I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
I like irreverent things. Wrong things. Smiley faces with drops of blood on their shiny yellow heads. Murderous, cherub faced dolls. Death rainbows. Bad horses.
'Wrong' things make me genuinely happy.
Thats why, despite its understated design, I LOVE our departmental T-shirts!!!
E. coli is a celebrity. Its always in the news for tainting this and contaminating that. Oh most E. coli are harmless, its just that some of them have been hanging out with naughty viruses:
E. coli is a gram-negative enterobacterium which diverged from the Salmonella lineage about 100 million years ago. Many contemporary E. coli strains are benign intestinal commensals; but a few strains have evolved into pathogens.
...
STEC causes diarrheal disease as well as more severe clinical manifestations, including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. It is thought that the Shiga toxin Stx released by bacteria residing in the intestinal lumen is responsible for all these symptoms. The toxin traverses the intestinal epithelial barrier, enters the bloodstream, and damages vascular cells of the colon, the kidneys, and the central nervous system.
...
Key events in this process were the replacement of the rfb gene region followed by the sequential acquisition of first bacteriophage stx2 and then phage stx1.
hehehehehe Bacteriophages. Turning good bacteria 'bad' for 3 billion years. hehehehehe!
Anyway, love the shirt. Just a few poop-inducing E. coli.
... One is smiling.
Comments
Nice shirt
Posted by: Jared | August 13, 2008 8:26 PM
Sounds like a t-shirt to me!
Posted by: George | August 13, 2008 9:34 PM
Hey I just got my new t-shirt today too!
A friend of mine's girlfriend did the logo.
http://www.cafepress.com/yaleeeb.90621040
Can you get me one of yours and I'll bring you a Darwin08 shirt?
Posted by: John Dennehy | August 13, 2008 9:57 PM
I second that! That would be one great t-shirt.
Posted by: kc | August 13, 2008 11:05 PM
Ooh, have a look at some of Ursula Vernon's work, then. say, http://www.webcomicsnation.com/uvernon/littlecreature/series.php?view=archive&chapter=4602&mpe=1&fromwhich=3&direction=f or http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Cthulhu-s-Day-Out-86330269
Posted by: Adam Cuerden | August 14, 2008 12:08 AM
John Dennehy:
Yale sucks! They stole Peru's stuff...
Posted by: Hamsterpoop | August 14, 2008 1:55 AM
@ Adam #5
I've got several Vernon prints at home. My wife loves 'em! She's a real talent. We've spoken to her at conventions several times, and I used to see her on the Randi forums a lot. She's a strong skeptic, and very pleasant. Her blog is quite interesting, too, though I'm lacking the url right now...
Posted by: Ranson | August 14, 2008 8:19 AM
Oh man Luke Chueh has some cool stuff. Thanks for that link.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 14, 2008 8:44 AM
Why not invent a good virophage that stops the bad bacteriophage?
Posted by: Bayesian Bouffant, FCD | August 14, 2008 9:47 AM
That is an awesome shirt! I want - no I need one!! Any job openings in your department?
Posted by: clheiny | August 14, 2008 11:41 AM
Ah, guess who has photobucket blocked?
Just guess.
Posted by: StuV | August 14, 2008 12:57 PM
Ursula Vernon's blog: http://ursulav.livejournal.com/
The greatest concentration of wrong I have seen lately: http://www.explosm.net/comics/
Posted by: Trip the Space Parasite | August 14, 2008 1:09 PM
Ooh you'll be so jealous when I tell you my hubby worked on the Watchmen movie, got a bunch of crew t-shirts and a fleece jacket with the bloody smiley face on it, and I GOT TO GO TO THE WRAP PARTY!!!! The sets look awesome by the way.
He also kept the smiley face sticker they used as a set parking pass, because it looks pretty cool. You can see it in the first two photos on this post.
Posted by: VWXYNot? | August 14, 2008 6:27 PM
MSNBC Live Poll! Quick, Vote!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/
Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?
Do it!
Posted by: Hamsterpoop | August 14, 2008 9:28 PM
"Hamsterpoop" - Nice "Handle"(hahaha ... snicker!)
Posted by: Stacy S. | August 15, 2008 12:21 AM
"Watchmen" is such a bad-ass comic.
Posted by: Logan N | August 16, 2008 2:31 AM
Hey, there's a smiling bacterium! Whodathunkit?
Posted by: themadlolscientist, FCD | August 19, 2008 12:30 AM