𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔥 𝔠𝔬𝔣𝔣𝔢𝔢 + 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔥 𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔰 + 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔥

Synthetic biology

Little things that feel like spells:

the sound of wind in trees like they're whispering secrets

old keys with no doors to open

puddles that look like portals if you stare long enough

half-finished poems tucked into coat pockets

dusty attics where forgotten memories nap

candlelight flickering like it’s trying to talk

tea leaves swirling like they’re casting fortunes

cloudy days that turn the world into a watercolor

finding feathers in strange places like a bird witch left them behind

everyone should watch this video. just learned something new. the usa is still genociding indigenous people and they won't stop.

(by Brett Meliti)

“Since 1959, our collection has been open to the public to educate visitors of all ages and provide permanent housing for almost 4,000 plant species, some of which are critically endangered.

We've always been dedicated to the conservation of plant species, including Welwitschias, cacti, succulents, orchids, cycads, water lilies, carnivorous plants, and so much more!

Earlier this week, we were informed that we have been placed on a shortlist for potential permanent closure and will know in May.

At the moment, we are still operating under our normal hours, allowing visitors, labs, and discussions to observe, touch, and smell all of our unique and fascinating plants-for free, as it has always been.

Currently, Marlene Simon, the director of the conservatory, is drafting a letter of support for those who wish to sign in support of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory to continue to get University funding.

Additionally, supporters are more than welcome to write to our department which is the College of Biological Sciences.

@ucdavisbiology

Lastly, we would deeply appreciate it if all supporters could share this news to help gather more support.

———————————————————

UC Davis’s botany conservatory needs your help! Please message @ucdavisbiology on instagram and/or email UC Davis’s Chancellor Gary May at chancellor@ucdavis.edu about why this would be a loss for the botany community, endangered plant species, and the general public!

Please share if you can!

Productivity Day #1

Yesterday I went to a cafe and got a little bit of calculus done 🤭. Definitely behind in the course material but I’m proud of myself for putting in the effort. Also super happy I journaled a bit since it’s been months!

2h of calculus

10 pages of Braiding Sweetgrass

2 cups of tea

you know what's weird to me though? "all-natural", "organic" chemophobic alternative-medicine type people who are scared of pesticide residues on their food and think that a walmart strawberry contains so much roundup its basically toxic waste, but are totally indifferent to the same pesticides being sold at the home depot and drenched on the neighbors grass like its wwi chemical warfare

We should all be radicalized by Otter 841.

Living in Santa Cruz, CA, we see sea otters so often it's easy to forget that they are endangered. Otters are a keystone species, meaning they are critical to the health of the Monterey Bay. They protect it from being overrun by species like urchins and invasive crabs that endanger the kelp forest. Without otters, the kelp would disappear along with hundreds of other species. The seabed would erode, making our coast more vulnerable to storms. Otters maintain the balance of our Bay, and they are just one example of an endangered species whose conservation is critical to the species and people of an area.

Trump has proposed changing the interpretation of the Endangered Species Act so that it no longer protects habitat, creating a loophole that companies can use to disregard environmental protections, a move that would be catastrophic for endangered species across the country.

But we can fight.

Follow this link to make a public comment:

This site is open for public comment until the end of May 19th. Please comment and make your voice heard.

Also, call AND email your representatives in congress, and let them know you will not allow the Trump administration to roll back decades of environmental progress.

Don't let Otter 841 down.

Honestly bizarre that tomatoes get all the flack for “not being a vegetable” because they're technically a fruit when:

A) There are a ton of fruits that get categorised as vegetables. Like this also applies to pumpkins, squashes and cucumbers.

B) The fucking mushrooms are standing there at the back of the crowd in this witch trial, trying to look inconspicuous because they somehow got into the vegetable club with no fucking controversy despite the fact that they're not even plants.

sometimes i think about the golden record and i want to cry