Could a climate-focused community biology lab generate new ways to tackle food security, reduce GHG emissions, and design sustainable fuels + materials? I strongly believe so. Here's why the time is right to bring this to life in the East Bay! 🧵1/7.

RT @SynBio1: You can’t eat microchips. Social media can’t heal the sick. B2B SaaS will never love you. The final measure of any technology….

RT @reillycoopersci: What if we could encode secrets with biology? Rather than hide information in digital data, is there a future state wh….

Come hang with me Sat 5/3 at 11:30 AM for a convo on funding unconventional, curiosity-driven science!. I’ll share how selling rare houseplants via plant tissue culture is helping fund a community plant bio lab—plus we’ll jam on the future of accessible experimentation. 🌱🤘🏾.

RT @1517fund: @ATinyGreenCell It doesn't matter if the whole world forgets, if just one person learns and remembers to pass the knowledge a….

RT @sethbannon: We need a better plant bioengineering toolkit.

Stay tuned for March’s update—more sterilization tests, learning how to build a hoop house, the lab’s first press feature + more. 🌱 Subscribe below to get updates straight to your inbox! 👇5/5.

In January, I focused on developing a proposal for a new plant transformation technique for breeders with @zeroinputag. But, without a novel way to inhibit nucleases released during pollen hydration, the strategy didn’t seem viable. 🤷4/5.

So, I’ve been knee deep in plant micropropagation. In February, I focused on testing different sterilization protocols to reduce contamination, thanks to tips from @ATinyGreenCell, @rachelhelmich + other scientists. 3/5.

When funders asked how the lab would sustain itself, I didn’t have a solid answer. Since plant tissue culture is used in conservation, commercial horticulture + synbio, I wondered—could it generate enough $$ to support the lab? Spoiler: I think so! 2/5.

Since floating around the idea of a climate-focused community biology lab, a lot has happened! From tinkering with a new funding strategy to fighting relentless microbes, here’s a recap of what unfolded between December and February. 🧵1/5.

RT @mwseibel: Learning something new is so much fun. Turns out just being nice makes it easy for people to teach you all kinds of great thi….

RT @mbeisen: We are all scientists.

RT @klsywd: Does anyone have ideas on a good journal to submit the lavender lettuce paper? It's the first time a chromoprotein like this ha….

RT @neubadah: science and tech are moving at breakneck pace. who’ll share in this work and the fruits it bears? who’ll build the next new….

RT @ATinyGreenCell: Physically doing science, not just being talked down to about it, would change a lot of people's minds. Part of the rea….

RT @seemaychou: Zoogle! Our new tool from @arcadiascience for picking research organisms. Even if you’re not a scientist, you should care t….

And just like that, the first lab update is out in the universe. Would love feedback on a potential plant transformation technique @zeroinputag and I are thinking about. Plus, send me all your plant tissue culture tips and tricks! 🌱 Link 👇

RT @NickDesnoyer: I genetically engineered the amazing Arabidopsis to mimic the striking patterns of my Tradescantia zebrina🧬🌱. From concep….

RT @srikosuri: It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendr….