Bioplastics for the lab are finally here! But there’s a big problem — few people actually know what bioplastics are. Here’s what you need to know 🧵👇
Patrick Penndorf
@patricks-science.bsky.social
I am a scientist, communicator, and strategist dedicated to making complex knowledge accessible, actionable, and impactful.
If you work in science, you need to adopt sustainable practices now - otherwise, you may soon lose funding. 2 of the world’s largest funders already require labs to report: 🔹 Cutting plastic waste 🔹 Reducing energy use 🔹 Traveling less If not, applications won’t be considered.
Quick tip to spot greenwashing: - Some push “infinite recycling loops” that don’t exist - Others fudge carbon accounting - Or pretend an analysis = certification 👉 Just ask the company for details. If claims are exaggerated, you’ll likely hear… nothing. ❌ Silence = red flag
Something we should tell every graduate: Uni won’t teach you to follow your❤️but it will shape your career. After graduation, the structure disappears. You need to forge your own path. What I heard scientists advise: Listen to your heart it will lead you properly Other tips?
There’s a new publishing model you should know about. 🔹 Subscribe to Open (S2O) If enough libraries keep subscribing, the journal flips to 100% open access for that year. If not, it falls back to subscriptions + APCs. Read more in the thread #ScientificPublishing
Research labs generate tons of plastic waste every year. But what if making science greener didn’t require extra effort from scientists? 🧪 Here’s how one of the world’s leading institutes tackled it—Leibniz-HKI 👇 @leibniz-hki.de @iubmb.bsky.social @iubmbtrainee.bsky.social
Writing about sustainability changed my life. The biggest lesson? Good things take time. A thread for anyone who's building something from scratch 👇
If you care about sustainability, these numbers you need to know - let's make it super quick: These numbers are hard to come by but: Centrifuge: 4.2 kWh Incubator: 0.04–0.9 PCR Cycler: 0.2–2 Thermomixer: 0.11 E-pipette: 0.01–0.05 #GreenLab #STEM #Sustainability
It finally happened. AI can now write systematic reviews better than humans. And it only takes 2 days... A group of researchers (Cao et al.) built a workflow using freely available AI tools to: 🔹 Screen papers 🔹 Extract data 🔹 Run meta-analyses All without any hefty coding.
Making a research institute more sustainable in just 2 weeks? The Leibniz-HKI and I took on the challenge... 🧵👇 The goal wasn’t just clean energy, but also less plastic in experiments, reducing chemical waste, and improving health & safety. #STEM #Greenlab @leibniz-hki.de
🎬 Do science communication like making a great movie. Start mid-action. No foreplay. Here’s how I got millions of views (and 600+ newsletter readers in 3 weeks) by doing what most scientists don’t:
This post might change how you do your PCRs Potentially saving you 46% time, 50% money, and 38% plastic waste In short: DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.01.013 In more detail in the thread below:
We can now make paracetamol—the world’s most-used painkiller—from plastic waste. Yes, seriously. Here’s how 🧵 #STEM #Environment #Innovation
An underrated truth for young researchers: Your network might matter just as much as your science. Maybe even more. Let’s talk about why 👇 #STEM #PhDLife #ScienceCareer
Whether a plastic take-back program makes sense for your lab depends on one major factor.... I ran the numbers for an institution I advise as a sustainability consultant—and I was shocked. 🧵 #STEM #GreenLab #EnvironmentalProtection @febsjuniorsection.bsky.social @iubmbtrainee.bsky.social
🚨 eLife will lose its Impact Factor next month. Why? Because it's breaking the rules of traditional publishing by letting any manuscript being published. And maybe—just maybe—that’s exactly what science needs. #OpenScience @elife.bsky.social @elifecommunity.bsky.social @iubmb.bsky.social
Imagine seeing the environmental impact of your lab equipment at a glance. A big update is coming that every scientist should know about: 🌿 A new sustainability label is being launched by our supporters @My Green Lab!
🧪 A new kind of 96-well plate — and it looks like Science Fiction. If you measure protein concentration or bacterial density, you have to see this. 👇 #Science #Laboratory #EnvironmentalSustainability #Innovation
🧊 Is it safe to set your freezer to -70°C instead of -80°C? Yes. And here’s why. 👇
Reducing AI’s Carbon Footprint: Why Timing Matters⚡️🕑 It Can Cut Emissions by Up to 80% Even a single query to a large language model (LLM) uses about 100 times more energy than a Google search. When you run AI models matters as much as where you run them. 👇
🚨 Not COVID, but Measles is making a comeback 🚨 I was shocked when I read the news this morning… The current outbreak in the U.S. is growing. 📈 A quick thread on what you need to know & how to stay protected 👇
Mice perform tiny reanimations for their partners? A surprising discovery of animal emergency responses 🐭❤️ Here is a summary of the study:
Risk of contamination should not stop you from reducing plastic waste! 🧪♻️ A case study shows how small optimizations can cut 65% of plastic waste in neuron transfection! All, without compromising sterility or workflow. Here’s how. 👇
🚨 If you work in a lab, this thread is for you! 🚨 Unnecessary exhausts on Biosafety Cabinets cost a lot of energy & money A pharmaceutical company in California found they had 600 BSCs with unnecessary exhausts. That’s $300,000 saved annually—money that could go into research! 💸 How to 👇
40% of all PhD students leave academia. If you analyze 1 million researchers, what are the reasons? #ScienceCareers #Success #StudentLife #Academia
🧵 What decides how engaged we are? A new study sheds light on this question! Let’s dive in. 👇 #Neuroscience #Productivity In our daily work, staying focused can be tough. A new study suggests that GABA, serotonin, and glutamate signaling in the brain influence how engaged we feel.
How to write better proposals? Scientists receiving $25M+ grants shared 3 essential tricks that made their proposals stand out. These are the lessons I learned that can help YOU win your next grant!
Do you know a cancer survivor? The person I know said: “Biomedical research helped save my life. It’s that simple.” But funding is getting cut - how to handle the situation? 👇
This big! ChatGPT for Genomes 💻🧬 An AI model that can write & interpret DNA! This is what you need to know about Evo-2: