Rachel

Lemurs Love This Fruit That Is Choking Madagascar’s Forests

Our work with Dr Matt McCary and team was featured in NYTimes! www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/s...

It's also incredibly difficult and expensive to eradicate, adding a very real financial consideration to any conversation efforts.

The stunted tree growth prevents regeneration of the rainforest after deforestation, even decades after deforestation has stopped.

But the plant isn't hated - its straight stalks (bottom left) make for good building materials, and its fruits (bottom right) attract beloved lemurs.

But strawberry guava can only grow in disturbed (deforested) parts of the rainforest. Once it's established, this study found it causes:

decreased soil quality
changed arthropod populations
stunted tree growth

Lemurs, the most well-known Madagascar animal, eat the strawberry guava fruit. (Humans do too!)

So the plant can have a very positive association - lemurs tend to be found around its groves.

Invasive strawberry guava is a favorite food of endangered Madagascar lemurs.

It also prevents native trees from growing past the seedling stage, halting the regeneration process after deforestation.

Study led by Amy Dunham and Matt McCary.

news.rice.edu/news/2026/st...

A grad student in one of Rice's labs recreated Thomas Edison's lightbulb experiment looking for graphene (and found it!) This was a fun story to write.

news.rice.edu/news/2026/ri...

happy to! I started using this year when going on nature walks with my friend's kids. We'd identify the birds via the app and then try to spot them.

oscar the grouch from sesame street is holding a trash can over his head ALT: oscar the grouch from sesame street is holding a trash can over his head

I have forgotten the teachings of Oscar!

Thanks for the note :)

So I had to share it here.

Me: All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together.
Nephew: Is that blood [on the cover]?
Me: No, it's albumin. He was an egg.
Nephew: I don't think horses are very good at putting eggs back together.

None of my friends have read @jasperfforde.bsky.social

I was reading "The Big Over Easy" and my 8 year old nephew read the back cover. This conversation happened. 🧵

Nephew: There's a dead body?
Me: It's Humpty Dumpty
Nephew: Like...Humpty Dumpty...?
Me: He had a great fall.
Nephew: and he broke?

When I first learned about flow cytometry, I spent a lot of time confused about the plots. So I wrote a handy guide for my very confused past self. Given the responses, it seems like we *all* might have been a little confused 🤣😅

If flow plots are mystery to you, too, this might help. #immunology

Viral Vectors 101: Systemic Capsids Curious about systemic capsids? Looking for one to test in your experimental system? This 101 is an introduction to systemic capsids uses and types!

If you are working with AAV or thinking about working with AAV, you definitely want to check out (and bookmark!) the latest @addgene.bsky.social blog post on systemic capsids from our blog editor, @rachelscicomm.bsky.social. blog.addgene.org/viral-vector...