017-02-18T12:47:21.917+00:00Happy Heat; Making it through the 'Danger Zone'I like the cold. Anything over twenty degrees is a bit too hot for me, and the extra heat from being in full sunlight drives me to skulk from one patch of shade to the next like I'm on a stealth mission 24/7. Other people relish the heat, actively seeking it out.<br />
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Everyone has their optimum temperature, and bacteria are no different! From Psychrophiles growing in the fridge, to Thermophiles living in volcanic vents under the sea, different bacteria tolerate different temperature ranges. So what does that mean for us?<br />
<a name='more'></a>When I get too cold I pop a jumper on, too hot and I open the window. Bacteria don't have the luxury of clothes or windows though, so they suffer temperature changes a bit more dramatically.<br />
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Heat speeds up biochemical reactions by providing energy, so the warmer things are the faster things grow, as a general rule of thumb. But too much energy is a bad thing, just like giving an already hyperactive child a can of Red Bull. Over a certain point, there's too much heat for the bacteria's proteins to handle and they start to denature, making them stop working, leading to the death of the cell. That's why cooking food makes it safer; the heat kills any bacteria lingering there so they can't cause disease.<br />
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Cold, on the other hand, is less final. Reduced heat means reduced energy, but this just slows the bacteria down rather than killing them outright. In the lab I keep my bacteria at minus eighty degrees, which would kill me but is relatively fine for the bacteria; they're still alive, they just aren't growing or doing much metabolically. This is why fridges and freezers keep food from going off for longer; the bacteria that make the food go off are slowed down so it takes them longer to grow and degrade the food. They don't kill bacteria though, so we still need to cook frozen food before eating it (that means you, people who eat frozen chips... you oddballs).<br />
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This is all fine; keep cell numbers low in the fridge then cook them so any that are there die. Easy! But there is a problem; heating food up from sub-optimal temperatures for the bacteria to... super-optimal temperatures? Too hot, anyway. Heating from one to the other brings the bacteria nicely through their happy temperature where they grow at their fastest. For pathogenic bacteria, this is the 'danger zone' where they grow, produce toxins, and generally make mischief. To minimise risk of food poisoning, we need to make the time spent in the danger zone as short as possible so they don't grow too much before dying from the heat. In other words, we need to heat the food as quickly as we can, all the way through so the heat reaches all the bacteria in the deepest parts of the food. One easy way to do this is pre-heating the oven! I always thought everyone did this, but apparently not everybody does. Not pre-heating the oven makes the food gently warm up, maximising time in the danger zone and thus maximising food poisoning risk.<br />
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Another way to minimise time in the danger zone is to only go there once; reheating food, and refreezing food, gives pathogens extra time at their optimal temperature, which is bad for us. This is especially a problem for rice; <i>Bacillus cereus</i> food poisoning is common with reheated rice, as they get lots of time at their optimal temperature to grow and produce their toxins. Cooking may then kill the bacteria, but the toxin is heat stable so you'll be eating a lot of it. About two hours later you'll be saying hello to your rice based dinner again!<br />
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These are all the bad, food based things that this optimal temperature thing has an impact on, but there are many really good applications for it, especially for me in the lab (and other scientists too, I'm not special). I'll do a part two of this post soon covering those, stay tuned!FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-65467517861487236812017-02-08T12:00:00.000+00:002017-02-08T12:00:32.474+00:00#MeetThePhD 5: Daniel Morse, Disruptor of Biofilms<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
#MeetThePhD</h3>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The idea behind this is to showcase PhD students, give a bit of an idea of what’s going on out there in PhDland, and show to the world what PhD life is like! Perhaps they are thinking of doing a PhD themselves, or just generally want to know more about it. Or they’re already doing a PhD and want to see that they’re not alone in their struggles or successes!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While Friendly Bacteria is a vaguely microbiology-themed blog, for this series of mini-interviews I’m wanting any PhD student no matter the field! I think it will be a fun way to connect with other PhD students we wouldn’t normally be able to get to know, too.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you’re a PhD student and want to get involved with this, leave a comment here, send me a DM on Twitter ( <a href="https://twitter.com/FriendlyBugBlog" target="_blank">@friendlybugblog</a> ) or shine the Bacteria-signal into the skies above Aberystwyth and I’ll send you the questions!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Previous ones are here: http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" /></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Today we have Daniel Morse, investigating oral biofilms! Tweets to <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielJMorse" target="_blank">@danieljmorse</a> (or <a href="https://twitter.com/FriendlyBugBlog" target="_blank">@friendlybugblog</a> if you want me), and check out </span></span></span><a href="http://danielmorse.me.uk/" style="font-size: 15.84px;">http://danielmorse.me.uk</a> too!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more" style="background-color: white; color: #093757; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15.84px;"></a></span><a name='more'></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #093757; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15.84px;" /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #093757; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />Tell me about yourself.</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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I’m Daniel Morse, PhD student in the Oral and Biomedical
Sciences theme at Cardiff University, School of Dentistry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I grew up in Newport, South Wales, and have always lived in
South Wales, moving to Cwmbran with my wife during my undergraduate degree, so
everything is familiar! I studied my undergraduate degree at UWE, Bristol: B.Sc
(hons) Biomedical Sciences and my module choices focused on microbiology,
genetics and immunology. I achieved a 2:1, then worked for a small
biotechnology company in Cardiff after graduating. I was there for just under 4
years and was working as R&D Scientist, but always wanted to pursue a PhD,
so when this project came up, I applied and here I am!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a young family, so love spending time with my wife
Lauren and two boys Ruben and Oliver. They are very active, and we have sports
classes quite a lot (football, swimming, gymnastics), that they enjoy. They are
my world. I am also a keen guitarist, and play in a pop-punk band called Raise
The Alarm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also like to blog, and have a blog for my journey through
the PhD and beyond, you can visit it here: <a href="http://danielmorse.me.uk/">http://danielmorse.me.uk</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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My favourite colour: blue<br />
Favourite number: 5<br />
Favourite food: Lasagne or a good Sunday roast<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What's your project all about?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I am a microbiologist by background and work experience, and
this PhD project is oral microbiology – more specifically, oral biofilms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My thesis title is: Denture acrylic biofilms: microbial
composition, interactions and prevention.<br />
I started in October 2013 and my project was nicely split into four work areas;</div>
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1. Characterise microbial biofilms from patients with and without a condition
known as denture-associated stomatitis (inflammation of the upper palate in the
mouth, caused by the fungi that causes thrush; <i>Candida</i>). So take swabs and get the DNA sequenced to find out what
bacteria are present.<br />
2. Develop an ‘in the lab’ (in vitro) model of these oral biofilms on denture
material and investigate interactions between the bacteria and <i>Candida</i>.<br />
3. Infect 3D tissue models and have a look at what happens and how the cells
respond<br />
4. Use antimicrobial products or consumer products (denture cleansers etc) to
treat the biofilms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">How's that working out so far?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I’m in my final year, and still have some lab work to do,
but I’ve also started to write my thesis (which is scary, and hard!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The project progressed really well. There were issues and
problems to overcome as with any project, but tackling them were some of the
best bits!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been fortunate enough to go to a lot of conferences and
present my work: Cardiff, Swansea, Gregynog (mid-Wales), Sheffield, Weybridge,
Bristol, Boston USA, Porto Portugal and in March 2017, I’ll be going to San
Francisco USA! I’ve also won a number of awards for poster and oral
presentation (<a href="http://danielmorse.me.uk/" target="_blank">see my blog for more details!</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What are the best things about your PhD so far?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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The best things:</div>
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- Going to conferences all around the world, presenting my work (and winning
prizes) and meeting new people!<br />
- Getting your work per reviewed and published in a scientific journal for the
world to see.<br />
- Having the best supervisory team that anyone could possibly ask for. David,
Melanie and Xiaoqing have been the most supportive, amazing people through
these past 3 years.<br />
- Being able to spend time in another lab, learning new techniques and gaining
a huge amount of experience and knowledge in that time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">And the three worst things?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I don’t think I have three worst things about the PhD, but
the nature of the beast – not always, but certainly during phases of work –
means it is difficult, having to work long hours, or come in at silly times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overcoming obstacles and difficulties within the work can
have quite a negative impact too, but getting through that and coming out the
other end far outweighs the difficulties.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be? Why?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I would be more disciplined, and more assertive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Everyone does, and I was no exception in having the year 2
blues, and not making much progress, or certainly not as much as I could have
done. So I’d change my attitude toward things and approach to things to get
more done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What advice would you give to someone thinking about doing a PhD?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Do it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is hard. Harder than you think it will be. But persevere
and you will get through it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There is ALWAYS support available, you are never alone and
you are certainly not going through feelings or emotions on your own. You can
talk to your peers, support staff, housemates, friends, family, supervisors,
anyone. You will experience dark days, days where you don’t want to get out of
bed. But everyone says, doing a PhD is 10% intelligence but 90% perseverance,
and this is most definitely true.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Engage and enjoy it. Go to conferences, ask for travel
money, ask to speak to people, ask questions, question everything, go to
events, network, speak to people, discuss ideas, far fetched as they may
be..you never know what may come of it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What's the plan after you finish?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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I’m case-award funded, which is research council and
industrial partner (EPSRC and GSK are my sponsors), so I’m hoping that there
will be something that I can discuss with GSK for project work – so many ideas!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll be looking for further funding anyway, I’d like to stay
in academia, follow in the footsteps of my supervisor, so fellowships would be
an ideal route for me!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Any further thoughts/comments?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielJMorse" target="_blank">@DanielJMorse</a> and <a href="http://danielmorse.me.uk/" target="_blank">follow my blog</a>! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Great stuff! It sounds like you've had a really great PhD journey so far. I hope the rest goes well, and that San Francisco is amazing in March!</b></span></span></div>
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FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-35112718569487832362017-02-01T12:00:00.000+00:002017-02-01T12:00:16.710+00:00Why Aren't We All Neck Deep in Bacteria?Bacteria are pretty awesome. (<a href="http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/microorganisms" target="_blank">Here's a bunch of cool things they can do</a>, as written by me)<br />
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They can live pretty much anywhere. So... why don't they live <i>everywhere</i>? Why isn't the whole world covered in a deep layer of bacterial ooze? They can grow exponentially, so why don't they? Why can I freely type this blog post without having to shovel a path to my computer through a sludgey oozing mass?<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>I am a big blob of cells. They form interesting shapes and combine into exciting organs, but I'm still a big blob of cells.If you took my volume, whatever that may be, and filled it with bacterial cells, they wouldn't be as happy as my cells are now. But why?<br />
We have organs for a reason [citation needed]. Tissues too. Look at blood vessels; without capillaries stretching throughout our entire bodies, our cells wouldn't have enough oxygen or nutrients or whatever and they would die. That's why we die when our heart stops or the blood flow is blocked or whatever. In a big gooey mass of bacteria, the deeper cells would see similar problems. They might not need oxygen, but the nutrients at the surface wouldn't all make it down to the ones in the depths. You don't even need a human sized glob of bacteria for this to be true either; on agar plates you see all sorts of strange looking structures being formed as bacteria grow on top of their starving brothers and sisters. Old plates forgotten in the back of the incubator end up looking really different to when they have fresh healthy growth, for example.<br />
Some bacterial structures, like certain biofilms, have complex morphologies to improve nutrient flow, but it's not as efficient or specialised as blood vessels so it still has limitations.<br />
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"But wait!" I hear you cry. "Don't you get those massive tanks full of bacteria for industrial scale production of biochemicals? How do they stay nutriented?"<br />
Good question! Firstly, nutriented isn't a word, but I know what you mean. Those big tanks stir the bacteria constantly, and pump nutrients in all the time, so there's much better distribution than in natural stationary formations, allowing them to get much bigger. The huge tanks run into another problem, however; heat.<br />
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If you fit a thousand people into a small sports hall or something, it gets pretty warm. All those bodies giving off heat in one space heat up the surroundings. Incidentally that's one of the reasons battery farming is used; the animals warm each other up so can spend more energy on growing meat and laying eggs. But imagine there are billions of people, all in the same space, with little to no room in between them! That will warm up pretty quickly. Enough body heat in one place can raise the temperature enough to kill; that's actually a defence mechanism used by Japanese honey bees to kill invading hornets; they bundle onto the hornet and vibrate furiously, cooking the invader with their body heat. Now, humans are pretty useless in that respect, with really limited temperature tolerances compared to many bacteria, so in the above example even a hundred people piled in a big ball would probably start cooking in the middle like a reverse steak.<br />
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This is all due to physics and Newton's laws of thermodynamics, but basically more metabolic activity produces more heat, so the metabolic activity of a hundred organisms is going to produce more heat. Also in a big blob, the surface area to volume ration isn't conducive to heat loss. (Interestingly we use this to keep warm; our metabolic rate increases when we get cold! Especially in the liver, where there's lots of mitochondria, hence being cold sobering you up quicker.)<br />
Even with the better heat tolerances compared to humans, bacteria in giant fermentation tanks get really hot. Have you ever gone near a compost heap in winter and seen steam rising off them? It's the same thing. So with those massive tanks, one problem with keeping them all alive is keeping them cool, the opposite of me sticking my small bacterial colonies in the incubator to keep them warm. Without complex cooling systems and adequate stirring, the big fermentors would soon be full of dead bacteria, which aren't great at producing biochemicals for industry.<br />
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Another issue is that these big fermentors are usually full of one type of bacteria, whereas in the wild there are loads of different ones competing and killing each other and stuff, which keeps the population down. Also also, the bacteria still need to eat stuff at the end of the day, and a neck deep layer of bacteria would use up so much resources from the planet that all kinds of bad things would happen! It would lock in a lot of the carbon from the atmosphere though so would mitigate some of the horrible things we humans are doing to the planet. And make driving cars a lot harder, come to think about it, so our emissions would go down too...<br />
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I'm getting off track here, so will wrap up. I have barely scratched the surface of this question, there are so many other factors limiting the exponential growth of bacteria that I don't have time to mention today. But you can trust me when I say; there isn't a neck deep wall of goop covering the entire planet. I promise.<br />
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WAIT... Isn't that what soil is? Bacteria chilling out eating decaying plants and stuff? In a thick layer covering much of the globe? Are we not neck deep in bacteria... because we're walking on top of them?! Now I don't know what to think...FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-19663786101638843742017-01-28T12:57:00.000+00:002017-01-28T12:57:58.072+00:00I've Come a Long Way, and I'm Only Getting StartedI'm 24. A PhD student, spending every day doing research I love, and in the evening I chat to friends, watch Netflix, skype my wonderful girlfriend Ciara, or go out for a walk on the seafront. Sounds pretty perfect, right? What could I have to feel down about?<br />
<br />
Three years ago my mental health was deteriorating rapidly. I was about a month and a half froom being diagnosed with severe depression. But my situation then wasn't too different, on the face of things. Good friends, good course at uni, I was even a lot fitter and stronger, even winning trophies and stuff. So why was I in such a desperate situation back then?<br />
<br />
The answer is that depression doesn't care. It doesn't matter how happy you 'should' be, or how great things seem on the surface, because depression doesn't care about the surface, or about rational evaluations of how good things seem. It is not sadness. sadness is a response to negative things happening. Depression makes everything in the world seem negative, twisting reality into a hideous dark version of itself where the idea that happiness could ever happen again seems impossible. And that is terrifying. A pit of despair with no light at the top or any visible way to climb out.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the point of me saying all this, is that there is a way out. Not a quick one, or an easy one. My diagnosis was nearly three years ago, when it actually started is closer to ten years ago, and I'm still not 100% yet. But it can get better. Friends and family can help you find handholds in the wall of the pit. Medicine and counselling sheds light on the path and slows your fall. And my beautiful cat, who is sat on my knee right now, made the pit feel less lonely.<br />
<br />
I'm nearly back to the surface now, and light is shining in. I can see the handholds for myself now, and my friends, family, Ciara, and Hollie the cat are waiting at the top encouraging me onwards. I'm nearly there, which makes me so proud.<br />
<br />
One in four people experiences mental health difficulties in any given year. One in four. I am going to do everything I can to help those people. I went through a horrendous time. But if I can help others get through the same or similar things, then it will have been worth it.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I'm off to Oxford to the Student Minds Story Sessions training day for Press Ambassadors. I'm going to start on a new path, to using my experiences to promote awareness, fight stigma, and most importantly help other people who are going through their own mental health struggles. I'm scared, it's a big thing, but I honestly can't wait to get started.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-59556902871822823712017-01-26T11:33:00.000+00:002017-01-26T11:33:20.664+00:00EXCITING NEWS! Well, it's not that exciting, don't get your hopes up, that's a bit clickbaity, sorryExciting news, you can now <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/18457595/?claim=e4bwuztba9n">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>, if you're into that sort of thing :)<br />
<br />
I only just really found out about it, if you have any suggestions of blogs to follow on there give me a shout!<br />
<br />
Additional exciting news, I'm away this weekend at a workshop for training to talk to the press about Mental Health! I want to use my bad experiences to do some good for people. I'll write a proper post about it and pop it up on Saturday at the normal time. That's right! I'm going away for the weekend but have actually planned ahead and will still write a post! I'm in danger of becoming organised!<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading this, I'll let you get back to your day! I hope it's lovely!FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-26968971580626241882017-01-25T12:00:00.000+00:002017-01-25T12:00:20.164+00:00#MeetThePhD 4: Sam Rowe; Shining Light on Bacterial Chemical Production<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: purple;">#MeetThePhD</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The idea behind this is to showcase
PhD students, give a bit of an idea of what’s going on out there in PhDland,
and show to the world what PhD life is like! Perhaps they are thinking of doing
a PhD themselves, or just generally want to know more about it. Or they’re
already doing a PhD and want to see that they’re not alone in their struggles
or successes!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While Friendly Bacteria is a vaguely
microbiology-themed blog, for this series of mini-interviews I’m wanting any
PhD student no matter the field! I think it will be a fun way to connect with
other PhD students we wouldn’t normally be able to get to know, too.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you’re a PhD student and want to
get involved with this, leave a comment here, send me a DM on Twitter (
@friendlybugblog ) or shine the Bacteria-signal into the skies above
Aberystwyth and I’ll send you the questions!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Previous ones are
here: http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" />
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Today we have Sam Rowe, using bacteria to tackle the fuel crisis in his PhD! Tweets to @samfrowe (or @friendlybugblog if you want me)</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />
Tell me about yourself.</span><span style="color: #093757;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My name’s Sam Rowe and I’m a 4<sup>th</sup>
year PhD student at the University of East Anglia. I grew up just outside
Norwich, went away to London for my MSci degree then came back closer to home
for my PhD. I’m based in the School of Chemistry (and will always be a chemist
at heart) but have spent the majority of my project working with bacteria and
proteins. Away from lab I spend my time learning the piano, going to the cinema
and reading as many books as I can. I’m also lucky to be part of a really
social research group so get to try out all the pubs and restaurants which
Norwich has to offer during our lab outings </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> You can find me tweeting about life and science @samfrowe.<span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What's your project all about?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In my PhD I’m developing new ways to turn sunlight into
chemicals and fuels using bacteria. I work with a bacterium called <i>Shewanella oneidensis</i> MR-1 (which is a
bit of a mouthful!). It’s also known as an <i>electric
</i>bacterium and there’s a great introduction to these microbes here: <b>http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20160613-there-are-microbes-that-eat-and-poo-nothing-but-electricity</b>.
I grow the bacteria in the lab, mix them with light-absorbing chemicals then
shine a light on them to see if they make the products we want. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The project stems from the fact that fossil reserves (like
coal and oil) will eventually run out so we want to harness the near-infinite
supply of energy from the sun. My favourite fact is that the sun provides the
Earth with as much energy <i>every hour</i>
as human civilisation uses over an entire year! So we know there’s a lot of
energy available but the challenge is to capture it and turn it into something
useful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">How's that working out so far?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my PhD and can’t believe that
I’m now in my final year! At the start of January, I decided to stop experiments
and begin writing up (which has been really nice). What stresses me out the
most is not knowing whether I have enough data so it’s been great to stand back
and look over what I’ve done over the past 3 years. Luckily my results are
coming together to give a semi-coherent story. The plan is to complete a full
thesis draft by the end of April, perform a few more experiments in May and June
then review and finalise everything I’ve written to submit by July or August. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What are the three best things about
your PhD so far?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">1.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I love the flexibility. As long as I’m getting work
done, my supervisor is happy for me to take holiday when I want, attend
conferences (I recently got the chance to present a poster in Rome!) and get
involved with volunteering and outreach.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">2.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">Last year I was lucky enough to get an award for
a talk I did about my research (during our annual research colloquium). I’m always
nervous before presentations so it was great to know that I can communicate my
science clearly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">3.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">My PhD is part of a Doctoral Training
Partnership meaning that I was able to do a 3-month internship at the end of
my 2</span><sup style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">nd</sup><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;"> year. My placement was with a forensics company in Cambridge and
it really helped me understand the wider benefits of a PhD in terms of
transferable skills and career prospects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">And the three worst things?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">1.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">I found things difficult in my 1</span><sup style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">st</sup><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">
year because I had never worked with bacteria before (so spent most of my time making
silly mistakes). Everyone in lab was really helpful and patient with me though
so I got to grips with things eventually.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">2.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">It’s never nice when pieces of equipment break especially
if it could have been prevented. I spent ages (about 6 months overall!) getting
a gas chromatograph fixed after it had been repeatedly mistreated by other
students. Fortunately, I had other experiments to do in the meantime but it
still felt like such a waste of time and energy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">3. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; text-indent: -18pt;">It’s always hard to deal with failed experiments
and it’s particularly annoying when the experiment has worked before. It’s
important to realise that not everything will work perfectly first time (and even
if it does, you’ll probably have to repeat it to convince everyone that it
wasn’t a fluke).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">If you could go back and do something
differently, what would it be? Why?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I worked loads of weekends in the
first 2 years of my PhD to get results as quickly as possible. I was lucky and
the hard work paid off meaning the end of my PhD has been relatively relaxed.
However, I wish I had taken it easier when I started and spread my work out evenly
over the 4 years to achieve a more sensible work-life balance. I also should
have done more volunteering and outreach (and made a Twitter account!) earlier
on because I really enjoy it and it’s such an important complement to the lab
work.<span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What advice would you give to someone
thinking about doing a PhD?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Take some time to research the PhD you’re applying for and
bear in mind that the length of funding, the wider training on offer and the
internship opportunities vary from place to place. If possible, arrange a
meeting with your potential supervisor and ask as much as you can about typical
working hours, the different lab techniques you’ll be expected to master,
frequency of one-to-one meetings and lab space. Speaking with other students in
the group will also give you an excellent idea about what life would be like
working there. I definitely recommend doing a PhD if you find a subject you’re
passionate about and a research group you feel comfortable in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">What's the plan after you finish?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A tough question but something I need to think about before
my funding runs out! The truthful answer is that I really don’t know. I love
science but I’m not particularly bothered about working in a lab. I need to
decide whether another few years as a postdoc is a</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> worthwhile compromise to then try launching my own research group and/or becoming a lecturer</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (although there’s no
guarantee this will happen based on how competitive these positions are).
Otherwise I’ll be looking for jobs in industry, science communication or
government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Any further thoughts/comments?</span></span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it’s great that you use your blog to write about the
importance of mental wellbeing. During a PhD it’s so easy to focus on getting
results and forget about looking after ourselves. Hopefully the more
transparent we are about these issues, and the more we lobby for change, the
better universities will be at supporting us within academia!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, thanks for the chance to chat about my PhD <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt;">J</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> <span style="color: purple;">Great! Thanks, Sam, and good luck with the rest of your PhD and beyond!</span></b></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></o:p></div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-37741013702404158572017-01-23T13:49:00.000+00:002017-01-23T13:49:27.341+00:00Like a Blog, But With Sound and My Face and StuffI take loads of pictures and videos, I love it. It also helps me remember the good times! Especially now when my memory isn't back to how it used to be. I also do some pretty awesome stuff; I'm very lucky to live in a beautiful place with lots of special things nearby. In the last six months I've <a href="http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/birthday-weekend-in-pictures.html" target="_blank">played with Marmosets</a>, traveled <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOALjbrBcMD/?taken-by=friendly_bacteria" target="_blank">to Brazil to learn Science </a>and see Coatis, and generally <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOe_7QZBkLV/?taken-by=friendly_bacteria" target="_blank">gone out and about having fun</a>. The problem is that I've always taken more pictures and videos than I have time to edit into usable, viewable formats (hence over thirty gigabytes of pics and vids from Brazil being shown to the world as... like five instagram photos). So as I don't plan on stopping my fun adventures, and in fact have many more planned for the future, I'm going to force myself to spend more time organising them all. This is going to take the form of short vlogs every week! I've already started, because I don't tend to do things in a logical order, so here's what you've missed so far:<br />
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I'll try and be interesting and informative, and maybe even entertaining too! So if you like that sort of thing, and wish to see more of my lovely face, head on over to YouTube and have a look! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYZCc63Lqh01tC2hXITMx7A </div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-52215342821609125172017-01-19T12:12:00.001+00:002017-01-19T12:13:44.989+00:00Step Into The Science KitchenI like analogies. They're great. I use the excuse that they make things easier to relate to and understand, but really it's because I find coming up with them really fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Community so much</td></tr>
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My go-to analogy for the laboratory is that it's like a kitchen where you can't eat anything without getting horribly ill (like my parents' kitchen when mum's making cakes for people, #coeliaclife). I wanted to explore that today, with pictures from a real lab (my one) to help! Also because I don't have much time for the blog today and pictures each contribute 1000 words to the overall word count, or something like that.<br />
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First up, pop your apron on! Things get messy in the science kitchen, you don't want flour on your nice clothes! Or anything corrosive or highly toxic either. Or Crystal Violet, that stuff is a nightmare to get out!</div>
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Get your ingredients out! In the science kitchen everything comes in almost identical packages but everything has big clear labels so it's fine. Some cupboards are locked up because they're full of flammable or more-toxic-than-normal things, just like the liquor cabinet at home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi700w4g-Vlty7vD4EImT7mYAEH44aCLIOo_nqWIWB9fMq3k0503sqFvcdWpUYLwLgyR5bj9shyM7BLJVHZATxnFHyKazrbS2htDIWPKMB0VEC5QKycc-nmUDunyldTKsEo6Q5XZAn0Ipg/s1600/IMG_20170118_131037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi700w4g-Vlty7vD4EImT7mYAEH44aCLIOo_nqWIWB9fMq3k0503sqFvcdWpUYLwLgyR5bj9shyM7BLJVHZATxnFHyKazrbS2htDIWPKMB0VEC5QKycc-nmUDunyldTKsEo6Q5XZAn0Ipg/s640/IMG_20170118_131037.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Time to weigh out the ingredients! To much higher accuracy than in a normal kitchen, sometimes so sensitively that you need a special box that stops air movement wobbling the scales! I always get confused at home when the scales are set to the nearest whole gram, my dinner has large error bars.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpxsTKzMzWQ_aHaG9y4LwjrG9yqf6iIAT0KfPJ4SDxgV68vGA0GN6yavup8exBsPsfORKM2qqB4WHenzfui49cduISFLAfo5RuCQ1z9XNgTwLjm0NQAmcKOycpkpuRaMh3AnT25nucjQ/s1600/IMG_20170118_131443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpxsTKzMzWQ_aHaG9y4LwjrG9yqf6iIAT0KfPJ4SDxgV68vGA0GN6yavup8exBsPsfORKM2qqB4WHenzfui49cduISFLAfo5RuCQ1z9XNgTwLjm0NQAmcKOycpkpuRaMh3AnT25nucjQ/s640/IMG_20170118_131443.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll be honest with you here, it took me a minute to work out why we have a ladle in the lab. It's for liquid Nitrogen stuff like RNA extractions I think, I've not done that yet though. Maybe it's just there for ladling, who knows?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmFGnqZZfHLZkr6pp4_hE5pjw3YgAOQ90Vv8sFo3aaNctlV9jpUQvRoezqzvCEZiVDGTL3iGqy9trXtt4MUUxJjTcTKv1Ek8_IJ1S6Lkj6rOAtHPp97vcEEtvaC-P05EmoC1cfwreaCI/s1600/IMG_20170118_131058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmFGnqZZfHLZkr6pp4_hE5pjw3YgAOQ90Vv8sFo3aaNctlV9jpUQvRoezqzvCEZiVDGTL3iGqy9trXtt4MUUxJjTcTKv1Ek8_IJ1S6Lkj6rOAtHPp97vcEEtvaC-P05EmoC1cfwreaCI/s640/IMG_20170118_131058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the autoclave! It's like a big pressure cooker, we use it to sterilise things. And boil agar so it sets properly! Like a weird pressure-cooked jelly that bacteria eat. Sometimes they smell quite nice actually, in a lab media kind of way.</div>
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This microwave wouldn't look at all out of place in a normal kitchen. It even has settings for meat and poultry! We use it for all sorts of things like melting or boiling agar that's already sterile or doesn't need to be.</div>
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Incubators are like proving ovens! Almost exactly like them actually, you could probably raise some dough in one of these pretty precisely. These go to all sorts of fun temperatures though, and some can even move! The little one on the right here can jiggle around to shake liquid cultures as they incubate to keep them aerated and mixed well. They normally smell like bacteria and agar rather than delicious fresh bread though. You can normally tell if there's some Pseudomonas around, they smell distinctive! Like a bad ear infection. (Because it's often the same thing)</div>
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All done for now? Pop it in the freezer! These work just like a normal freezer, but go much colder. The two on the left here are at minus eighty degrees! We store all sorts in these, from live bacteria to DNA samples, and all sorts of other stuff in between (like enzymes and dNTPs). The fridge on the right is at four degrees, like a normal fridge in your kitchen should be. These are for storing more ingredients for experiments, fresh agar plates, and things like that. Just like a normal fridge! No milk though, not here at least.</div>
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Time to wash up! While a lot of stuff we use is disposable, like petri dishes, all the glassware and measuring jugs go in the dishwasher just like at home. It's important to tidy up after yourself! Which reminds me I have things to take out of the autoclave, they're probably done by now. I'd better wrap up here!</div>
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Don't forget to wash your hands afterwards! Important in the science kitchen so we don't get ill. Same as a normal kitchen! Always wash your hands folks, even if you were wearing gloves.</div>
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So there we have it! A very brief tour of all the things that are common between labs and kitchens. So remember, next time you're doing some baking, you're doing science like me! Just tastier hopefully, with slightly fewer risks and safety protocols.</div>
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FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-58950831673312989012017-01-14T12:14:00.000+00:002017-01-14T12:15:20.118+00:00“Do Your Research”, Scientist Style<div class="MsoNormal">
A while ago I wrote a post on how Science and Scientists use
their own language (<a href="http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/speaking-science.html">http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/speaking-science.html</a>),
how we have our own words, and how this puts up barriers to people going to
events or reading up on things themselves. I’d like to add to that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Many languages share words. Often, the same words have
different meanings in different languages. For example, ‘burro’ means ‘donkey’
in Spanish, and ‘butter’ in Italian. That’s fine, and interesting, and
presumably somewhere down the line has given a multilingual stand-up comedian
some material, but could potentially cause problems under certain (admittedly
unusual) circumstances, at the very least confusing some poor tourist in the
dairy section of the supermarket (or worse, on the beach looking for a ride of
some sort…)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I remember reading a George W Bush quote that “The thing
that's wrong with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur”,
(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/307907-the-thing-that-s-wrong-with-the-french-is-that-they">http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/307907-the-thing-that-s-wrong-with-the-french-is-that-they</a>)
which is amusing but also demonstrates that misunderstanding words shared
between languages with different, even similar, meanings causes confusion and
is simply incorrect. This quote was often bandied around in conversations or
threads mocking the then President’s supposed ignorance (which I’m not saying
anything about here, I’m interested in the ignorance part not who it was
about). Simply put, getting those multi-language homonyms wrong made him seem
ignorant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So how does this relate to Science as a language? Well, the
obvious answer is the whole ‘x is just a theory’ phrase often thrown around by
people who don’t understand the meaning of ‘Theory’ within Science, but that’s
not the example I want to discuss here. I want to talk about research, and what
that means in a scientific context. What it means in the language of Science.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m a researcher, a PhD researcher, who does scientific
research. The big thing about PhDs is that we must contribute something new to
science. But that doesn’t mean we’re stabbing in the dark, trying to fathom the
mysteries of the universe; we can see how to get where we’re going because of
the light shed by previous research. That’s why we cite sources; because every bit
of research we use in our own sheds the light by which we make our discoveries.
Sir Isaac Newton famously said “If I have seen further, it is by standing on
the shoulders of giants." He said this in 1676. Layer upon layer of
scientists have stood on his shoulders, and more on their shoulders, and so on
and so on. Newton’s giants had shoulders of their own to stand on, and I would
love to think that one day someone out there will stand on mine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This isn’t just a metaphor; pick any paper published in the
last few months and you will see dozens of sources cited. Read any one of
those, and they have dozens of sources too. None of us know everything, but
together we know so so much. It’s a glorious rabbit hole of interconnecting
research, a funnel web starting with our distant ancestors hitting rocks
together to make fire and zooming ever upwards to modern marvels like the
internet and the device you’re reading this on, the modern medicine that saves
millions of lives a year, and even little old me sitting in the lab with my
endophytes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s research all the way down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where the confusion comes in is when people don’t realise
the difference between Scientific Research and non-scientific research, the
same word in the different languages. Anecdotal evidence, Facebook posts,
Youtube videos, have none of the strength that Scientific research has. There
is no web of inter-supporting evidence shining light on the next discovery.
There are no shoulders to stand on. All there is, is blind fumbling in the
dark, making things up along the way. The two things are very different things
sharing the same name, like the burro, and as such just aren’t comparable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I once (when I was eight) used a certain brand of shower gel
and went red all over, and for a while thought that I had a reaction to the
shower gel. But that doesn’t mean that brand is poisonous, to me or anybody
else. Nor does it invalidate in any way at all the testing done by the company
on their product to research (scientifically) the effects it has on skin. And
if I did non-scientific research by way of a quick Google and found someone
saying a similar thing to me, or a meme backing me up, then that also is
meaningless compared to the scientific research because the two forms of
research are non-comparable. (Incidentally it turns out if you have a really
hot shower you go red all over regardless of shower gel used. Who knew? Eight-year-old
me certainly didn’t)<o:p></o:p></div>
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This isn’t to say that only scientists are ‘allowed’ to find
things out, that’s not true at all. Being interested in the world we live in is
great, as is asking questions about it! I’m not commenting on the questions
themselves, only the reliability and validity of the answers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Please, by all means, get involved in scientific discussions.
Science affects everyone so everyone should have a role in science. But if you
want to distrust overwhelming scientific research in favour of anecdotes and
hearsay, be prepared to get crumbs all over your donkey while everyone else
eats a nice slice of buttered toast. At the same time, as scientists, it’s our
duty to help people find the right answers, to find the reliable research, and
to increase their understanding of how the world actually works. I don’t know
about you, but I don’t want to be hiding the butter dish when somebody’s just
wanting to sit at the table and share in what we’re eating. I want to help
everyone find the wonders of the world, the same wonders I adore finding out
about, and I think that’s a part of being a scientist; there’s no point finding
things out if you can’t share them with everyone in a way that they enjoy and
understand!<o:p></o:p></div>
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So go forth, and Do Your Research; but like a Scientist.<o:p></o:p></div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-89424311224731914942017-01-07T12:00:00.000+00:002017-01-07T12:00:07.736+00:002017; Withdrawal, Freedom, and a Bottle of LiltHappy New Year! Plus about a week, I've been ill and busy (starting 2017 the way most of 2016 went, then!). I hope you had a lovely winter break, Christmas, New Year, all the lovely times associated with trying to pretend it's not miserable outside.<br />
What are your resolutions, aims or goals for 2017? I have one big one; one that I've been setting my sights on for years. One that I am determined to achieve, and that I'm going to be so proud when I have done so.<br />
<br />
This year, I am going to drink a bottle of Lilt.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/1/12/Lilt_2000s.png/revision/latest?cb=20130418135556" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/1/12/Lilt_2000s.png/revision/latest?cb=20130418135556" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This isn't a sponsored post, I just love and miss Lilt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I know that sounds really weird, and really simple, but really the Lilt is more a representative of a milestone. Allow me to explain.<br />
<br />
If you read this blog a lot, or follow me on Twitter or whatever, you'll see that I post stuff about mental health and my own mental health struggles. I've also written for the Student Minds blog, and in a few weeks will be doing a training day to become a Press Ambassador for them too! Which is so very exciting!<br />
<br />
So where does Lilt come in? Lilt is a really tasty tropical drink I've always loved, but it contains grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice, when drunk by someone on Sertraline, an antidepressant, makes the drug flood into the bloodstream creating unpleasant effects and even things like serotonin poisoning. While I love Lilt, I also love not experiencing those nasty things, so since I started on Sertraline years ago I haven't been able to drink any. It's become a symbol to me, an end goal. One day, I will be off my medication, and I will drink a bottle of Lilt to celebrate. That day is coming.<br />
<br />
One big reason I was ill so much in 2016 (and why I'm ill at the moment) is because the long process of coming off the tablets began nearly a year ago. You can't just cold turkey things like this so I'm slowly dropping the doses of one tablet at a time. This is taking a long time for various reasons, like the high doses and large number of different drugs I was on, the fact that when I drop a dosage down I lose a week to really nasty withdrawal. It's a weird feeling, the withdrawal; it's like the worst hangover ever, my brain stops functioning and I can't focus on anything at all. But it's a bittersweet feeling; each time I go through it I'm one step closer to being off the medication, to tasting the Lilt-y freedom. Not freedom from the medication, because I needed them, I wouldn't have seen 2017 without them (or 2015 or 16 for that matter). It's another symbol to me. That I really am winning my fight against depression, and that I can do it myself now, without the meds. That I am free to live my life, and be myself, without the fear that the depression will scupper my plans, hopes and dreams.<br />
<br />
That Lilt is going to be the best thing I have ever tasted.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-80699736837386611302016-12-12T12:25:00.000+00:002017-01-08T12:47:15.882+00:00#MeetThePhD 3: Robert Millar: Using Bacteria to turn Bark into Bite<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">The idea behind meet the PhD is to
showcase PhD students, give a bit of an idea of what’s going on out there in
PhDland, and show to the world what PhD life is like! Perhaps they are thinking
of doing a PhD themselves, or just generally want to know more about it. Or
they’re already doing a PhD and want to see that they’re not alone in their
struggles or successes!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While Friendly Bacteria is a vaguely
microbiology-themed blog, for this series of mini-interviews I’m wanting any
PhD student no matter the field! I think it will be a fun way to connect with
other PhD students we wouldn’t normally be able to get to know, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you’re a PhD student and want to
get involved with this, leave a comment here, send me a DM on Twitter (
@friendlybugblog ) or shine the Bacteria-signal into the skies above
Aberystwyth and I’ll send you the questions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Previous ones are
here: http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This time, we've <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>got
Robert Millar, a fellow bacteria-jockey, but from Warwick!</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 Tell
me about yourself</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My name is Robert Millar (or
@Science_Millar for the twitter users), and I’m in the first year of my PhD in
Chemistry (which is actually all about bacteria, but don’t tell the other
chemists that)! I come from Coventry in the Midlands, and I’m doing my PhD at
the University of Warwick, just a stone’s throw from where I grew up. My PhD is
actually part of a doctoral training partnership called MIBTP, which is a type
of studentship that incorporates a year of training in the form of small
research projects, classes, online courses, and an internship to help set the
groundwork for the PhD, so it might be more fitting to say I’m a second year
postgraduate student, first year PhD. When I’m not in the lab, I spend a lot of
time doing martial arts, tai chi and qigong, and some underwater photography
when I get the spare time (shameless plug: you can view and buy prints of my
underwater shots at </span><a href="http://www.society6.com/robertmillar"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.society6.com/robertmillar</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ).</span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(<span style="color: purple;">Those underwater shots are pretty sweet! - Gareth)</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 What’s
your project all about?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I mentioned, my PhD is in chemistry, but I work on
bacteria. The University of Warwick’s chemistry department has a chemical
biology research facility, where projects at the interface of the biology and
chemistry live, so whilst I’m more towards the biological side, a lot of my lab
has a strong chemistry background, which can be really useful for understanding
some of the background mechanisms of what’s going on. The project itself
focuses on a molecule in plants called lignin. Lignin is a polymer – a long
chain molecule made up of individual subunits – that is responsible for making
plants woody, it is very tough, durable, and rigid, which means it is very
difficult to break down. Fortunately, bacteria are very good at breaking this
compound down without completely destroying it, which Is useful because the
individual subunits of lignin are actually complex chemicals which are
difficult to obtain, and have a variety of different uses. My aim is to alter
the way the bacteria break down lignin to increase the amounts of these high
value chemicals being produced, meaning we would be able to get plastics,
pharmaceuticals, food additives, and more from a renewable source (waste plant
material such as the sludge left over from making paper) rather than relying on
crude oil. It’s a very green project, which makes it easy for me to get excited
about!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3 How’s
it going so far?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So far it’s been slow going, I’ve been in the lab 5
months now but I have a long term illness that flares up from time to time. It
can be really frustrating trying to do a long protocol when some days it’s
impossible to work in the lab. That said, what I have managed to get done is
working well. I have a great supervisor who’s really understanding, and there
are some really talented people in the lab. Overall I’m really enjoying it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">4 What
are the three best things about your PhD so far?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think number one would have to be the people. Not
just the people who I’ve met through MIBTP, who I’m sure will be with me well
after the PhD, but the people in the lab as well make for a great research
environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Second is a chance to research something I’m genuinely
passionate about. The great thing about green science is it’s easy to see what
the outcomes of your work might be, so every little edge forward you feel like
you’re one step closer to making the planet just a little greener. I find that
really fulfilling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Third, the opportunities that have opened up since I
started the PhD are great; going to conferences, travel abroad, seminars from
top scientists, lots of things that wouldn’t have been available to me have
opened up since I started the PhD just a few months ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And the three worst things?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When the experiment doesn’t work, that’s never fun. I
don’t mind a negative result, but when the cells don’t even grow when you know
that they should, that’s very frustrating. I spent weeks repeating incubations
only to find out that the pH of one of the components in the media was wildly
off from what it should have been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A slightly embarrassing moment I had recently was
ordering a rather expensive piece of lab equipment, only to realise once it
arrived that it was the wrong model and wasn’t compatible with anything else in
the lab. I managed to get a full refund from the supplier but it wasn’t a great
impression after only being in the lab a couple of months!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I mentioned above though, one of the most difficult
things has been trying to manage having a long term illness and still trying to
get a good amount of lab work done. It’s twice as hard when other people in the
lab don’t quite understand or accept that I have a good reason for not making
it into the lab sometimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">5 If
you could go back and do something differently, what would it be and why?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well I’m just starting out, so I’m sure if I were to
revisit this questionnaire in three years’ time the answers would be completely
different, <span style="color: #7030a0;">(I’ll hold you to that! – Gareth)</span><span style="color: #002060;"> </span>but right now I think the most prominent thing
I’d do differently would be not to get so stressed when first starting out. I
got really worked up when I first started my PhD year about all of the admin
that needed taking care of. In hindsight, it wasn’t really all that bad and I
got mostly worked up over nothing. At the end of the day, I have three years to
make sure that’s all in order, I didn’t need to get it done all in the first
month!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">6 What
advice would you give someone thinking about doing a PhD?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you have a lab and a supervisor in mind, or a
project you really want to do, then definitely do a PhD. It’s great being able
to be more or less independent in my research (with supervisor’s approval of
course!) and to be able to work on something that I’m genuinely interested in.
If you’re thinking of doing a PhD just because you aren’t sure what to do next,
then it probably isn’t for you. I know when I was an undergraduate I thought
doing a PhD was basically a 9-5 job, and that you could just go home at the end
of it and not have any essays or assignments to write like at undergraduate,
but that really isn’t the case. There might not be homework, but there’s
definitely a lot of work that you’ll be taking home with you. A PhD can be a
huge source of stress in your life, so if you aren’t prepared to take that on,
it probably isn’t worth looking at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">7 What’s
the plan after you finish?</span></b><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I really hate this question, because my answer has
changed so many times. When I first started my PhD, it was on the advice of an
alumnus of my undergraduate university who now operates a successful company in
the DNA sequencing industry. He advised me that a PhD was a great springboard
to go into an industry job, as an entry level job for someone with a PhD was
years down the line for someone with just an undergraduate degree – “you’re
saving years off of your life!” as he put it. I had been torn between looking
for jobs in the industry and doing a PhD, so I saw this as an opportunity to do
both: PhD now, then 3-4 years down the line I could be in industry. Lately I’m
not so sure I want to carry on with research. Jobs in research are notoriously
lacking in job security, so lately I’ve been thinking of branching out. As part
of my doctoral training year, I did an internship in the media communications
department of the Society for Applied Microbiology (@SfAMtweets), which
involved writing a few blogs, some of which you can find at </span><a href="http://www.microbeblog.org/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">www.microbeblog.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
(another shameless plug, sorry!), which has got me thinking that maybe science
journalism or some other SciComm role might be more suited to me. Either way,
that’s three years away, so I have a decent amount of time to mull it over!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">8 <b>Any
further thoughts/comments?</b></span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m only a few months into the PhD, and it’s already
been a whirlwind. I’m writing this as I wait nervously for the results of a
month of work to come back, whilst trying to figure out where I should organise
where we should go for our lab Christmas meal. It’s definitely been a mixed bag
with a great bunch of people, but right now I don’t regret a moment of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(This is all Robert's unedited words.
If you want to get in on this sweet sweet blog series action, shoot me a
message and we'll sort something out! - Gareth)</span><span style="color: #093757; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-55060102345982764292016-11-06T14:43:00.000+00:002016-11-06T14:43:00.683+00:00#MeetThePhD 2: Olly the Criminologist!<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #093757; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The idea behind meet the PhD is to showcase PhD students, give a bit of an idea of what’s going on out there in PhDland, and show to the world what PhD life is like! Perhaps they are thinking of doing a PhD themselves, or just generally want to know more about it. Or they’re already doing a PhD and want to see that they’re not alone in their struggles or successes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #093757; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">While Friendly Bacteria is a vaguely microbiology-themed blog, for this series of mini-interviews I’m wanting any PhD student no matter the field! I think it will be a fun way to connect with other PhD students we wouldn’t normally be able to get to know, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">If you’re a PhD student and want to get involved with this, leave a comment here, send me a DM on Twitter ( @friendlybugblog ) or shine the Bacteria-signal into the skies above Aberystwyth and I’ll send you the questions!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Previous ones are here: http://friendlybacteriablog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/meetthephd</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">This time, we've got a good friend of mine I've known most of my life! Here's Olly's PhD experience:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><span style="color: purple;">(My favourite part is when he says he's in awe of people like me)</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><a name='more'></a><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color: #093757; text-indent: -18pt;">
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Tell
me about yourself</span></b></div>
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I’m Olly and I’m doing a PhD in Criminology at the
University of Southampton. I’m 23 and I’m generally interested in firearms and
shooting. My major hobby at the minute is Airsoft but I also do quite a lot of
PC gaming and a little tabletop role-playing.
Unfortunately I don’t have a blog, website or similar, either about me
or my project but I’m happy to chat if you want to get in touch!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">(If you have questions for Olly contact me, or leave comments here or something, I'll make sure he gets them! - Gareth)</span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What’s
your project all about?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My project is about guns and the police. More specifically,
my project explores the relationship between police officers in England and
Wales and firearms. I am then comparing the findings of that relationship with
findings from two forces abroad: namely the Dutch National Police, and the New
Zealand Police Service.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have performed research on armed police for both my
Undergraduate and Masters level dissertations, I find it fascinating that the
British police carry out their duties routinely unarmed and are one of only a
handful of countries that do so. Whilst my previous projects have focussed on
certain theoretical aspects of firearms policing in Britain (at Undergrad I
looked at firearms officers’ opinions of their Legitimacy and Accountability;
at Masters I studied the Legitimising impact of their training) I felt that it
was time to apply a wider focus.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The aims of this research are to share knowledge between
police services about how they perform policing around the world, and the hope
is that this might influence future decision-making around police firearms
policy and practice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">How’s
it going so far?</span></b></div>
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So, I’m at the end of my first year/beginning of my second
year. It’s kind of hard to tell but I’ve just had my Annual Review so let’s
call it the start of my second year proper.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I submitted a piece of work for my Annual Review that will
comprise a decent chunk of both my background/Introduction chapter and my
Literature Review chapter. Either way, it was 11 500 words towards my 75 000
word limit, so a decent chunk down. My next steps are to finalise the
theoretical contribution to my Literature Review before moving onto nailing
down my Methodology. My Methodology needs to outline and explain the methods
I’m using, why I’m using them and the background to doing a study in this way.
I also need to seek Ethics approval, which is rubbish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However, all of this is building towards the ultimate goal
of being able to go out towards the end of this year and do my primary research
gathering – interviewing and observing police officers as they carry out their
duties, train or take time off. And that’s what motivating me at the minute,
I’m not a huge fan of all this background stuff but once I hit the ground and
have some data, I‘ll feel a lot happier!<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What
are the three best things about your PhD so far?</span></b></div>
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First off, continuing at the University of Southampton is
great. I’ve been here since my Undergraduate, I’m well established in student
societies that keep my hobbies alive, I’ve been able to move in with my
girlfriend as she works locally and it’s generally kept me well orientated, I
feel like I know how things work! I do like a bit of comfortable familiarity
and I’m completely in awe of people like Gareth who have broken that comfort
zone to go do PGR work somewhere brand new!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Secondly, my supervisory team is amazing – I have two
well-renowned Australian criminologists supervising me, both of whom I have
worked with before. They have the right balance of being supportive and
encouraging but also being able to rip my work to shit and kick me up the arse
when necessary!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, and something that has only happened very recently
but has got me very excited. I have been contacted via one of my supervisors to
help advise a Norwegian delegation on writing their police firearms policy.
Whilst all I can provide is knowledge from the British perspective it’s really
weird (and bloody scary!) to be approached as an expert! I suppose this is what
it’s meant to be building towards though…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>And the
three worst things?</b></span></div>
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My annual review didn’t really go the way I wanted it to.
Long story short it developed into quite a heavy theoretical discussion that I
was quite unprepared for. I had assumed the annual review was to assess my
project’s viability – I was prepared to talk about my cross-cultural
comparisons, why my project was important and why I was going to use the
methods I had chosen. This all seemed fine and so it went down to the nitty
gritty on my theory and whilst I held my own, I couldn’t recall some of the
specific details they were looking for. A bit embarrassing in front of my
supervisors but also showed where the gaps in both my knowledge and my thesis
are.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Secondly – goshdamnit motivation is a harsh mistress,
feeling like getting on with the right thing at the right time in the right
space is just so difficult. I have days of boundless productivity and days
where I just want to do anything else other than my project. Unfortunately the
latter tend to outweigh the former. For me, I think variety helps – being able
to choose whether to work at home or in my (shared) office is great (there’s
only a 15 minute walk between the two). Also having a few different things to
work on helps me keep chipping away at something rather than stagnating and frustrating
over the same piece of work that I just can’t seem to finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can’t think of a third thing, and the annual review thing
only happened in the last fortnight, so maybe I’m luckier than I thought.</div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>If
you could go back and do something differently, what would it be and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Based on my experiences in the annual review, I probably
should have thought about my theory earlier – to me theory is just a framing
device for the research I really want to do. Unfortunately, for the rest of the
academic community, theory is the glue that holds your research together and
makes it relevant in a research setting. I realised the other day that whilst I
may be currently an expert in the police use of firearms, I am not yet an
expert in Legitimacy Theory, and if that is holding my thesis together, I need
to change that! If only I could have seen that a year ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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advice would you give someone thinking about doing a PhD?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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To echo Gareth – make sure you are passionate about your
subject! It will get tiring, it will get annoying but you’ve got to push
through it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is generally easier in less rigid subjects such as the
Social Sciences or Humanities. Rather than conforming to a set PhD pathway that
an institution wants to develop, you generally get to write a proposal in these
areas. So it’s a case of finding something you do care about (academically) and
then trying to find your research niche – why is what you’re doing important
and why has nobody done it before. It has to be unique but it doesn’t have to
reinvent the wheel, simply applying theory to a new sample group (e.g. the
police rather than the public) or simply using different methods to investigate
a problem might be all you need (e.g. use Focus Groups rather than mass
distributed surveys). <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What’s
the plan after you finish?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Errr….hahahahaha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Honestly, I don’t know. I’d like to go into something like
Government sponsored research for an organisation like the Home Office or
similar, but there are some appeals to becoming an academic and lecturing at
this university or a different one. Or I may do something completely different,
only time will tell at the minute.</div>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Any
further thoughts/comments?</b></span></div>
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I also think this is a fantastic blog and blog series –
other PhDs should totally get involved!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">(He genuinely did write that, it's not me bigging myself up! This is all Olly's unedited words. If you want to get in on this sweet sweet blog series action, shoot me a message and we'll sort something out!)</span></div>
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FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-21152879977263286362016-10-29T12:00:00.000+01:002016-10-29T12:00:30.487+01:00Bacteria; How do we Kill Them?I like focusing on the friendly, useful bacteria, but there are some pretty mean nasty ones out there that cause horrible diseases, wipe out crops, contaminate my experiments, and generally ruin everyone's day. That's where exciting things like antibiotics, sterilising procedures and autoclaves come in; they are our weapons, killing these unwanted bacteria. But how do they work? How do we actually kill bacteria?<br />
<a name='more'></a>Bacteria share many things with humans, which is handy for me because it's easier to relate things to people than to tiny creatures we can't really tangibly experience unless we jump into a compost heap. So before we get into killing bacteria, how does killing humans work?<br />
<br />
I've never killed a human, but we all know the basics; shot, stabbed, poisoned etc. But you can experience those things without being killed, so what is the actual killing part? Physical killing, like gunshots, car accidents, stabbings etc, works by stopping important functions of the body, often by disrupting vital organs. I dropped a bowling ball on my hand once, which didn't kill me, but if I'd dropped it on my head it might have done, because that's where my brain lives, and I need that in order to be alive. Bacteria don't have brains, or hearts, or lungs, but things disrupting the vital parts of their system will kill them. We don't use knives for this, but things like antibiotics; for example, trimethoprim works because it stops DNA synthesis, which is pretty essential for life. Great! So method one of killing bacteria; mess with their important bodily functions.<br />
<br />
Poisoning falls into that category too; in fact, it fits better with the bacterial thing because it works at the same cellular scale. Antibiotics are like poison, chemicals that kill cells. Like cyanide, which cuts off the respiratory pathways, depriving cells of energy, antibiotics interfere with biological processes in the cells.<br />
<br />
The whole 'poking unwanted holes in people' factors of stabbing is similar to some other antibiotics,too! Many work by putting a hole in the wall of the cell, letting all the good stuff inside that the bacteria needs leak out. Penicillin works a bit like that too, by stopping the cell wall from growing when the cell is dividing.<br />
<br />
It's not just antibiotics though; we kill bacteria every day, with heat when we cook our food, for example. Bacteria have lots of proteins in them, doing various things to keep them alive, and too much heat can change proteins so they don't work any more. Just look at what happens when you fry an egg; that's the proteins in the albumen getting changed by the heat. Acid does this too; milk thickens into yoghurt when enough acid is produced by the bacteria eating it, changing the shape of proeins in the milk so they gloop together. We can relate this to humans too, I wouldn't want to jump in some acid or sit in the oven! Although I hate heat anyway so don't want to sit near the oven at all...<br />
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Of course bacteria have ways of avoiding these causes of death, just like we do. Antibiotic resistance is growing, and is really bad news. Often this works by the bacteria deactivating the antibiotic before it can kill them; like at the start of Casino Royale when James Bond takes all the bullets out of the guy's gun before he shows up. Or the bacteria evolve to be less affected by things, with tougher proteins that can withstand more heat, like when we put on oven gloves.<br />
<br />
But my point is, that bacteria die for the same reasons as us; things stop working in their body. So we can kill them by making things stop working!<br />
<br />
99% of them at least though, right? But I'll go into that one another day.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-32648377045677241622016-10-19T12:20:00.000+01:002016-10-19T12:20:14.179+01:00Did I Just Make Life? Following in Frankenstein's FootstepsI don't mean travelling to the Arctic circle in search of revenge, (although lets not rule that out just yet) but rather building something living out of parts I <strike>dug up at midnight in a graveyard</strike> bought off Amazon. I am of course talking about building a computer, something I've never done before! I spent yesterday evening scratching my head at poorly translated instructions and peering intently at tiny wires. But that's not the point; the point is that in doing so I could relate a lot of what goes on in a computer to what goes on in a living cell, so thought I could shamelessly steal that as an analogy for this blog.<br />
<br />
Spoilers; the answer to 'Did I just make life?' is definitely 'no'. But that's ok, because the journey is more important than the final answer sometimes!<br />
<a name='more'></a>Cells have membranes, and sometimes walls. This membrane isn't just a big bag, it gives structure to the cell, and regulates what goes in and out of the cell. Just like my computer case! There are lights, vents for air intake, and fans to chuck out the air again once it gets hot. This brings some 'homeostasis' to my computer, keeping it at the right temperature for proper function, just like the optimum growth temperature for one of my bacteria colonies. There are also slots for various input and output devices, enabling my computer cell to interact with the outside world.<br />
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Cells require energy, in the form of chemical energy provided by ATP made in the mitochondria. My computer cell does too, but electrical energy provided by the power cable. Within a living cell this energy is carried around by ATP, but in my computer cables and wires that I really need to tie up out of the way carry the energy to where it's needed.<br />
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In a cell, enzymes do all the dirty work; changing things, degrading things, and building new ones. I guess this is the motherboard? Where all the various bits and pieces of information are dealt with as required. Probably including the CPU in this. (Can you tell I don't really know what the motherboard exactly does? That's fine, because I don't know what all the enzymes in a cell do either!).<br />
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The Hard drive is my genome, saving all the instructions and data and stuff that's accessed by the enzyme/motherboard and other little computery organelles. Plasmids are similar; segments of DNA data for the rest of the cell to take information from to do things. This is my little solid state drive!<br />
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DNA's information is transcribed into RNA before it can be used; this is where the RAM comes in! The short term bits of data/memory copied from the genome hard drive while it's being used.<br />
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The cell can communicate with the external environment, via exuding chemicals and stuff, and the computer can too! By making sounds, or giving off light in pretty patterns on the monitor.<br />
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I don't really know how graphics cards can be related to a living cell... Maybe like those cool shadow-based light sensing eyespot apparatus some protozoa have? Or something to do with fluorescence in deep sea vibrios and stuff like that? It would help if I knew how a GPU worked, but oh well.<br />
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My general take home message is that cells are a but like a computer, I guess. There's loads of little bits that all plug in together in exciting and fiddly ways, interacting and being dependent on each other in order to make the whole cell/computer function properly.<br />
<br />
You can also upgrade the system! Taking parts from another computer/cell, and popping them into an existing one, can boost up their capabilities in exciting and useful ways. But today's not the time to go into the wonderful world of GMOs, I need to head to the lab!FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-62418156255839991882016-10-10T16:38:00.000+01:002016-10-10T16:38:28.526+01:00World Mental Health Day; My Mental Health Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJM7LspEc_Q4wwFjV9pmWzFDycxQYrpDuX30zRBoKIHAAAl0HvHgXNOSdo6oCHV__Obi2b6VMeYY4ILRaI3KpNeqn8nLa6bRpHY1yIpgwL3dDHnhcUfeVrL-reMG8uuq0m4SoKA-Rsg/s1600/IMG_20161010_162618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJM7LspEc_Q4wwFjV9pmWzFDycxQYrpDuX30zRBoKIHAAAl0HvHgXNOSdo6oCHV__Obi2b6VMeYY4ILRaI3KpNeqn8nLa6bRpHY1yIpgwL3dDHnhcUfeVrL-reMG8uuq0m4SoKA-Rsg/s640/IMG_20161010_162618.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Today (the tenth of October) is World Mental Health day! Mental Health is a really important issue for me personally, but also for everyone; while nobody really talks about it 9not nearly enough, at least) it impacts on a huge percentage of the population, and is the biggest cause of death in my age group in the UK. It is likely to affect you, or someone you know, either right now or in the future, so I thought today I'd share some of my tips for lookjing after your mental health. I found these out the hard way so hopefully sharing them will stop somebody else having to!<br />
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Talk<br />
Talking is so important. I don't necessarily mean talking to someone in particular, because I know how hard that can be; I just mean, talk. To an empty room, to a pet, to a plant, or of course to a friend or someone you trust, if you're comfortable with that. Even just writing it all down can help. For me, my problems escalated because they were bouncing around inside my head with no way out. Just verbalising things gets them out of your head, and I find really helps to properly assess them and work things through. It feels weird at first but can really help.<br />
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Plan for the worst<br />
<br />
You might be feeling fine, either because no problems have arisen or because you're on the road to recovery. But feeling fine now doesn't mean things won't start going downhill later on. I like to be prepared for that, so that when I realise things are going pear shaped I know what I can do to head it off before it builds momentum. For me, this means having something that cheers me up, ready to go. When I was little I played Warhammer, and really enjoyed making and painting themodels. So now I have a little area of my desk set up for playing around with doing that; not just when I start feeling down, but just for fun. Having stuff set up and ready to go makes it easier to start doing it too, even when I've got no energy. Plus at the end I have a physical object that I'm hopefully proud of, which helps a lot too.<br />
<br />
Plan for the worst... more<br />
<br />
I'm not always in the mood for models, and forcing yourself to do something you're not going to benefit from much isn't going to help you pull out of a nosedive. It's good therefore to have a big bag of tricks, a list of things you can do that make you feel good, or at least take your mind off things. For me, I've got walking on the seafront, writing a blog post, playing video games, and more. This means that even if I'm not in the mood for a lot of those things, there should always be something I can do to take my mind out of any downward spiral. Belts and braces!<br />
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Learn the early warning signs<br />
<br />
By now I've had enough low points and dips in mood that I can pick up quite early on what's about to happen. This is going to be different for everyone, and for me is just a general feeling that's hard to put into words, but the important thing is knowing what to look for and recognising it as early as possible! Like most illnesses, or episodes of illnesses, the earlier you realise it's happening the earlier you can start to deal with it, helping recovery. So have things in place to help, and know when to start using them!<br />
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Put up safety nets<br />
<br />
All the preparation in the world can still go wrong sometimes; best laid plans and all that. So it's good to have support networks and things ready and waiting should all else fail. It's a lot harder to sit in the doctors filling out forms when you've already got the flu, and the same goes for bad episodes of mental health problems. Being on the books for your local doctors,or even better the local mental health services (or your university support people if that applies to you) before it becomes desperate really helps you get the help you need when you need it. Again, even if you feel ok now, prepare for that to change just in case it does. For examle, I had a peer mentor last year, who to start with I was really just checking in with now and then but ended up being really helpful and instrumental in getting me out of a real rut.<br />
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Watch out for things that set you off<br />
<br />
Just like hearing a few bars of a song can get it stuck in your head for hours, brief moments of exposure to certain things that can spark off thoughts and feelings can really impact negatively upon you. Really obscure things can do this for me, but also big topics that are common (especially in tv and movies). I'm not too comfortable sharing them to be honest so won't go into details about that, for obvious reasons, but knowing what these things that can set you off are will help avoid them, or at least if they're unavoidable can help you prepare so it isn't coming out of the blue.<br />
<br />
So those are my tips, or rather just a list of thingsI do that I find useful. The most important thing to remember is that it is ok to not feel ok; it's not something to be ashamed of or to hide.<br />
Feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment if you want to talk about any of this.FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-35541830647104309522016-10-05T12:00:00.000+01:002016-10-05T12:00:30.127+01:00Working Things Through; Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Messing Up<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am not confident in myself. Not just when
I speak to people, or do anything traditionally nerve-wracking, but in
everything I do, and everything I am; or at least, that I'm pretending to be.
It feels like the classic 'imposter syndrome' deal, but it is seeping through
my whole life. A lot of the time I feel like I just go through the motions, or
that I am permanently 'faking it till I make it', even when I'm just being me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There's this Gareth lurking in my head who
is really happy with who I am. I get excited at the prospect of being 'me', of
doing things I do like going into the lab, writing out a blog post, doing all
the fun little sciencey hobby stuff I've started doing now with all the Instagram
and videos and blog things. Being a proper scientist like I've always wanted,
with things like talking at conferences, doing the public engagement bits, my
Friendly Bacteria internet things...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Is that the real me though? Because if you
take the whole me, the Garethome if you will, that's not how it pans out. That
stuff really scares me. Like, to the point where I freeze up entirely. Even
really easy, small stuff like checking on how my bacteria are growing in the
lab. My office is almost opposite the lab, I could be up from my desk, suited
up with lab coat and gloves and spraying things down with ethanol within sixty
seconds. And yet whole days have gone by where I've had things I can be doing
in the lab but I can't bring myself to even leave my chair. Not because I don't
know what I'm doing, or anything like that, but that I'm so afraid trying to
become this version of myself that I do actually want to become that even the
first small steps are really overwhelming. I have officey things to do while
I'm there anyway, but quick trips to the lab are delayed minutes, hours,
sometimes even a whole day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With this Friendly Bacteria stuff, too, I
hit the same wall. Every time I pipe up on Twitter as being willing to chat
with people or interact or do whatever, I almost immediately completely lock
up, unable to respond to whoever it may be when they reply to my
comments/tweets/emails. When I do, it's typically been non-committal, avoiding
actually signing up to do anything concrete... I do want to, but I'm scared that
I can't, or that I'll mess it up. Bringing it back round to the imposter
syndrome; I'm scared that I'm not a person who actually can do these things,
and that putting myself in the position to do them will just reveal to myself
and everyone else that that's the case... and knowing what imposter syndrome,
and all that stuff means and is, doesn't help much when you're in that situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That's the deal, that's where I am right
now. But, writing this down has helped sort things out. I've said a few times
how I do actually want to be doing what I do, from my PhD to the scicomm-y
Friendly Bacteria stuff. I do know what it's like for my head to not quite
agree with itself, too, for various reasons that aren't for today, and I know
how I can diminish it to manageable levels, even unnoticeable levels. Friendly
Bacteria has been irregular lately, which is making it harder to keep up with;
that's something I can easily change, and that will help things. And I need to remember,
or remind myself when I need to, that the lab is my happy place. I put on my lab
coat, and I change. It's like a mask, or an acting part, but I'm acting like myself.
Like the me that gets excited rather than hiding away. Like the me that I want
to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And wherever I am, I need to remember that
that lab, that feeling, is just across the corridor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-29463490391799101622016-09-28T12:00:00.000+01:002016-09-28T12:00:05.670+01:00She Sells Bacterial Cells on the Sea Shore; Marine Microbiology<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Bacteria are everywhere! On Earth, at
least. That includes land, air, and in the sea too! All seven of them. With
animals, the ones living in the sea are pretty different to the ones on land;
there aren't many tentacled land animals, for example! Most land animals
wouldn't be too happy if you dropped them in the middle of the atlantic, and
nearly all the fish would be similarly unhappy if you put them in the middle of
a car park. Is it the same with bacteria? How have marine microbes evolved to
survive and thrive in the deep?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOzdbiztpCWg4tREyAM9jRMvTCr757LNOoIexhG9r4_QJgfDGYvCGm_RnArzqWOSUNbX4c2c9AQDmqst3pvSzDO26ScGawfRgjQN3Sw-n_K1BWfJM_HTf_H7vmhsHQhUHGyHJV8GOKko/s1600/giphy+%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOzdbiztpCWg4tREyAM9jRMvTCr757LNOoIexhG9r4_QJgfDGYvCGm_RnArzqWOSUNbX4c2c9AQDmqst3pvSzDO26ScGawfRgjQN3Sw-n_K1BWfJM_HTf_H7vmhsHQhUHGyHJV8GOKko/s640/giphy+%25281%2529.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the sea, in case you weren't sure! Taken from outside my house last week.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The environment in the sea is a bit
different to pretty much every other habitat on the planet. At first glance,
you'd think that any barrier to living things being happy there would be that
it's too wet; it is, after all, where most of the water is. But at the scales cells
experience, the opposite is true; it's too dry! Human bodies, like yours, are mostly
water. Cells are like little water balloons full of proteins, and without water
the proteins wouldn't be able to do their jobs, and the cell would die. If you
dunk a cell, animal or bacterial, into salty water then osmosis pulls water out
of the cell, making them shrivel up like a balloon that's been deflating for a
few days, and for similar reasons; when there's more air inside the balloon
than outside, it leaks out (because of air pressure rather than osmotic
pressure, but it's close enough!). This isn't ideal for many bacteria, so they
have a hard time living in the sea. So what about the ones who like salt water?
What makes them so special?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Back to the balloon-cell analogy; to keep
the air in the balloon, there are a few things we can tweak. If the wall of the
balloon-cell (celloon?) get less permeable to water/air, less will flow through, keeping
the celloon nice and happy. Or, we could put a little pump in the wall of the
celloon to bring back water/air, re-inflating the celloon! It doesn't quite
work for balloons but bacteria can also make themselves more salty on the
inside in general, lowering the difference between inside the cell and outside
of it, which slows down the outflow of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Great! So seafaring bacteria can regulate
or reduce how much water they lose to their saline surroundings. That all costs
more than not having those features, in terms of energy and nutrients, so
outside of the sea they're less happy, but the good thing about the ocean is
that there's food everywhere! Even at the deepest depths where the sun never
reaches, minerals and metals from the Earth feed communities of microbes, which
then feed bigger organisms too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In all, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal
for the microbes if they can just evolve to be sea-worthy! Although of course,
a planet-sized volume of nutritious water full of bacteria will also be a great
thing for those that feed on them, and so there are more bacteria-killing
viruses in the sea than anywhere else in the world... Life's never free from
danger for bacteria, even in the sea! Although if it was, the ocean might be a
bit more soupy with all the bacteria, and swimming would be trickier for we humans...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-58485584797271695472016-09-14T12:00:00.000+01:002016-09-14T12:00:16.784+01:00Birthday Weekend in Pictures!Last weekend was my birthday weekend! I'm now on lap 24 around the sun. I've not had time to settle back into normal life just yet, not helped by some mystery illness, but here's a quick post all about the awesome weekend I had! Complete with pictures!<br />
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It was a pretty perfect weekend, which is unusual for me as I'm not normally a big birthday person! Thank you, Ciara :) And my family too! And all my friends, especially the Nerds!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugeI5JNGY7sSPsAfQ9mBGowiiEiQ8m2AR0SswcDIYhCaRWH7eRwlO88b5AvzMB5SUVUhhmHNMi0CeTEDpAZ3Mj4mA_FkOFCzsTwM6IJ5BzOPralk4weSUlcWsd-pq9R1nLE61PRTNVJQ/s1600/IMG_20160910_144556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugeI5JNGY7sSPsAfQ9mBGowiiEiQ8m2AR0SswcDIYhCaRWH7eRwlO88b5AvzMB5SUVUhhmHNMi0CeTEDpAZ3Mj4mA_FkOFCzsTwM6IJ5BzOPralk4weSUlcWsd-pq9R1nLE61PRTNVJQ/s640/IMG_20160910_144556.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">David Attenborough riding a dinosaur... best birthday card ever???</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovr9XwI8z-quuTIzkk9nMTuCfG-ctKeC3SrygH1xZLT8ZxYnkGht23ChVdVDRoGCZIojx2fyo8JzuPhvf2kqwjzFKU-DEmZI3n6W2ZWObKMbDbrfeEsKIVuwgZanl5wCuevG_HiYj1dU/s1600/IMG_20160910_123751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovr9XwI8z-quuTIzkk9nMTuCfG-ctKeC3SrygH1xZLT8ZxYnkGht23ChVdVDRoGCZIojx2fyo8JzuPhvf2kqwjzFKU-DEmZI3n6W2ZWObKMbDbrfeEsKIVuwgZanl5wCuevG_HiYj1dU/s640/IMG_20160910_123751.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many presents were had, especially zombie themed ones!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDvjOZ4RkyjT_paWC_TPy1kZR-Dr2PykVPYzV8wKxA577wCHNqwoDsQbOm4GOQbKPocEX5OPJDSuGo9uFjsqAluPYbDgrv45SKxbNAkKL2OsTO51Aka9Ori5K8ymLlcPmfiVnMoDjK-4/s1600/IMG_20160914_084054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDvjOZ4RkyjT_paWC_TPy1kZR-Dr2PykVPYzV8wKxA577wCHNqwoDsQbOm4GOQbKPocEX5OPJDSuGo9uFjsqAluPYbDgrv45SKxbNAkKL2OsTO51Aka9Ori5K8ymLlcPmfiVnMoDjK-4/s640/IMG_20160914_084054.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More zombies! This book is amazing, I love it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzuABamUOGCndub80bGOWFnzknQfua9FEYEh7XOGbWw3_sGRUkOoqeNJxO8v7wfuJF87dtnizY-0EcGCS3aOs3oJ7vJTvTwkeULZptCTNSuhDwG9ZueM5qy2XHSnZm7MoaanJXgfaym8/s1600/DSCF2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzuABamUOGCndub80bGOWFnzknQfua9FEYEh7XOGbWw3_sGRUkOoqeNJxO8v7wfuJF87dtnizY-0EcGCS3aOs3oJ7vJTvTwkeULZptCTNSuhDwG9ZueM5qy2XHSnZm7MoaanJXgfaym8/s640/DSCF2014.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best present of all though; I got to hang out with these little guys! (Cotton eared Marmosets)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwP4SD0Fyu8jUqEkmaEmzkXMZ16D4W2klobG6PP1YcQF5rWDDrwrqomEvCQ3-RQfAcWDuw0VDch2qm-plYOfQAGvEeK5iiq2qQPhamAQ7zMw4F1Sr8nNrk73dscnvnhEigYrxUrYYuMXY/s1600/DSCF2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwP4SD0Fyu8jUqEkmaEmzkXMZ16D4W2klobG6PP1YcQF5rWDDrwrqomEvCQ3-RQfAcWDuw0VDch2qm-plYOfQAGvEeK5iiq2qQPhamAQ7zMw4F1Sr8nNrk73dscnvnhEigYrxUrYYuMXY/s640/DSCF2025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They were so friendly! And adorable. Got some great footage on the camera I'm wearing there, video will come soon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpLr4t0YgJkXnvjRn8IrIkQ7B21VVH-fRH2LmfPBLGScRC0ZXweE3CdATkjTl1L_kHIcRd1GoEROzDOxlQ9iuMJPETMAiigssN-ua0fGWYEfQSab-RB_AybcMd6qB7ClF5OYnbXeXRic/s1600/DSCF2034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpLr4t0YgJkXnvjRn8IrIkQ7B21VVH-fRH2LmfPBLGScRC0ZXweE3CdATkjTl1L_kHIcRd1GoEROzDOxlQ9iuMJPETMAiigssN-ua0fGWYEfQSab-RB_AybcMd6qB7ClF5OYnbXeXRic/s640/DSCF2034.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brown-headed one on my shoulder there is the youngest, he was born earlier this year (I've got a video of him as a tiny baby on my YouTube channel!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaehjFfz4tWJ8QPqiZbm0KcAKZCinzprWR_PaK-VhIcLj63b1w-zDov5Q_rjZtR64oAuODic405VvFEGxz-pKOg-5zN8m3OTIS59_poH4QZm4_9c9kEPmZz-vbhLj6chsi9DUsN9Sk0bY/s1600/DSCF2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaehjFfz4tWJ8QPqiZbm0KcAKZCinzprWR_PaK-VhIcLj63b1w-zDov5Q_rjZtR64oAuODic405VvFEGxz-pKOg-5zN8m3OTIS59_poH4QZm4_9c9kEPmZz-vbhLj6chsi9DUsN9Sk0bY/s640/DSCF2043.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love all animals, especially primates, so this was the perfect present!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUKsDYZ3Kcsn2dfo8TR9eOWxYJTDHSlQDI_2Q6uIxIPZ17NR8oyijoF9Gt4vpJeUKaFZ4e_FHWXVXy0TasJ4ZxbId4YxTYgaWPIv71G9VNtxPAn_ty2yW-X6D0p4xASiKlS9kQOpX9U/s1600/DSCF2059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XUKsDYZ3Kcsn2dfo8TR9eOWxYJTDHSlQDI_2Q6uIxIPZ17NR8oyijoF9Gt4vpJeUKaFZ4e_FHWXVXy0TasJ4ZxbId4YxTYgaWPIv71G9VNtxPAn_ty2yW-X6D0p4xASiKlS9kQOpX9U/s640/DSCF2059.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could have stayed in there with them all day but I wasn't allowed :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiyPjy1xTc0STQk9rGGzkCaNVb7WtRPz1xEV4vUQQxyoXStMHKkeNTE1pzAXJIs_bZ5jQfrQvjeqyzdZPi6rts8bc0Oq_UkiS6uLXq2mxV_xSUHfPLqK6sWUQ4CYjHYcRUGKu2HL-5SQ/s1600/DSCF2062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiyPjy1xTc0STQk9rGGzkCaNVb7WtRPz1xEV4vUQQxyoXStMHKkeNTE1pzAXJIs_bZ5jQfrQvjeqyzdZPi6rts8bc0Oq_UkiS6uLXq2mxV_xSUHfPLqK6sWUQ4CYjHYcRUGKu2HL-5SQ/s640/DSCF2062.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better view of the baby one</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ofAfpeLELmjcwxLm16HPz2JR9cT0qmRpNvxQrxD4_HAeKBXrvvRb3AYgZDede1EGDV_a1cSGGNBrXcH1MwXVlrKBrN6SH-9r3djAf0zrxJYymczn8WvcgbwT40KkWnNR5XAeSSYsNx8/s1600/DSCF2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ofAfpeLELmjcwxLm16HPz2JR9cT0qmRpNvxQrxD4_HAeKBXrvvRb3AYgZDede1EGDV_a1cSGGNBrXcH1MwXVlrKBrN6SH-9r3djAf0zrxJYymczn8WvcgbwT40KkWnNR5XAeSSYsNx8/s640/DSCF2070.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went round the rest of the zoo too! Some lovely animals there (Borth Animalarium, best place in Ceredigion!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LoBJg7R5iLUh9TKHks-mYIsFqChK2QNiNSsw7qjPdRZnWautj-ZgsmU9_vxir5PK6xPC05agicLGMLA75J0rS7kw6D_zQaxoKso-L4VqDnBlLcz_hQHzTPhy34K1Zre20tCEgoFiqS0/s1600/DSCF2090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LoBJg7R5iLUh9TKHks-mYIsFqChK2QNiNSsw7qjPdRZnWautj-ZgsmU9_vxir5PK6xPC05agicLGMLA75J0rS7kw6D_zQaxoKso-L4VqDnBlLcz_hQHzTPhy34K1Zre20tCEgoFiqS0/s640/DSCF2090.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory cute meerkat picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h6pTcven6OQRHws8lW_IEixmjzDvd6yIsYOY5P9QpYZKmp3t-4-C4wpIcYwRxcbV5u4S_KqW9TlKbAYSPuOeJKLrIG7qdJcSF2Tju_ZvEzjp1LyG9CwnhkwTtksYgMKvjyQCxbRUjMI/s1600/DSCF2100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h6pTcven6OQRHws8lW_IEixmjzDvd6yIsYOY5P9QpYZKmp3t-4-C4wpIcYwRxcbV5u4S_KqW9TlKbAYSPuOeJKLrIG7qdJcSF2Tju_ZvEzjp1LyG9CwnhkwTtksYgMKvjyQCxbRUjMI/s640/DSCF2100.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello little wallaby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqaLyBO2fyb0LELYhWjkxsi5aIKR8IilzRNjBCki23H0A13DZik2cgI0zAqslPb_hGCefb7KdtDoEV_Yf6p1HH8LT5w2XUNCxGNCpajaly56wZ2VjTisR_gwWBkGSBvUIUKkXMbigRw/s1600/DSCF2102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKqaLyBO2fyb0LELYhWjkxsi5aIKR8IilzRNjBCki23H0A13DZik2cgI0zAqslPb_hGCefb7KdtDoEV_Yf6p1HH8LT5w2XUNCxGNCpajaly56wZ2VjTisR_gwWBkGSBvUIUKkXMbigRw/s640/DSCF2102.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ballsiest sheep, or greatest camouflage ever?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEHdLgXKLrl4a6OSapRD2umhpPw8f3OXaXPhuc5Z1GrThl5_kakxfIBeL0J7y68Aahcue69ZeudrDpn14pYMHzPvySLYJbItmeJm3iiGxxObryPOvsuTC4pcejgvhywQKEn0bYTUNPrM/s1600/DSCF2113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEHdLgXKLrl4a6OSapRD2umhpPw8f3OXaXPhuc5Z1GrThl5_kakxfIBeL0J7y68Aahcue69ZeudrDpn14pYMHzPvySLYJbItmeJm3iiGxxObryPOvsuTC4pcejgvhywQKEn0bYTUNPrM/s640/DSCF2113.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lioness looking grumpy as is had just started raining</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhcgoK6mmweh63fSmKMDG1n9xprBpNQkDm4PyDsh6ZJFnso2Rhu-e0lICteyKja7M6FSexc85MT6K2UDKd9BKP-kNJPNp1c75hgVfqBmRV7zO4ldSfIzOIWUhCP9q1uY16A-v6BHY3yE/s1600/DSCF2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhcgoK6mmweh63fSmKMDG1n9xprBpNQkDm4PyDsh6ZJFnso2Rhu-e0lICteyKja7M6FSexc85MT6K2UDKd9BKP-kNJPNp1c75hgVfqBmRV7zO4ldSfIzOIWUhCP9q1uY16A-v6BHY3yE/s640/DSCF2120.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful location for it too! I love Wales!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4j0QKpiPlkk9sD49owIxY0DVDzMyX_ci2YciN6jnpEyOQHMifpO4JsPBAT2ExK0q8pMhejg8_cWiJiv3IFpnUH6cUOaIfchkSY93JbGhPw7dtpc0RgABZaAlxUoAdfGOdoVXeko4fgTs/s1600/DSCF2122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4j0QKpiPlkk9sD49owIxY0DVDzMyX_ci2YciN6jnpEyOQHMifpO4JsPBAT2ExK0q8pMhejg8_cWiJiv3IFpnUH6cUOaIfchkSY93JbGhPw7dtpc0RgABZaAlxUoAdfGOdoVXeko4fgTs/s640/DSCF2122.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These emus were tiny hatchlings when I saw them last, they grow up so fast!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFf39OqxR3ZNCFEM_mC2Nk1MMlhzGAkED4f8TSIOhQkELVE0QlzrmCRSjQpdaJrEGL0IZ4TSzlHh_mwsEjY968c4HIi8qZj4o4l3Zeekeb07VxCUb3ElmkhrF-JWUguud2fUAr34CBgw/s1600/DSCF2123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFf39OqxR3ZNCFEM_mC2Nk1MMlhzGAkED4f8TSIOhQkELVE0QlzrmCRSjQpdaJrEGL0IZ4TSzlHh_mwsEjY968c4HIi8qZj4o4l3Zeekeb07VxCUb3ElmkhrF-JWUguud2fUAr34CBgw/s640/DSCF2123.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love flightless birds! Ostriches and Emus especially (the Rheas here tried to bite me once)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEn2GEh4oawjKr3fx1A-RPiCyRD020FIYwPig_agDNs4pVVO9hGqqIGOYZSMGEJhAXnGAlq6udXqd9SuHfrPLRZsAlV8modXPkXMLMwxv0-G1zNpXxGRSCfRNEfwL5xIW9SF3DHDKrFI/s1600/DSCF2138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEn2GEh4oawjKr3fx1A-RPiCyRD020FIYwPig_agDNs4pVVO9hGqqIGOYZSMGEJhAXnGAlq6udXqd9SuHfrPLRZsAlV8modXPkXMLMwxv0-G1zNpXxGRSCfRNEfwL5xIW9SF3DHDKrFI/s640/DSCF2138.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wanted a cracker, but I'd run out by this point sadly!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBFM9kfvfGK4fbG1xAKoDFdfNmSEqqMKRzVRgPcmomKsmYL0gA70heGHZ5EstyUfczA3vlfXou3EA_0fxSx544yrEIbuKtkZDPI1VZ7wk2EmFU1tTSfaNr9h1KYDzPqBPbo4UxZ8scxw/s1600/IMG_20160910_231640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBFM9kfvfGK4fbG1xAKoDFdfNmSEqqMKRzVRgPcmomKsmYL0gA70heGHZ5EstyUfczA3vlfXou3EA_0fxSx544yrEIbuKtkZDPI1VZ7wk2EmFU1tTSfaNr9h1KYDzPqBPbo4UxZ8scxw/s640/IMG_20160910_231640.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's not a zoo animal! This is my lovely cat! I went home on the saturday to have the rest of the weekend with the family, including Hollie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSiRzw3kRPNZCE9KB2GSeWAO_6iuaVCdREmGZQrixNCKaZaIZZEUlBysitnRO7RO9tYypBgdHBJkHS1zg5SqCn7l_ZPlcvMBBzU-2yoMyyZ3Jtksx9j6l9qKzkQOlMNWanqDwQAsxZT8/s1600/IMG_20160911_122721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSiRzw3kRPNZCE9KB2GSeWAO_6iuaVCdREmGZQrixNCKaZaIZZEUlBysitnRO7RO9tYypBgdHBJkHS1zg5SqCn7l_ZPlcvMBBzU-2yoMyyZ3Jtksx9j6l9qKzkQOlMNWanqDwQAsxZT8/s640/IMG_20160911_122721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went for a lovely walk up in the mountains, the weather was perfect and the view spectacular!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7czi02f1bqoYu-XhU5xj7Bj0YgJO2MkirHIFuGvAzoJp-CZwVpKNAmR3Me8jTNWE6kw8ebIRkTpdqJp9U0XpkQWoggfnAiSGF_Gdcu3NnM25-Zra7BeMASrg6Z2eA6VovG3FFa5EAGc/s1600/IMG_20160911_124338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7czi02f1bqoYu-XhU5xj7Bj0YgJO2MkirHIFuGvAzoJp-CZwVpKNAmR3Me8jTNWE6kw8ebIRkTpdqJp9U0XpkQWoggfnAiSGF_Gdcu3NnM25-Zra7BeMASrg6Z2eA6VovG3FFa5EAGc/s640/IMG_20160911_124338.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm, look at that view! This is the same spot I came to to look at the stars back in March</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwqrrUSbPp9kjWnKBmbULeFZbUT7LP8t2JWY9LpA9uqFL4RdnLthuEgSfpmdfFTasnZgxCx_HS5FrTX05CnZjMj85KqQqgtfqwUD54gSLPzZfVq7sZSrWQpfop_I5ZlOhPbttJnDbS4w/s1600/IMG_20160911_152515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwqrrUSbPp9kjWnKBmbULeFZbUT7LP8t2JWY9LpA9uqFL4RdnLthuEgSfpmdfFTasnZgxCx_HS5FrTX05CnZjMj85KqQqgtfqwUD54gSLPzZfVq7sZSrWQpfop_I5ZlOhPbttJnDbS4w/s640/IMG_20160911_152515.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a lovely sunday lunch with the folks! The dog wasn't allowed any though, as much as she wanted it! <br />'Please fill my bowl too!'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR1ANIgxu6n7cjZhYuFM9R4r49eyNAbrgD3yqWuyIyVXDKfNZOdD5Vy__A3_GrfQxwkTnSSaw-Y_ALXTEjzz4gtDwU_9nAhMePcm3qKMTDTLUV28j-OBY6y0fCvunuVH9ZeLYmm9KmTw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR1ANIgxu6n7cjZhYuFM9R4r49eyNAbrgD3yqWuyIyVXDKfNZOdD5Vy__A3_GrfQxwkTnSSaw-Y_ALXTEjzz4gtDwU_9nAhMePcm3qKMTDTLUV28j-OBY6y0fCvunuVH9ZeLYmm9KmTw/s640/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the best cake ever, my mum is a master cake maker! It tastes as great as it looks!<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It was a perfect weekend, I don't have enough time or space or pictures to document every amazing thing that happened! Thank you, Ciara, and the Nerd Squad, and my family too :) Bring on being 24!</span></div>
</td></tr>
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FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545858031976247373.post-33011173349383428522016-09-07T12:00:00.000+01:002016-09-07T12:00:20.422+01:00Fantastic Bacteria and Where to Find Them!<div class="MsoNormal">
There are awesome animals in the world. There’s the big
famous ones like elephants and eagles, and there’s the really weird ones nobody
really hears about like the Mexican Mole Lizard or the Emerald Cockroach Wasp
(and if you don’t know about them, look them up, they’re awesome!). But they
are pretty hard to find; not just being elusive in their habitats, but in
having limited habitats. Even animals like kangaroos that are quite prolific in
their own habitat only cover a small percentage of the planet! There are loads
of them, and they’re big enough to spot from a distance, but I won’t be seeing
any in the wild unless I take a long journey. Bacteria, on the other hand, are
<i>everywhere</i>! And you get some really awesome ones of them too, especially ones
nobody ever hears about. They aren’t as big as kangaroos <i>[citation needed]</i> but if
you know how to find them you can see some fantastic ones!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This summer I’ve been isolating environmental microbes, and
have started getting the sequencing data back so I can find out what I’ve got!
The first set of bacteria came from within plant tissue samples taken from a
remote coastal path in Wales, but the results were nowhere near as limited as
the area screened; even though some of the PCR failed, and some sequences came
back as nonsense, the strains identified are capable of some pretty cool stuff!
I won’t go into specifics because you might steal my project, take my identity
and confine me to a dungeon somewhere, but here are some notable ones:<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 strains that managed to infiltrate NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory clean rooms (and possibly stowed away on some space missions!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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A strain that eats methanol and ethanol, which I normally
use to sterilise my lab!<o:p></o:p></div>
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One that eats feathers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Several that boost plant growth (great news for me as that’s
what I’m after!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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One that’s used in laundry detergent!<o:p></o:p></div>
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One that lives in silage! Tasty! (for cows)<o:p></o:p></div>
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One that makes gold nanocubes! I don’t know what they’re for
exactly, let me look it up…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>[Googley Googley]</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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They’re for drug delivery and biohydrogen production!
Awesome.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s not even all the ones I identified, and I only ID’d
about a quarter of them (first time doing the PCR, don’t judge!). I just found
it so amazing that these fancy, incredibly interesting, incredibly useful
bacteria were just chilling out inside a plant up a cliff by the sea. I’m going
to do my best to ID the rest of them, and all the ones I’m currently still
isolating, but even this small start has really enthused me about the project!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who needs fancy international safaris, when you can find
some fantastically cool organisms right there on your doorstep?<o:p></o:p></div>
FriendlyBacteriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08618733949370011087noreply@blogger.com0