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ezra_sinclair t1_ix5da8b wrote

Mmm, this reminds me of bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax infections, though soil to human transmission is rare. I had something in the lab not that long ago in the bacillus cereus group, which includes b.anthracis, couldn't identity it any further than that since the species under that category are so similar beyond some extraneous plasmid DNA. Probably it wasn't b.anthracis though, very fastidious, very hard to culture, still there are several other things in the b.cereus group that'll at least give you some pretty serious food poisoning. I resisted the urge to eat it.

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WindsorPotts t1_ix6hrn1 wrote

Best move. However, have you considered trying to culture a cheese with it? For purely scientific and non-dietary purposes, of course.

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ezra_sinclair t1_ix6ipa1 wrote

Hmmm, well I do still have the plate, so let's put a pin in that. The lab has many forbidden snacks already, the chocolate agar, one particular mold that looked like the frothy cinnamon seasoned top of a latte... We later named that mold Fred and kept him in a steel canister with a smiley face drawn on it as he was so virulent he'd grow right out of a closed plate. Broke my heart when I had to throw him out, but I don't doubt he survived the incinerator in some form. No, but apparently I could exclude b.anthracis by streaking it on to blood agar, which I do have, as my reading says it's the only one in the b.cereus group that doesn't display beta-hemolysis on blood agar, but at this point I prefer the mystery.

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WindsorPotts t1_ix6j0qc wrote

The mystery is what keeps the relationship spicy

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ezra_sinclair t1_ix6j4bv wrote

Of course, 80 percent of being a scientist is about remaining inappropriately sexually attracted to your work.

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WindsorPotts t1_ix6jc15 wrote

Right?! Look at Marie Curie!

Oh. Wait. No. Sorry. That went bad, fast

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WindsorPotts t1_ix6j33g wrote

Also I'm calling dibs on the latte froth fungi

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ezra_sinclair t1_ix6jk9f wrote

Fred was a good guy, I respect the will to survive. Fungi in general are so lovely I think. We have so many preconceptions about life that are taught to us by the animal-plant dichotomy that dominates biology education, fungi has a way of defying all preconceptions.

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WindsorPotts t1_ix6js71 wrote

They're basically just a life form that says "hold my beer, watch this".

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