Archive for the ‘Scientists At Work’ Category

I’m super excited to announce I’ve launched a Citizen Science project to learn more about the animal enemies of mushrooms in the genus Amanita, especially my study species Amanita phalloides. You can enter data for the project on iNaturalist, here. If the word limit there leaves you yearning for more background on why we launched the […]

In many ways, Harry Potter had a pretty brutal life. He was orphaned, had abusive foster parents, and a spooky nose-less dude with a huge-ass snake tried to kill him all the time. Harry Potter had to fight hard for years against tough odds, and that’s metal. And though being a scientist is also metal, […]

The “Sketchy Bridge”

Posted: 7th April 2012 by Metal Chick in Scientists At Work
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The following is a prime example of the type of crazy-ass ordeal people will endure for the sake of science. I have been to Bolivia four times, collecting chili samples and conducting various in-field experiments. That first trip will always stand out in my mind, because I saw so many bizarre, terrifying things for the […]

Field Ecology Research Part II: Bolivia

Posted: 18th February 2012 by Metal Chick in Scientists At Work
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Any scientist that does field work in Bolivia is metal, no questions asked. Bolivia is a third world country run by military police, full of diseases like yellow fever and Chagas, wherein people will rob your stuff from your moving field truck and the local police who surely witnessed it will not even help you. […]

Field Ecology Research Part 1: Uruguay

Posted: 17th January 2011 by Metal Chick in Scientists At Work
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As an insider, I can somewhat understand how non-scientists might think that lab scientists are not terribly metal. But if you even suggest that field scientists are less than metal, I will CUT you. Scientists that do field work venture out into the wild to get dirty, get bit by bugs, and generally put themselves […]