shoutout to the dude in the biology building who walked down the hallway carrying three (3) entirely intact 5 foot tall corn stalks rooted in a gallon ziplock bag, looked around confusedly, and walked back the way he came
if you read in a frog paper “specimen was released in the field immediately after capture” chances are very good that what it actually means is
“i dropped the damn frog and despite the fact that we fell all over each other no one could recapture it”
sometimes when i am sad i go read through the tags on this post, because they are 70% other biologists saying things like “AND ALSO FUCK FIELD MICE” and “THAT CRAB ALMOST BROKE MY FINGER” and I am reassured that I am not the only one who has bobbled a wood frog right into their cleavage.
plus six or seven people who just….can’t figure out what a frog paper could possibly be. (guys it’s…a scientific paper. about frogs.)
and this one
which made me laugh despairingly because i mean
bro you don’t even know.
what is the code entomologists use for “i stepped on it, i’m so sorry, it was dark out and the specimen was very small”
“Impromptu dissection was performed under less-than-optimal lighting conditions.”
‘impromptu dissection’ is an alarming phrase in any context and i thank you for it
Reblogging for the new phrase. I’m now using it every time I accidentally step on a bug, etc
i enjoy that every single human’s reaction to penguin is unrestrained delight
And penguins lack large terrestrial predators, so their reaction to humans tends to be, “HELLO STRANGE GIANT PENGUINS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DO YOU HAVE ANY FISH?”
When scientists step outside their safe laboratories, anything can happen. Of course, studying wild animals or digging out million-year-old fossils sounds exotic and exciting, but that’s only one side of the spectrum. The other side is sometimes gross and scary but mostly it’s hilarious. In 2015 scientists started sharing their most embarrassing #Fieldworkfails, and recently French illustrator Jim Jourdane has decided to compile the most memorable ones and turn them into amusing whimsical drawings. (Source)
Me, at an art store: I need a paint marker with low toxicity and a delicate tip.
Employee: What kind of project are you working on?
Me: It’s for a research project. I just need bright colors.
Employee: What medium are you using? Canvas or paper?
Me: uh….spiders.
Employee: Plastic or felt?
Me: ….live spiders. Like, from the forest.
Employee: ….
Employee: I have to get back to the counter.
BettSplendens Tumblr Evac 