Tootfinder

🦠 High-performance cell atlas workflow driven by manifold fitting
#biology

High-performance cell atlas workflow driven by manifold fitting
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed CellScope, a high-performance single-cell analysis framework that uses manifold fitting to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. This framework helps build detailed "cell atlases" that map different cell types and show how they further group into finer subtypes.

Morning light on the insect hotel and ADUs. No visitors yet, but I've seen male Osmia nearby so won't be long. New to the hotel this year are offerings of pithy stems (hydrangea, rose) to hopefully attract small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and digger wasps (Pemphredon). #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #bees #wasps #insects #hymenoptera #pollinators #biology

Phage antirestriction induced system (PARIS) protects bacteria from viral infections by cleaving viral tRNAs and T5 phage escaping it by expression of a lysine transfer RNA variant that is not cleaved by PARIS
#armsRace #biology

Nature fans: the spring Gall Week starts May 2nd! URL has details on how to participate on iNaturalist, plus links to an excellent podcast featuring Adam Kranz. #nature #biology #inaturalist #cynipidae #galls #insects #mites #wasps https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/257180/journal/129848

Here are the Houdini fly traps attached to my insect hotel. The malbec, grape vinegar, and water cups are all attached in a slightly haphazard way, but hopefully will be useful in assessing whether Nicole Kenney's idea (use malbec to attract them) works on the east coast, too. My big concern is that I only saw one Houdini fly today so I might be setting it up too late. #BeeHotel #InsectHole #osmia #flies #science #biology #diptera

Every spring I reread this article on how tomatoes respond physiologically to even a single night below 50 °F (season-long reduction in yield). I'm always left wondering whether planting them out now (lows in upper 40s) might allow an earlier harvest, albeit at the expense of total productivity. Because I'd be OK with that. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. USDA 7b. #tomato #tomatoes #garden #biology #circadian #gardening #temperature #weather #allotment #philadelphia https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/1996/oct/tomato/

Walked around Valley Forge National Historical Park last week and was surprised to find hundreds of mason bees nesting *inside* the soldier huts. I'd always assumed they required exterior wood, ideally with direct sun for most of the day. There were also hundreds of Houdini flies lurking around. #ValleyForge #pennsylvania #osmia #bees #insects #history #biology

I've been documenting the insects that emerge from eastern redbud seeds, and these two chalcids popped out today. On the left is Eurytoma sp. and on the right is Eupelmus pulchriceps. Both wasps hovered around me for a good 10 seconds or so after I blew them off. One came back and landed in the same spot. Goodbyes are hard. #wasps #insects #hymenoptera #biology #cercis #redbud #nature #chalcidoidea

I LOVE to boost nature photographs that have both AltText and interesting biology factoids. Hate discovering that they are just stolen pics. #photography #photo #nature #biology #wildlife

To amuse myself I'm evaluating baits for mosquito-killing buckets: oak leaves, straw, log, and beetroot skins. Leaves and straw are standards but I'm curious whether I can attract tree-hole species (e.g., Aedes triseriatus) with the partially submerged wood. And beets are packed with geosmin (a sesquiterpenoid), a known oviposition attractant. Stay tuned. #mosquitoes #science #biology #entomology

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia was rescued from insolvency by Drexel University in 2011 but the relationship is apparently too draining. This is unlikely to end well. #science #entomology #biology #philadelphia #drexel #paleontology #museums #NaturalHistory https://share.inquirer.com/FLhfyz

I tested the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, the Aion Mosquito Barrier, and the Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard. tl/dr: they don't kill mosquitoes but plenty of Americans are still buying them. #mosquitoes #grifting #pesticides #nature #biology #insects #diptera #carbondioxide #co2 https://colinpurrington.com/2020/08/yeast-based-mosquito-control-devices/?nocache=1

Tiny pteromalid, possibly Dinarmus basilis, that emerged from my collection of eastern redbud seeds. The species is a known parasitoid of the bruchid that eats these seeds. #wasps #dinarmus #insects #chalcidoidea #redbud #bruchidae #beetles #entomology #nature #biology

Strawberry plant blinged out with droplets of xylem sap. I've never seen it, but apparently the minerals in the fluid can leave a white residue when the water evaporates. #guttation #biology #strawberry #fragaria #gardening #plants #xylem

Found two dozen mosquito egg rafts in the mini-pond today. All Culex, I think, and all oviposited overnight. I really need to set up a camera trap to record them in the act. #pond #diptera #mosquitoes #culex #culicidae #water #biology

In embarrassing personal news I apparently misidentified a worm as a moray eel. Oops. #nemertea #muraenidae #worms #eels #inaturalist #galapagos #biology https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322579584

Some Dinarmus (Pteromalidae) and Eurytoma (Eurytomidae) that emerged from my collection of eastern redbud seeds. Both are known parasitoids of the redbud seed weevil (Gibbobruchus mimus) but I'm hopeful that something unexpected will pop out one of these days. E.g., a hyperparasitoid. #redbud #wasps #chalcidoidea #insects #nature #biology #hymenoptera #entomology

Great footage of ground-nesting bees by Adrian Smith et al. at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. #bees #hymenoptera #nature #insects #colletes #nomada #andrena #entomology #biology #northcarolina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jje1LPrsHbc