Please Make Sure That Wherever You’re At In Life, You Don’t Treat It Like A Transitory Period. Don’t

Odd deep sea fish, abstract art, or brain activity maps?

The clearest composite image of moon obtained by combining various moon images by astrographers

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.

— Thích Nhất Hạnh

Library Görlitz Germany

© J. Hulsch

To become what one is, one must not have the faintest idea what one is.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo (via philosophybits)

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with the insatiable desire to learn. To know astronomy and geography and language and architecture; to recognize each constellation, planet, and star; to speak and understand all languages, be able to decipher ancient Greek and Latin text; to grow my understanding of how the human body works; study the differences and similarities of each religion; recognize the use for each herb and seed and sapling.

I want to better myself, not for fame or recognition or power. I just want to understand. 

Exercising in space – Quick video about my favorite fitness machine

#Fitness is critical in space! Watch this #SpeedyTime video as I transform the multi-modal ARED machine during my workout. The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), simulates free-weight exercises in normal gravity. In space we exercise 2 hours every day in order to maintain our muscle and bone mass. Our favorite part about exercising in space is of course, the view!

To learn more about the ARED, please visit https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1001.html

another lab day!

today I extracted some DNA from our fli1a:eGFP background and1/2 mutants so that we can genotype them. I ran an RT-PCR and I’ll do the gel tomorrow to determine their genotype (all with the help of the amazing MSc. student i’m working under).

the fish are all currently really small so it was harder to cut their fins, but I think it went well for my first time! hopefully my PCR is successful too...

the fins regenerate in about a week, so these fish will be good as new soon!

Strahov Library — Prague, Czech Republic

Neil deGrasse Tyson reminding us that we are all special.