There are many types of ‘black’ waters around the world: places, wastes, natural waters, and… hypoxic blackwater. Natural waters are a simple enough thing in Australia at least: water stained to a dark brown by tannins in the barks, woods, and leaves that end up in pools. Best observed in rock pools or sandy pools …
In simple terms: Earth microbial co-occurrence network reveals interconnection pattern across microbiomes
Abstract: Background: Microbial interactions shape the structure and function of microbial communities; microbial co-occurrence networks in specific environments have been widely developed to explore these complex systems, but their interconnection pattern across microbiomes in various environments at the global scale remains unexplored. Here, we have inferred an Earth microbial co-occurrence network from a communal catalog …
Scientists are hoarders
Or, more to the point, the state of storage facilities and offices in every institution I’ve ever been to suggests most scientists are hoarders. Four things tend to be hoarded in soil science – soil, equipment/chemicals, paperwork, and broken furniture. Paperwork and broken furniture hoarding are probably just a side effect of being busy or …
Six months in China, or, Science in the Time of COVID-19
At this point I’m one third of the way through my postdoctoral fellowship. And, to be honest, while I think it’s been pretty derailed by the whole global pandemic, I suspect that the fallout would have been much larger if I was in Australia or still in China but at a less… esteemed university. Downtime …
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Process documentation or ‘rest of the fucking owl’
[creating the] rest of the fucking owl is a meme that was born of a photograph showing the process for carving an owl statue wherein the process was impossibly under explained. Of three steps there was step one: a block of wood with a basic owl stencilled; step 2: the owl roughly cut out; step …
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Lessons learned while knitting a jumper
One hobby that I enjoy doing is knitting and I recently made my second ever jumper (and first jumper that wasn’t hilariously hideous). A change in technique (from English style to Continental style) means I finally knit fast enough to finish a project before I start hating it. I feel that I’ve learned two important …
Garden pH
Two common complaints at the ABC Gardener’s Market were ‘my soil pH is too acid’ and ‘my soil pH is too alkaline’. Anyone that grows ornamental or consumable plants should be interested in their soil pH. Too alkaline and plants will struggle for nutrients; too acid and they can both struggle for nutrient and succumb …
Black sand at the beach
When I was younger I went to a beach in southeast Queensland. This beach has streaks of black sand and I was convinced that it was some terrible environmental disaster that was sure to be toxic or poisonous or worse (not sure what could be worse now, but at the time it was terrible). I …
Nutrient cycling
I work on soil biogeochemical cycling in wet soils, which I understand is basically French to an English only speaker. Biogeochemical cycling and nutrient cycling are basically the same thing – biogeochemistry simple means any natural chemical reaction in the environment that has something to do with ‘life’ while nutrient cycling is a suite of …
International postdoc – part two
Once the bureaucratic seas have been successfully navigated, working in China has been nice. The stereotype of people working 12 hour days and taking meals at their desk is not the case in my lab at least. People arrive at approximately 9, leave at about 5:30 and eat lunch at one of several canteens. It’s …
Erinne Stirling 