Hey guys
There's a post going around about something called the "Invertebrate Studies Institute" needing help. A few comments made on the post made me curious, so I checked it out and it seems sketchy to me. (ETA: the post's OP is now aware of the situation and is trying to rectify things on their end, and are ok with my post getting more exposure. Read the notes for more info too!)
The institute is a startup and the owner has displayed misogynistic behavior. He made a company and received "$1.3 million in research grants from the USDA and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation" in 2011, but there aren't any research papers listed on the ISI website more recent than 2012 (sources: ISI website, People Behind the Science podcast transcript, All Things Bugs LLC webpage). It's possible his research is still a work in progress, but I would expect to see some genome sequencing work at the least since that seems to be a major focus.
Also, it's possible to ship frozen specimens in dry ice and have them be fine. Even stuff for molecular work and genome sequencing. So the inability to get help from other research groups, to where they're asking for a local freezer plug-in, is a bit weird to me.
Some screenshots below the cut, didn't screenshot everything since it's mostly just text, but I did cite the sources if you wanna read them yourself.
Not sure what the overall point is of this post is besides "seems sketch to me" but I saw a lot of people worrying on the initial post so I wanted to at least mention this stuff.
Comments from the tumblr post which sparked my initial concerns.
Screenshots from the LinkedIn link, with the initial contact and follow-up legal threat.
Screenshot from the ISI website talking about their facility and "initiative" (I noticed a lot of the wording on the website sounded like they hadn't done significant research, which also gave me pause).
And, for fun, the CDC guide on shipping frozen specimens.
8K notes
·
View notes
9 February 2024
Cameraman Mohammed Yaqoubi writes on his Instagram story,
Hunger is indescribably severe in northern Gaza. No flour. No feed. No canned food. No necessities for life. No water. No fuel. No life. The situation has reached a stage of extreme danger for all citizens without exception. Whoever did not die from the bombing will die from hunger!!
Source: Mohammed Yaqoubi via Stories on Instagram
3K notes
·
View notes
Trigons Backup Plan
So! Trigon knew from the moment his Daughter was taken in by the Monks of Azarath that it would be difficult to turn her to his will. He wasn't stupid, he knew just how hard it would be to make his daughter turn on everything she has ever known in her (very short) life.
He can't really blame her, even he believed that indiscriminate mass murder was wrong until his mid-200's, he just needs to wait for her to grow out of it.
But until then he still needs a way into the DC Universe. And if his daughter wouldn't help, then he could always just make a 2nd one.
So, he searches and eventually finds a Couple of Scientists who seem to be good targets. They are researching Magic and Ghosts, so he makes a Demonic Pact with them. He will give them the secrets needed to complete their Research, and in exchange all he asks is that they help him bare a child.
They agree, and Danny Fenton is born.
Danny was supposed to become a Hellmouth when he turned 16, unlocking his Demonic Powers and opening the way for Trigon to enter the DC Universe so he could conquer it.
Instead he managed to get himself killed at 14. Then he managed to come back to life as a Halfa, he got himself adopted by Clockwork, and he usurped the Throne of the Infinite Realms in the span of 1 year, therefore putting himself on the same level as his Father on the cosmic scale.
So there goes his Backup Plan.
Dammit.
...
Meanwhile Raven is panicking. She had been messing around with her Friends when they asked about the Spells she could do, and she off-handedly mentioned that she could cast Family Tracking Spells.
One thing led to another, and they all wanted to know if they had secret family. Then they asked if she wanted to try as well, and for some reason she agreed.
And long story short, she has a little brother somehow. A little brother who is only a few weeks away from turning 16, who doesn't know the Azarathian Spells she learned to prevent his own transformation into a Hellmouth.
Oh shit...
3K notes
·
View notes
I found this like, last year and took a picture. I never watched this movie, but it felt a little dramatic. If I recall I believe it's about a bunch of kids going to jesus camp.
0 notes
believe it or not i am reading
[ID: A meme redraw of a quote-retweet with Scum Villain characters.
Luo Binghe @/shizunliker: you see me chasing you down wyd (Attached art of Luo Binghe running on Chinese rooftops while scowling)
Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu @/peerlesscucumber: Killing myself in front of you to forever change our bond and the trajectory of our lives. End ID]
2K notes
·
View notes
14 January 2024
Yet another IOF atrocity in northern Gaza today.
Earlier in the day, a very, very small shipment of flour entered north Gaza. The shipment was pathetically small, apparently one van and one truck for 800,000 people. People gathered on the beach by the thousands, hoping to get a bag of flour to take home and feed their families. Gazans know that gathering in large groups and/or in open spaces makes them especially vulnerable to Israeli snipers and bombardment. They choose to risk their lives anyway because the alternative is starvation. Nooh Al-Shaghnobi shows a fraction of the massive crowd in this photo.
The IOF has been targeting Civil Defense workers, so crowd control and efficient distribution were impossible. People scrambled for the smallest scrap of aid, but the vast majority would receive nothing. Many people continued to wait even after the aid was gone. The shore was packed with thousands of desperate, starving people when the IOF opened fire on them. At least five people were trampled to death due to the chaos.
Video 1 (pre-attack) Nooh Al-Shaghnobi
Video 2 (pre-attack) Nooh Al Shaghnobi
Video 3 (pre-attack) Hossam Azam
Video 4 (post-attack) Nooh Al-Shaghnobi
Video 5 (post-attack) Hossam Azam
4K notes
·
View notes